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Barn som bevittnat våld mot närstående - Om möjligheten att tillskriva dem straffrättslig status som brottsoffer

Petersson, Viktoria LU (2014) LAGF03 20142
Faculty of Law
Department of Law
Abstract
Summary

This thesis treats the subject of children witnessing domestic violence and the possibility of considering them as victims according to Swedish criminal law. Research shows that children often suffer emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing domestic violence. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on these exposed and vulnerable children. According to Swedish law, the act of allowing children to witness violence, is not a specified criminal act. This thesis consists of a thorough investigation regarding the possibilities in which this deed can be considered as a criminal act according to the articles regarding assault and battery or molestation in the Swedish Penal Code. This paper is based on statutory... (More)
Summary

This thesis treats the subject of children witnessing domestic violence and the possibility of considering them as victims according to Swedish criminal law. Research shows that children often suffer emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing domestic violence. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on these exposed and vulnerable children. According to Swedish law, the act of allowing children to witness violence, is not a specified criminal act. This thesis consists of a thorough investigation regarding the possibilities in which this deed can be considered as a criminal act according to the articles regarding assault and battery or molestation in the Swedish Penal Code. This paper is based on statutory regulations, legislative history, court practice and jurisprudence.

In the last few years, some regulations in this matter have been introduced and these will be wholly described in this thesis. One of them is found in the Social Services Act and implies that children, who are witnessing domestic violence, should be treated as victims of crime. Another passed regulation implies that these children are granted compensation from the state. However, neither of these regulations permits these children to be accounted as an injured person according to the Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure.

My conclusions are, that the act of allowing children to witness domestic violence, can not be covered by the investigated articles. Instead, it is necessary to pass a new article specified for this act. To be able to criminalize an act it is necessary to take several principles into account. These principles that may underpin decisions about criminalization are described in this paper. I found that establishing an article in the Swedish Penal Code, consisting of a prohibition against the act of letting children witness domestic violence, would correspond well with these principles of criminalization. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
Sammanfattning
Uppsatsen behandlar möjligheten för barn som bevittnat våld mot en närstående att betraktas som brottsoffer enligt svensk straffrätt. Forskning visar att barn som lever med våld i familjen far illa. Syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa dessa utsatta barns situation. Då ingen uttrycklig straffbestämmelse mot att låta barn bevittna våld mot en närstående existerar utreds om ett sådant beteende trots det kan anses brottsligt enligt bestämmelsen om misshandel i 3 kap. 5 § BrB respektive bestämmelsen om ofredande i 4 kap. 7 § BrB. Detta görs med hjälp av lagtext, förarbeten, praxis och doktrin.

Framställningen behandlar även de bestämmelser som berör barn som bevittnat våld i hemmet som under senare år införts i bl.a.... (More)
Sammanfattning
Uppsatsen behandlar möjligheten för barn som bevittnat våld mot en närstående att betraktas som brottsoffer enligt svensk straffrätt. Forskning visar att barn som lever med våld i familjen far illa. Syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa dessa utsatta barns situation. Då ingen uttrycklig straffbestämmelse mot att låta barn bevittna våld mot en närstående existerar utreds om ett sådant beteende trots det kan anses brottsligt enligt bestämmelsen om misshandel i 3 kap. 5 § BrB respektive bestämmelsen om ofredande i 4 kap. 7 § BrB. Detta görs med hjälp av lagtext, förarbeten, praxis och doktrin.

Framställningen behandlar även de bestämmelser som berör barn som bevittnat våld i hemmet som under senare år införts i bl.a. brottsskadelagen (2014:322) och socialtjänstlagen (2001:453). Enligt dessa bestämmelser ska ett barn som bevittnat våld av eller mot närstående betraktas som offer för brott och ha rätt till brottsskadeersättning. Även den särskilda straffskärpningsgrunden i 29 kap. 2 § p.8 BrB, som ska appliceras på fall där brottet varit ägnat att skada tryggheten och tilliten hos ett barn i dess förhållande till en närstående person, presenteras i uppsatsen.

I analysen konstateras att handlingen att låta barn bevittna våld mot en närstående inte kan anses inrymmas under de undersökta straffbestämmelserna. Detta medför att de utsatta barnen inte kan tillskrivas målsägandestatus enligt RB och få de rättigheter som följer av det. Istället krävs att en nykriminalisering införs för att kunna tillvarata utsatta barns rätt och intressen. När en kriminalisering införs bör vissa principer beaktas. Uppsatsen presenterar dessa principer om när- och hur en kriminalisering bör ske. En granskning av dessa bakomliggande normer visar att en nykriminalisering bestående av ett förbud mot att låta barn bevittna våld mot närstående kan genomföras i enlighet med dessa. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Petersson, Viktoria LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20142
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Barn, bevittna, våld, brottsoffer.
language
Swedish
id
4925247
date added to LUP
2015-01-28 16:07:57
date last changed
2015-01-28 16:07:57
@misc{4925247,
  abstract     = {{Summary

This thesis treats the subject of children witnessing domestic violence and the possibility of considering them as victims according to Swedish criminal law. Research shows that children often suffer emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing domestic violence. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on these exposed and vulnerable children. According to Swedish law, the act of allowing children to witness violence, is not a specified criminal act. This thesis consists of a thorough investigation regarding the possibilities in which this deed can be considered as a criminal act according to the articles regarding assault and battery or molestation in the Swedish Penal Code. This paper is based on statutory regulations, legislative history, court practice and jurisprudence. 

In the last few years, some regulations in this matter have been introduced and these will be wholly described in this thesis. One of them is found in the Social Services Act and implies that children, who are witnessing domestic violence, should be treated as victims of crime. Another passed regulation implies that these children are granted compensation from the state. However, neither of these regulations permits these children to be accounted as an injured person according to the Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure. 

My conclusions are, that the act of allowing children to witness domestic violence, can not be covered by the investigated articles. Instead, it is necessary to pass a new article specified for this act. To be able to criminalize an act it is necessary to take several principles into account. These principles that may underpin decisions about criminalization are described in this paper. I found that establishing an article in the Swedish Penal Code, consisting of a prohibition against the act of letting children witness domestic violence, would correspond well with these principles of criminalization.}},
  author       = {{Petersson, Viktoria}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Barn som bevittnat våld mot närstående - Om möjligheten att tillskriva dem straffrättslig status som brottsoffer}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}