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Begränsad rätt till nödvärn? - Brottsoffrets begränsade rätt till nödvärn vid våld i nära relationer

Thörnqvist, Ida LU (2019) LAGF03 20191
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
Domestic violence has been a major social problem for many years. In 2018, 22 women and 4 men were killed in Sweden by their previous or present partner. Violence occurs in all types of relationships and follows the same pattern regardless of the parties' sexuality or inherent power dynamics. Through systematic mental degradation, violation, and isolation, violence becomes normalized in the relationship. Under certain circumstances, according to Swedish law, a person who is subjected to an ongoing or imminent crime has the right to self-defense. The regulation has been criticized for being designed according to a male violence norm that does not consider the vulnerability that women experience in situations of domestic violence.

In... (More)
Domestic violence has been a major social problem for many years. In 2018, 22 women and 4 men were killed in Sweden by their previous or present partner. Violence occurs in all types of relationships and follows the same pattern regardless of the parties' sexuality or inherent power dynamics. Through systematic mental degradation, violation, and isolation, violence becomes normalized in the relationship. Under certain circumstances, according to Swedish law, a person who is subjected to an ongoing or imminent crime has the right to self-defense. The regulation has been criticized for being designed according to a male violence norm that does not consider the vulnerability that women experience in situations of domestic violence.

In situations with repeated violence it is from the victim’s point of view great reason to assume that there is a constant imminent threat of violence. I believe that the current interpretation of what constitutes lawful self-defense does not consider the psychological degradation that takes place through the normalization process in domestic violence. Additionally, the victim's vulnerable situation is not considered in the assessment of the defense of the violence. The self-defense law does not present a difference between violence in close relationships and, for example, violence that takes place on the street. Thus, the woman has the same obligation to leave her own home as a any person has to leave a public area.

There are reasons to differentiate the victim's vulnerability in violence in close relationships from other situations where self-defense occurs, but there are no reasons to distinguish the victim's vulnerability due to the parties’ genders. By not addressing the existence of domestic violence in other relationships than where a man abuses a woman, the division implies that stereotypical notions of violence in close relationships are maintained. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Under 2018 dödades 22 kvinnor och 4 män i Sverige av en närstående de är eller har varit i relation med. Våld kan förekomma i olika typer av relationer och följer samma mönster oavsett parternas sexualitet eller inneboende maktrelation. Genom systematisk psykisk nedbrytning och isolering normaliseras våldet i relationen. Under vissa förhållanden har en person som utsätts för ett pågående eller överhängande brottsligt angrepp rätt till nödvärn enligt 24 kap. 1§ BrB. Nödvärnsbestämmelsen har kritiserats för att vara utformad efter en manlig våldsnorm som inte tar hänsyn till den utsatthet som kvinnor upplever vid mäns våld mot kvinnor.

I en situation där våldet återkommer finns stor anledning att anta att det ur den brottsutsattas... (More)
Under 2018 dödades 22 kvinnor och 4 män i Sverige av en närstående de är eller har varit i relation med. Våld kan förekomma i olika typer av relationer och följer samma mönster oavsett parternas sexualitet eller inneboende maktrelation. Genom systematisk psykisk nedbrytning och isolering normaliseras våldet i relationen. Under vissa förhållanden har en person som utsätts för ett pågående eller överhängande brottsligt angrepp rätt till nödvärn enligt 24 kap. 1§ BrB. Nödvärnsbestämmelsen har kritiserats för att vara utformad efter en manlig våldsnorm som inte tar hänsyn till den utsatthet som kvinnor upplever vid mäns våld mot kvinnor.

I en situation där våldet återkommer finns stor anledning att anta att det ur den brottsutsattas synvinkel föreligger ett konstant överhängande hot om våld. Detta har resulterat i en diskussion om vart gränsen mellan det otillåtna preventiva nödvärnet och rekvisitet överhängande egentligen går. Jag anser att den nuvarande tolkningen av rekvisitet överhängande inte tar hänsyn till den psykiska nedbrytning som sker genom normaliserings-processen vid våld i nära relationer. Inte heller vid våldets försvarlighetsbedömning tar man enligt mig hänsyn till brottsoffrets utsatta situation. Genom att nödvärnsrätten i dagsläget inte gör skillnad på våld i nära relationer och exempelvis våld som sker på gatan har kvinnan lika stor skyldighet att lämna sitt eget hem som en främmande person har att lämna en främmande plats.

Det finns en anledning att skilja på brottsoffrets utsatthet vid våld i nära relationer från andra situationer där nödvärn kan bli aktuellt, men det finns ingen anledning att skilja på brottsoffrets utsatthet på grund av vilket kön som parterna i relationen har. Diskussionen kring kvinnligt nödvärn sker enbart utifrån grov kvinnofridskränkning. Genom att inte adressera våldets existens i andra relationer än där mannen slår kvinnan medför uppdelningen att stereotypa föreställningar om våld i nära relationer vidmakthålls. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Thörnqvist, Ida LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Straffrätt, Criminal law, Nödvärn, Våld i nära relationer, Kvinnofridskränkning, Fridskränkning, våld i samkönade relationer.
language
Swedish
id
8977092
date added to LUP
2019-09-16 10:31:23
date last changed
2019-09-16 10:31:23
@misc{8977092,
  abstract     = {{Domestic violence has been a major social problem for many years. In 2018, 22 women and 4 men were killed in Sweden by their previous or present partner. Violence occurs in all types of relationships and follows the same pattern regardless of the parties' sexuality or inherent power dynamics. Through systematic mental degradation, violation, and isolation, violence becomes normalized in the relationship. Under certain circumstances, according to Swedish law, a person who is subjected to an ongoing or imminent crime has the right to self-defense. The regulation has been criticized for being designed according to a male violence norm that does not consider the vulnerability that women experience in situations of domestic violence.
 
In situations with repeated violence it is from the victim’s point of view great reason to assume that there is a constant imminent threat of violence. I believe that the current interpretation of what constitutes lawful self-defense does not consider the psychological degradation that takes place through the normalization process in domestic violence. Additionally, the victim's vulnerable situation is not considered in the assessment of the defense of the violence. The self-defense law does not present a difference between violence in close relationships and, for example, violence that takes place on the street. Thus, the woman has the same obligation to leave her own home as a any person has to leave a public area.
 
There are reasons to differentiate the victim's vulnerability in violence in close relationships from other situations where self-defense occurs, but there are no reasons to distinguish the victim's vulnerability due to the parties’ genders. By not addressing the existence of domestic violence in other relationships than where a man abuses a woman, the division implies that stereotypical notions of violence in close relationships are maintained.}},
  author       = {{Thörnqvist, Ida}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Begränsad rätt till nödvärn? - Brottsoffrets begränsade rätt till nödvärn vid våld i nära relationer}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}