Published: 17 June, 2025
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Lo Kauppi: “The blame should fall where it belongs – on the perpetrator”
She is the actor and playwright who never shies away from the difficult. On the contrary, Lo Kauppi goes straight into the pain, the power structures and the pain. On stage, in her texts and in her social engagement, she gives voice to those who are rarely heard. The issue of children’s rights, and in particular the sexual exploitation of children, is something that evokes both anger and power in her. For Lo, the struggle is not abstract – it is physical, political and personal. And in everything she does, there is a common drive: to change.
What are the issues in the field of child sexual exploitation that concern you most?
The most important thing is that we dare to talk about it – to put the blame where it belongs: on the perpetrator. It is absurd that a nipple on social media can be removed within an hour because the algorithms react so quickly, but that adults who abuse children online are not found. We need to be able to put more resources into the parts of the police that deal with this.
I am grateful that buying sex is illegal in Sweden, but that is not enough. If someone films an assault and claims it is a porn movie, they can basically pretend to be the producer – and thus avoid responsibility. It should be possible to stop that.
Is there a book, movie or song that has increased your commitment to children’s rights?
The movie Pervert Park has been incredibly important to me. It’s a Swedish documentary that helped me understand what sexual crime is – what it does to people, and how wrong it is when society’s response is to collectively punish and hang perpetrators. It is usually the working class who are convicted, and I generally believe more in care than punishment – even for those who are detained. The film also addresses one of the most shameful things: that there are also female sex offenders. It is rare, but it does happen – and it is important that we recognize it and act.
You spend a lot of time volunteering. Tell us about something that makes you feel good and inspires you to continue.
Right now, it’s practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu and coming together in the pro-Palestinian movement. It gives me hope – hope that there are many of us who want change. For me, violence, war and sexual exploitation are linked. They are different expressions of the same destructive force that, whether through bombs or rape, conveys that some children are not worth as much. It must be fought in all its forms.