The abuse and ill-treatment of women from abroad who come to Sweden because of a relationship with a Swedish man is seen as a growing problem here. Now, the Thai Embassy in Stockholm has opened a telephone hotline to help women who have been violently abused by their partners.
The country with the highest percentage of women who come to Sweden to stay with a man is Thailand, and the Thai Embassy in Stockholm has now opened a hotline for women in distress to give help and support.
“We have a phone here within office hours and we have another emergency line open 24 hours for Thai citizens, so when the woman in distress calls us, we will offer advice,” said Ambassador secretary Naruchai Ninnad to Swedish National Radio.
Eva Eriksson , the Governor of Värmland, where it’s a particular problem, has been given a mandate by the government to analyse and examine the extent of violence and threats faced by around 600 of these foreign women and children who contacted women’s shelter groups last year.
“We can see that it’s a big problem now and I would like the Swedish embassies in foreign countries such as Thailand, to inform women about their rights in countries such as Sweden, and make sure they are aware about what is going on here.”
Meanwhile, Sweden’s tax authorities and police have been targeting Thai massage parlours for sex trafficking and tax evasion, they admit sex trafficking can be difficult to prove. There are an estimated 190 Thai massage parlours in the Swedish capital alone.
