Visibility and vulnerability: A mixed methodology approach to studying Roma individuals’ victimization experiences

Abstract

The present study examines the prevalence and impact of victimization among a sample of Roma individuals in Malmö and Gothenburg (Sweden). The aim of the study was to examine the link between visibility and victimization, and whether the Roma community employs behavioural strategies to reduce visibility, and, finally, to analyse how such strategies affect the group. The study design combines survey data ( n=610) with interviews ( n=30). The findings suggest that visibility is an important risk factor for victimization and that the study participants’ attempt to conceal their ethnicity affects them negatively both at an individual and a community level. The discussion concludes by presenting a number of policy implications.

The Imperative Need for Criminological Research on the European Roma: A Narrative Review

“…(42) Wallengren and Mellgren (2018) Begging was a risk factor for victimisation, not the ethnicity of the participants. (43) Wallengren et al (2019) Thirty-six percent of the Roma participants had been victims of a crime during the previous year of discrimination, threats and harassment. Men and youngsters were overrepresented among the victims.…”

Trust Toward the Criminal Justice System Among Swedish Roma: A Mixed-Methodology Approach

“…In this study, based on (unreliable) estimates of the different Roma subpopulations in Sweden, we have an overrepresentation of Travelers in the sample (SOU 2010:55). Compared to other Roma subpopulations, the Travelers have a longer history in Sweden and a stronger socioeconomic position (Wallengren et al, 2019). It is thus likely that the current study sample consists of Roma with a stronger social position than many other Roma living in Sweden.…”

An insider looking in or an outsider wannabee? Studying vulnerable hard-to-reach populations in the field of victimology – the example of the Roma communities in Sweden

“…This is particularly important for a group like the Roma, who do not have one specific culture and history and who have quite different cultural taboos within their communities. Finally, a problem I encountered after the questionnaire had been answered by the respondents was that I could conclude that while I had developed a certain measurement for the inclusion of particular Roma sub-communities, these groups only participated to a limited extent in the study (Wallengren et al, 2019;Wallengren et al, forthcoming). This raises the question of how a researcher should handle a population where different subjects can have a different stigma for different groups, and possibly only a small minority of the population do not want to include important measurements.…”

“…The project with the working title 'Roma victimization project' was designed to offer insights into the victimization experiences and the impact of victimization among the Roma communities in Sweden. The aim of the study was broad, namely, to analyze the overall hate and non-hate victimization experiences of the Roma communities; that is, questions related to the consequences of experiencing victimization, as well as the communities' relationship with different actors in Swedish society, the group's trust in the criminal justice system, and their crime reporting patterns (Wallengren and Mellgren, 2015a, 2015bWallengren et al, 2019;Wallengren et al, forthcoming). In the project, a sequential mixed-methods design was used as a means of gathering data.…”