Despite repeated warnings from Swedish authorities about the risks associated with sugardejting, the practice remains widespread in Jämtland County, according to a report from SVT Jämtlandsnytt. Investigators found over 200 advertisements on just one website, indicating significant activity in the region.
The Swedish Gender Equality Agency (Jämställdhetsmyndigheten) stated in 2020 that sugardejting constitutes a form of prostitution and represents an expression of men's violence against women, characterizing the arrangement as involving power and control from the buyer's side.
We meet recurring people who become victims of rape. It's all the time,
Jonna Ålander, regional coordinator against human trafficking and prostitution in Sweden's four northernmost counties, reported encountering recurring cases of violence. "We meet recurring people who become victims of rape. It's all the time," Ålander said, emphasizing the difficulty for individuals to assess risks in such situations.
Police have repeatedly warned about sugardejting, citing cases where perpetrators have used such platforms to contact victims. In autumn 2022, a man in Värmland was convicted in a high-profile case involving 13 counts of rape after contacting his victims through a sugardejting website.
Despite clear evidence that people are harmed, numerous sugardejting websites continue to operate online, with authorities struggling to address the complex legal boundaries surrounding such arrangements.