Men with an immigrant background are over-represented among people convicted in the Oslo District Court for the most serious acts of violence, reported TV 2 news.
TV 2 went through all judgments where someone had been convicted of serious bodily injury and gross bodily harm in Oslo from the beginning of 2018 until today. A total of 140 people have been sentenced in the past year.
There are a great majority of men among the convicted. TV 2’s review also showed that of the 140 perpetrators, 70% had an immigrant background.
According to Statistics Norway, persons with an immigrant background make up 33% of Oslo’s population. The definition of “immigrant background” is that one has either immigrated oneself or have two parents who were born abroad.
Violence researcher, Ragnhild Bjørnebekk, at the Police College, said she is not surprised. She believes that one of the reasons is that many come from cultures where violence is more prevalent.
‘’They are more vulnerable, they have experienced more trauma. Some of them come from violent cultures, and they take it with them. And then there are some of those who are not Oslo citizens, who come from other countries and only stay here for a few months,’’ said Bjørnebekk to TV 2.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
