Sexuellt självbestämmande och straffrättens gränser – En undersökning om ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer
(2026) JURM02 20261Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Uppsatsen behandlar ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer. Utgångspunkten är den konflikt som uppstår när individens sexuella självbestämmande ställs mot straffrättens skydd för liv och hälsa i sammanhang där frivillighet och våld sammanfaller. Frågan har aktualiserats genom den ökade rättsliga och samhälleliga uppmärksamheten kring strypvåld och väcker principiella frågor om i vilken utsträckning en individ kan samtycka till handlingar som innebär kroppsskada eller risk för allvarlig skada.
Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vilket utrymme ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans ger för ansvarsfrihet vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer samt hur dessa ansvarsfrihetsgrunder tillämpas... (More) - Uppsatsen behandlar ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer. Utgångspunkten är den konflikt som uppstår när individens sexuella självbestämmande ställs mot straffrättens skydd för liv och hälsa i sammanhang där frivillighet och våld sammanfaller. Frågan har aktualiserats genom den ökade rättsliga och samhälleliga uppmärksamheten kring strypvåld och väcker principiella frågor om i vilken utsträckning en individ kan samtycka till handlingar som innebär kroppsskada eller risk för allvarlig skada.
Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vilket utrymme ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans ger för ansvarsfrihet vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer samt hur dessa ansvarsfrihetsgrunder tillämpas i underrättspraxis. Undersökningen genomförs med en rättsdogmatisk metod och en empirisk analys av underrättsdomar. Analysen tar sin utgångspunkt i ett liberalt perspektiv på sexuellt självbestämmande, där individens autonomi och rätt att förfoga över sin egen kropp tillmäts central betydelse.
Undersökningen visar att ansvarsbefriande samtycke enligt 24 kap. 7 § brottsbalken i princip kan aktualiseras även vid våldshandlingar som orsakar kroppsskada. Ett giltigt samtycke är emellertid inte tillräckligt för ansvarsfrihet, eftersom gärningen dessutom måste bedömas som försvarlig. Vid denna bedömning tillmäts framför allt handlingens farlighet, den konkreta skadans omfattning, risken för ytterligare skada och gärningens syfte betydelse. Strypvåld är en handling som typiskt sett anses innebära betydande medicinska risker, vilket medför att utrymmet för ansvarsfrihet är starkt begränsat även när samtycke föreligger. Analysen visar samtidigt att sexuellt självbestämmande i viss utsträckning kan beaktas inom ramen för försvarlighetsbedömningen, även om detta intresse inte tillmäts avgörande betydelse i rättstillämpningen.
Vidare visar undersökningen att social adekvans har ett mycket begränsat tillämpningsområde vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer. Till skillnad från exempelvis idrott och medicinsk verksamhet anses strypvåld sakna ett sådant etablerat samhälleligt värde som traditionellt motiverar ansvarsfrihet. Genomgången av underrättspraxis visar också att domstolarna generellt intar en restriktiv hållning till ansvarsfrihet och genomgående låter skyddet för liv och hälsa väga tyngre än det sexuella självbestämmandet. Mot denna bakgrund framstår rättsläget som delvis oklart, särskilt beträffande vilken betydelse sexuellt självbestämmande bör tillmätas inom ramen för försvarlighetsbedömningen och social adekvans. Uppsatsen visar därmed att strypvåld i sexuella situationer aktualiserar komplexa straffrättsliga avvägningar mellan autonomi, frivillighet och skyddet för liv och hälsa. (Less) - Abstract
- This thesis examines exculpatory consent and social adequacy in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual contexts. The point of departure is the conflict that arises when an individual’s sexual self-determination is weighed against the protection afforded by criminal law to life and health in situations where voluntariness and violence coincide. The issue has gained increased legal and societal attention and raises fundamental questions regarding the extent to which an individual may consent to acts involving bodily harm or the risk of serious injury.
The aim of this thesis is to examine the scope within which exculpatory consent and social adequacy may provide grounds for exemption from criminal liability in cases involving... (More) - This thesis examines exculpatory consent and social adequacy in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual contexts. The point of departure is the conflict that arises when an individual’s sexual self-determination is weighed against the protection afforded by criminal law to life and health in situations where voluntariness and violence coincide. The issue has gained increased legal and societal attention and raises fundamental questions regarding the extent to which an individual may consent to acts involving bodily harm or the risk of serious injury.
The aim of this thesis is to examine the scope within which exculpatory consent and social adequacy may provide grounds for exemption from criminal liability in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations, and how these grounds for exemption are applied in lower court practise. The study is conducted using a legal-dogmatic method combined with an empirical analysis of lower court judgements. The analyses is based on a liberal perspective on sexual self-determination, in which the individual’s autonomy and right to control their own body are accorded central importance.
The study demonstrates that consent under Chapter 24, Section 7 of the Swedish Penal Code (BrB) may, in principle, apply even in relation to violent acts causing bodily harm. However, valid consent is not in itself sufficient to exempt a person from criminal liability, since the act must also be considered justifiable. Importance is attached to the dangerous nature of the act, the extent of the actual harm, the risk of further injury, and the purpose of the act. Non-fatal strangulation is typically regarded as involving significant medical risks, meaning that the scope for exemption from criminal liability is highly limited even where consent has been given. The analysis nevertheless shows that sexual self-determination may, to a certain extent, be considered in the assessment of justifiability.
Furthermore, the study shows that social adequacy has a very limited scope of application in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations. Unlike sports and medical practice, non-fatal strangulation is not considered to possess the kind of established social value that traditionally justifies exemption from criminal liability. The review of lower court practice also demonstrates that the courts generally adopt a restrictive approach to and consistently allow the protection of life and health to outweigh sexual self-determination. Against this background, the legal position appears partly unclear, particularly regarding the significance attributed to sexual self-determination within the framework of justifiability and social adequacy. The thesis therefore demonstrates that non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations gives rise to complex criminal law considerations involving a balance between autonomy, voluntariness, and the protection of life and health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9226748
- author
- Skåninger, Ebba LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Sexual Self-Determination and the Limits of Criminal Law – A Study of Exculpatory Consent and Social Adequacy in Cases Involving Non-Fatal Strangulation in Sexual Situations
- course
- JURM02 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- straffrätt, ansvarsbefriande samtycke, social adekvans, strypvåld, strypsex, stryptag, 24 kap. 7 § BrB, sexuellt självbestämmande
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9226748
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-10 17:17:11
- date last changed
- 2026-06-10 17:17:11
@misc{9226748,
abstract = {{This thesis examines exculpatory consent and social adequacy in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual contexts. The point of departure is the conflict that arises when an individual’s sexual self-determination is weighed against the protection afforded by criminal law to life and health in situations where voluntariness and violence coincide. The issue has gained increased legal and societal attention and raises fundamental questions regarding the extent to which an individual may consent to acts involving bodily harm or the risk of serious injury.
The aim of this thesis is to examine the scope within which exculpatory consent and social adequacy may provide grounds for exemption from criminal liability in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations, and how these grounds for exemption are applied in lower court practise. The study is conducted using a legal-dogmatic method combined with an empirical analysis of lower court judgements. The analyses is based on a liberal perspective on sexual self-determination, in which the individual’s autonomy and right to control their own body are accorded central importance.
The study demonstrates that consent under Chapter 24, Section 7 of the Swedish Penal Code (BrB) may, in principle, apply even in relation to violent acts causing bodily harm. However, valid consent is not in itself sufficient to exempt a person from criminal liability, since the act must also be considered justifiable. Importance is attached to the dangerous nature of the act, the extent of the actual harm, the risk of further injury, and the purpose of the act. Non-fatal strangulation is typically regarded as involving significant medical risks, meaning that the scope for exemption from criminal liability is highly limited even where consent has been given. The analysis nevertheless shows that sexual self-determination may, to a certain extent, be considered in the assessment of justifiability.
Furthermore, the study shows that social adequacy has a very limited scope of application in cases involving non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations. Unlike sports and medical practice, non-fatal strangulation is not considered to possess the kind of established social value that traditionally justifies exemption from criminal liability. The review of lower court practice also demonstrates that the courts generally adopt a restrictive approach to and consistently allow the protection of life and health to outweigh sexual self-determination. Against this background, the legal position appears partly unclear, particularly regarding the significance attributed to sexual self-determination within the framework of justifiability and social adequacy. The thesis therefore demonstrates that non-fatal strangulation in sexual situations gives rise to complex criminal law considerations involving a balance between autonomy, voluntariness, and the protection of life and health.}},
author = {{Skåninger, Ebba}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Sexuellt självbestämmande och straffrättens gränser – En undersökning om ansvarsbefriande samtycke och social adekvans vid strypvåld i sexuella situationer}},
year = {{2026}},
}