Violent 11-year-old girl instills fear in Helsinki’s Vuosaari district, father says intervention underway

An 11-year-old girl is suspected of involvement in multiple violent incidents in Helsinki’s Vuosaari district, including the assault of a 9-year-old boy and the harassment of an elderly woman, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports. The girl’s father states that authorities have addressed her behavior, though concerns among local parents persist.

The incidents involve a group of girls, with the 11-year-old—who was 10 at the time of the alleged offenses in October 2025—as a central figure. In one case, she and four companions chased and assaulted a 9-year-old boy on a bus, according to a police investigation report obtained by Yle. The boy, unfamiliar with the girls, reported being hit and slapped before an adult intervened. Police questioned the girls but closed the case due to their age, referring the matter to social services. The same 10-year-old was also accused of harassing an elderly woman on the same day.

The girl’s father, whose name Yle withheld to protect the child’s identity, told the broadcaster that his daughter’s aggressive behavior began after she endured over a year of bullying, including physical attacks and humiliation. “She was once pushed off climbing equipment,” he said, though Yle could not independently verify the claim. “Before that, she was very social and well-liked.” The father described his daughter’s transformation as tragic: “Unfortunately, the bullied became the bully.”

He acknowledged roughly ten incidents involving his daughter, three of which he deemed serious, including group-based intimidation and humiliation. While he condemned her actions, he criticized adults for vilifying her on social media, asking, “What does it do to a child’s development when everyone hates them?”

The family, which includes two parents and two children, has received support from social workers and police. The girl is now under a form of house arrest, barred from Vuosaari, and the family has relocated. The father, who has a prior criminal record for drug offenses but no recent convictions, expressed willingness to engage with the parents of affected children. He noted that his daughter has only recently begun assessments for potential neuropsykiatric conditions, emphasizing that change “won’t happen overnight.”

Reports of the group’s disruptive behavior—comprising up to ten girls—have surfaced in buses, the metro, and near Columbus shopping center. While the father insisted his daughter is not a “gang leader,” he admitted her involvement in the incidents, stating she is not constantly misbehaving and not all disturbances in Vuosaari are linked to her.