Citation

Wallengren S, Mellgren C. J. Interpers. Violence 2018; ePub(ePub): 886260518754872.

Affiliation

Malmö University, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260518754872

PMID

29366399

Abstract

This study used thematic analysis to explore 28 socially vulnerable European Union (EU) citizens who support themselves by begging in public spaces in Malmö, Sweden, their exposure to crime, and the consequences of victimization. The analysis revolved around the following themes: daily harassment in public spaces, multiple motives for victimization, strategies to combat victimization, and consequences of victimization. The participants described that they lived in a constant state of stress, due to their marginalized life situation and a fear of becoming victimized in public spaces while begging. Study participants claimed that it was not their ethnicity but rather the activity of begging and their overall vulnerable life situation together with a label as "non-Swedish" that motivate offenders to commit attacks against them. The discussion concludes by presenting a number of policy implications.

Language: en

Keywords

Sweden; hate crime; socially vulnerable EU citizens; victimization