This week, the police presented an updated situation report on the country’s so-called vulnerable areas. Being on this list can lead to deteriorating health for those who live there, according to Save the Children.

In the Police Authority’s new situation report, 65 multicultural areas in Sweden are assessed as vulnerable, of which 19 are classified as particularly vulnerable. The areas are mainly concentrated in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.

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Johannes Dontsios is a local police officer in Malmö and believes he sees a positive development in the work against drug trafficking, which makes him believe in a better situation report next year. At the same time, he sees the list as important for making changes and does not believe it is stigmatizing.

Health Warning

The work of compiling the list has been going on for ten years, and for an equal amount of time, the residential area of Lindängen in Malmö has been included. Being on the list is claimed to have a negative impact on health.

“It feels heavy for the people I meet daily in my work, and they are somehow labeled, and this affects their health negatively,” says Hoda Abbas, a health promoter at Save the Children, to Swedish Radio.

“I have great understanding, the statistics are important, but at the same time, it is important to show the strength and potential that exists in Lindängen among the people, the women I meet every day. I see this clearly.”

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