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Sexual violence underreported in Finland: Police

Xinhua, December 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

While a number of allegedly sexual harassment cases committed by asylum seekers have made headlines in Finland, the police stressed on Wednesday that more such crimes done by Finnish nationals have not even been reported.

Helsinki Police Commissioner Lasse Aapio said the police have zero tolerance towards all kinds of sexual harassment, "but many victims do not want to file a complaint and in some cases a complaint is withdrawn later".

Police representatives also noted earlier that media interest in sexual harassment by native inhabitants were relatively low. Most of the rapes take place among people who know each other and they are often ethnic Finns.

About 30-40 percent of sexual crimes in Helsinki are committed by people of foreign extraction. This year, all the rape cases in which the perpetrator was unknown to the victim have been committed by foreigners, including some with European background.

Commissioner Aapio underlined the need to report early as in some cases a person who first is guilty of less serious harassment moves on to rape later.

Terhi Heinila, the secretary general of the National Council of Women in Finland, told national broadcaster Yle that more attention should be given to violence within the family.

She said each year thousands of Finnish women in Finland are subjected to rape or other sexual harassment by Finnish men.

Since 1994 sexual harassment within a relationship or marriage has been a crime. Husband can be found guilty of raping his wife.

In Finland, alleged crime suspects are well protected by privacy laws. If the suspect is caught in a fresh case, giving publicity to the ethnic background is illegal.

Aapio said the regulation that demands the asylum status of a person must be kept secret should be reconsidered. Until November 2015 it was not legal to include asylum status in a complaint report.

Police say sexual harassment in the Helsinki area seems to be most frequent along the commuter train line towards the north. Police say it will discuss the situation with the railroad company VR.

The City of Helsinki security chief Matti Koskinen underlined on Wednesday though that Helsinki remains a secure city. He pointed out that in international surveys Helsinki often reaches the top 10 of safest cities. Endit