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Olovlig spridning av sexuella bilder på internet - Om straffrättsligt skydd och skyddsintressen ur ett brottsofferperspektiv

Eskilsson, Kajsa LU (2019) JURM02 20191
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
1 januari 2018 infördes brottet olaga integritetsintrång i brottsbalkens fjärde kapitel. Lagstiftningen var ett resultat av ett större arbete med syfte att skydda enskildas personliga integritet. Olaga integritetsintrång blir tillämpligt när någon olovligen sprider integritetskränkande bilder, däribland sexuella bilder. Spridning av dessa bilder på internet har under senare år varit ett växande problem. Denna uppsats undersöker hur skyddet för de personer som blivit utsatta för en sådan spridning ser ut i svensk rätt.

Både olaga integritetsintrång men även förtal kan tillämpas vid olovlig spridning av sexuella bilder på internet och det straffrättsliga skyddet i dessa situationer diskuteras i uppsatsen ur ett brottsofferperspektiv.

... (More)
1 januari 2018 infördes brottet olaga integritetsintrång i brottsbalkens fjärde kapitel. Lagstiftningen var ett resultat av ett större arbete med syfte att skydda enskildas personliga integritet. Olaga integritetsintrång blir tillämpligt när någon olovligen sprider integritetskränkande bilder, däribland sexuella bilder. Spridning av dessa bilder på internet har under senare år varit ett växande problem. Denna uppsats undersöker hur skyddet för de personer som blivit utsatta för en sådan spridning ser ut i svensk rätt.

Både olaga integritetsintrång men även förtal kan tillämpas vid olovlig spridning av sexuella bilder på internet och det straffrättsliga skyddet i dessa situationer diskuteras i uppsatsen ur ett brottsofferperspektiv.

Den personliga integriteten är olaga integritetsintrångs skyddsintresse.
Uppsatsen diskuterar skyddsintresset i förhållande till vilka följder det kan få ur ett brottsofferperspektiv. Den forskning som presenteras i uppsatsen menar att brottet borde vara ett sexualbrott istället för ett fridsbrott, och några remissinstanser håller med.

En genomgång av den forskning som finns kring spridning av bilder med en sexuell natur visar att brottsoffren ofta är kvinnor och att gärningarna kan vara ett uttryck för makt och kontroll från gärningspersonens sida. Forskarna menar också att detta är en del av en samhällskultur där synen på kvinnlig och manlig sexualitet skiljer sig åt och offren blir ofta skambelagda, detta underlättar förekomsten av dessa brott. Gärningarna ses i forskningen inte som skilda från andra sexualbrott utan man kan placera handlingarna på en skala av sexuellt våld. De som blivit utsatta berättar även i studier om att de upplever vad de blivit utsatts för som en sexuell kränkning. Detta talar enligt forskarna för att spridning av sexuella bilder bör vara ett sexualbrott med den sexuella integriteten som skyddsintresse.

Avgöranden från tingsrätterna och hovrätterna visar att det finns vissa begränsningar med den nya lagens tillämpningsområde och även vid tillämpningen av förtal, framförallt gällande det spridningskrav som finns och högra krav på att den som syns på den spridna bilden ska vara lätt att identifiera. Det går även att se exempel i avgörandena som illustrerar det uttryck för makt och kontroll som forskningen rapporterat om och den skadliga samhällskultur som finns.

Slutsatsen är att ur ett brottsofferperspektiv finns det idag ett bättre skydd i och med införandet av olaga integritetsintrång som är bättre lämpat än förtal, men det finns brister. För ett brottsoffer är känslan av upprättelse och att kränkningen blir erkänd och värderas på ett rättvist sätt med brottsoffrets perspektiv på vad hen blivit utsatt för viktigt. Forskningen gör gällande att spridning av sexuella bilder därför bör klassas som sexualbrott.

Behovet av att normpåverkan kring vilket beteende som är accepterar online och vilka bilder som är okej att dela på nätet har varit viktigt när lagstiftaren har sett på behovet av en kriminalisering. Om man ser på brottsofferperspektivet på en samhällsnivå hade det varit positivt om brottet var ett sexualbrott eftersom de skulle bättre arbeta kring den reproducering av normer och strukturer kring kön och sexualitet som forskningen anser är viktig och det arbete för att förhindra fortsatt brottslighet. (Less)
Abstract
On January 1, 2018, unlawful intrusion of integrity was added to the fourth chapter of the Swedish Penal Code. The legislation was part of a larger agenda from the Swedish government designed to protect the people’s personal integrity. Unlawful intrusion of integrity is applicable when someone is illegally distributing intrusive images, among them sexual images. The distribution of these images online has become a growing problem in recent years. This paper analyses the protection in the Swedish legal system for those who have been subject to having their images distributed without consent.

Both unlawful intrusion of integrity and defamation are applicable regarding cases of unlawful distribution of sexual images online. This paper... (More)
On January 1, 2018, unlawful intrusion of integrity was added to the fourth chapter of the Swedish Penal Code. The legislation was part of a larger agenda from the Swedish government designed to protect the people’s personal integrity. Unlawful intrusion of integrity is applicable when someone is illegally distributing intrusive images, among them sexual images. The distribution of these images online has become a growing problem in recent years. This paper analyses the protection in the Swedish legal system for those who have been subject to having their images distributed without consent.

Both unlawful intrusion of integrity and defamation are applicable regarding cases of unlawful distribution of sexual images online. This paper discusses these legal rules from a victim’s perspective.

Personal integrity is the legal protective interest behind unlawful intrusion of integrity. This paper discusses the legal protective interests from a victim’s perspective. New research on the victims of these non-consenual, distributed sexual images suggest another approach. The research presented in this paper argues that the crime of distributing images should be seen as a sex-crime instead of a crime against one’s personal integrity (as in current Swedish law). This conclusion is also supported by some of the consultative bodies that examined the law before its passage.

A review of the research published on unlawful distribution of images with a sexual nature shows that the victims of these crimes often are women, and that these acts can be an expression of power and control from the perpetrator. Such harmful acts are also a part of a culture that facilitates the prevalence of these crimes by holding different views on male and female sexuality, including shaming the victims of these crimes. These digital acts are not separated from other forms of sex-crimes, and it is possible to place them on the continuum of sexual violence. Research shows that the victims of these acts experience trauma similar to those affected by other forms of sexual violence. This is why the research presented in this paper argues that these acts should be labelled as sex-crimes, with sexual integrity as the legal protective interest since it would better fit the nature of the crime.

Court rulings from the lower courts in Sweden illustrate that there are some limitations with both unlawful intrusion of integrity and defamation in cases with unlawful distribution of sexual images. To be considered a crime, the rulings require that the image must have been distributed to a certain number of people, and that the victim is identifiable in the image. These court rulings serve as examples of the power and control aspect of the act, as well as the harmful cultures and norms that exist around sexuality.

The conclusion is that the current penal law protection is better from a victim’s perspective than before unlawful intrusion of integrity was implemented, yet nevertheless some flaws remain. For the victim of a crime, the feeling of restitution and that the violation they were subject to is valued in a fair way with their perspective is important. The research shows that this is why the act should be classified as a sex crime.

The need to change the norms regarding what behaviour is acceptable online and which pictures can be shared online has been stressed by Swedish legislators in their justification for a criminalization. According to research, classifying the act as a sex-crime would also help to stop the reproduction of harmful norms and structures surrounding gender and sexuality which the researchers see as vital to prevent further crimes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Eskilsson, Kajsa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Unlawful distribution of sexual images online - Penal law protection and legal protective interests from a victim's perspective
course
JURM02 20191
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
straffrätt, olaga integritetsintrång, förtal, brottsofferperspektiv
language
Swedish
id
8976730
date added to LUP
2019-06-17 14:25:25
date last changed
2019-06-17 14:25:25
@misc{8976730,
  abstract     = {{On January 1, 2018, unlawful intrusion of integrity was added to the fourth chapter of the Swedish Penal Code. The legislation was part of a larger agenda from the Swedish government designed to protect the people’s personal integrity. Unlawful intrusion of integrity is applicable when someone is illegally distributing intrusive images, among them sexual images. The distribution of these images online has become a growing problem in recent years. This paper analyses the protection in the Swedish legal system for those who have been subject to having their images distributed without consent. 

Both unlawful intrusion of integrity and defamation are applicable regarding cases of unlawful distribution of sexual images online. This paper discusses these legal rules from a victim’s perspective. 

Personal integrity is the legal protective interest behind unlawful intrusion of integrity. This paper discusses the legal protective interests from a victim’s perspective. New research on the victims of these non-consenual, distributed sexual images suggest another approach. The research presented in this paper argues that the crime of distributing images should be seen as a sex-crime instead of a crime against one’s personal integrity (as in current Swedish law). This conclusion is also supported by some of the consultative bodies that examined the law before its passage.

A review of the research published on unlawful distribution of images with a sexual nature shows that the victims of these crimes often are women, and that these acts can be an expression of power and control from the perpetrator. Such harmful acts are also a part of a culture that facilitates the prevalence of these crimes by holding different views on male and female sexuality, including shaming the victims of these crimes. These digital acts are not separated from other forms of sex-crimes, and it is possible to place them on the continuum of sexual violence. Research shows that the victims of these acts experience trauma similar to those affected by other forms of sexual violence. This is why the research presented in this paper argues that these acts should be labelled as sex-crimes, with sexual integrity as the legal protective interest since it would better fit the nature of the crime. 

Court rulings from the lower courts in Sweden illustrate that there are some limitations with both unlawful intrusion of integrity and defamation in cases with unlawful distribution of sexual images. To be considered a crime, the rulings require that the image must have been distributed to a certain number of people, and that the victim is identifiable in the image. These court rulings serve as examples of the power and control aspect of the act, as well as the harmful cultures and norms that exist around sexuality. 

The conclusion is that the current penal law protection is better from a victim’s perspective than before unlawful intrusion of integrity was implemented, yet nevertheless some flaws remain. For the victim of a crime, the feeling of restitution and that the violation they were subject to is valued in a fair way with their perspective is important. The research shows that this is why the act should be classified as a sex crime. 

The need to change the norms regarding what behaviour is acceptable online and which pictures can be shared online has been stressed by Swedish legislators in their justification for a criminalization. According to research, classifying the act as a sex-crime would also help to stop the reproduction of harmful norms and structures surrounding gender and sexuality which the researchers see as vital to prevent further crimes.}},
  author       = {{Eskilsson, Kajsa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Olovlig spridning av sexuella bilder på internet - Om straffrättsligt skydd och skyddsintressen ur ett brottsofferperspektiv}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}