Annie Lööf: “A society is defined by how we treat the most vulnerable, our children.”

She has long been one of Sweden’s strongest political voices, but also an uncompromising defender of children’s right to a safe childhood. For Annie Lööf, the fight against the sexual exploitation of children is a moral obligation. With a mixture of despair and anger – but also hope – she highlights the importance of talking, acting and changing.

Why have you chosen to get involved in stopping the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children?
I am not alone in saying that the sexual exploitation, rape and abuse of children is the most disgusting and abhorrent. It is with a mixture of despair and anger that I have long been committed to freeing children from this evil, organized by adults. This evil that tears apart not only children’s bodies but also their security and future. A society is defined by how we treat the most vulnerable, our children, and this requires change on so many levels. It can be done, if we work together and systematically.

What issues in the field (sexual exploitation of children) concern you most?
It is important to make this area visible. That more of us dare to talk about it so that knowledge of the reality in Sweden and the world reaches more people. It is by increasing knowledge that I am convinced that more people both want to and can get involved. There are many things that need to change, but the most important thing in the long term is to change attitudes and norms, early on. That every body and every person has an inviolable right to their own body.

How do we get more people involved in the fight against sexual violence against children?
Everyone can make a difference! By talking to our children about norms and values, by being an active citizen and spreading the knowledge and reality that too many children have to live with. Or supporting the organizations that dedicate their time every day to bring about change for children’s safety and future, like ChildX.