Skyddet för barn som bevittnar våld - En undersökning av rekvisitet bevittna samt barnkonventionens roll i barnfridsbrottet
(2024) JURM02 20241Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- I Sverige lever över 200 000 barn i hem där det förekommer våld. FN:s kon-vention om barnets rättigheter påpekade i ett slutbetänkande att barn som be-vittnar våld kan lida lika mycket skada som de barn som är direkt utsatta för våldet. Forskning visar att det kan vara mer skadligt för ett barn att uppleva våld än att utsättas för det själv. Implementeringen av barnkonventionen var en bidragande faktor till att barnfridsbrottet, 4 kap 3 § BrB, infördes i svensk lag den 1 juli 2021. Bestämmelsen skyddar barn från att bevittna våld och ger dem en rättslig ställning i rättsprocessen. Ett av rekvisiten för barnfridsbrott är att barnet har bevittnat brottet. Bevittnanderekvisitet var dock inte ett självklart val när lagen upprättades. I... (More)
- I Sverige lever över 200 000 barn i hem där det förekommer våld. FN:s kon-vention om barnets rättigheter påpekade i ett slutbetänkande att barn som be-vittnar våld kan lida lika mycket skada som de barn som är direkt utsatta för våldet. Forskning visar att det kan vara mer skadligt för ett barn att uppleva våld än att utsättas för det själv. Implementeringen av barnkonventionen var en bidragande faktor till att barnfridsbrottet, 4 kap 3 § BrB, infördes i svensk lag den 1 juli 2021. Bestämmelsen skyddar barn från att bevittna våld och ger dem en rättslig ställning i rättsprocessen. Ett av rekvisiten för barnfridsbrott är att barnet har bevittnat brottet. Bevittnanderekvisitet var dock inte ett självklart val när lagen upprättades. I förarbetena förekom diskussioner kring hur detta rekvisit skulle tillämpas och om det är tillräckligt för att skydda barn som inte direkt ser eller hör grundbrottet. Barnfridsbrottet infördes i syfte att skydda barn från de konsekvenser de kan lida av att uppleva våld i hemmet, och barn-konventionens artikel 12 och 19 stod till grund för straffbestämmelsen.
Denna utredning ämnar undersöka om barnfridsbrottet är förenligt med artikel 12 och 19 i barnkonventionen, och hur detta kommer till uttryck i rättstillämp-ningen. Uppsatsen avser även att bedöma om rekvisitet bevittna hindrar rätts-tillämpningen och om dess utformning är för snäv. De övergripande fråge-ställningarna är ”Finns det en klar tillämpning av barnkonventionens artikel 12 och 19 i barnfridsbrottet och överensstämmer den praktiska tillämpningen av barnfridsbrottet med barnkonventionens artikel 12 och 19?” och ”Överens-stämmer den praktiska tillämpningen av rekvisitet bevittna med barnfridsbrot-tets syfte?”. För att uppnå uppsatsens syfte och frågeställningar utgår utred-ningen från en rättsdogmatisk metod. Denna kompletteras med en rättsfalls-studie för att undersöka praktisk tillämpning och en tvärdisciplinär metod för att inkludera forskning om barns upplevelser av våld. För att tolka lagens syfte används den teleologiska tolkningsmetoden. Uppsatsen utgår från ett barnrättsperspektiv med fokus på artikel 12 och 19 i barnkonventionen.
Resultatet av denna utredning visar att domstolarna har olika bedömningar när det gäller fall där barn har bevittnat brott. Barnfridsbrottet tillämpas med hän-syn till artikel 12 och 19 i barnkonventionen. Barns rättighet att uttrycka sina åsikter har tillgodosetts, däremot är det diskutabelt huruvida domstolarna tar tillräcklig hänsyn till barnets mognad och förmåga vid bedömningen av deras utsagor. Rekvisitet bevittna har visat sig vara snävt utformat och kan leda till friande domar, vilket kan innebära en brist i skyddet mot våld enligt barnkon-ventionen. Trots detta landar utredningen i att införandet av lagen är positiv, men det finns utrymme för förbättringar och utveckling av straffbestämmel-sen. (Less) - Abstract
- Over 200 000 children in Sweden live in homes where violence is occurring. In a report from the UN convention on the Rights of the Child, it was pointed out that children who witness violence can suffer as much harm as those chil-dren who are directly exposed to it. Research shows that it can be more harm-ful for a child to experience violence than to be exposed to it themselves. The implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a contrib-uting factor to the criminalization of allowing children to witness a number of listed crimes between close relatives. The law was introduced on the 1st of July 2021, and van be found in 4th chapter 3 § BrB.
The provision protects children from witnessing violence and gives them a... (More) - Over 200 000 children in Sweden live in homes where violence is occurring. In a report from the UN convention on the Rights of the Child, it was pointed out that children who witness violence can suffer as much harm as those chil-dren who are directly exposed to it. Research shows that it can be more harm-ful for a child to experience violence than to be exposed to it themselves. The implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a contrib-uting factor to the criminalization of allowing children to witness a number of listed crimes between close relatives. The law was introduced on the 1st of July 2021, and van be found in 4th chapter 3 § BrB.
The provision protects children from witnessing violence and gives them a legal position in the legal process. One of the requirements to be held respon-sible for a crime according to the provision is that the child has witnessed the crime. However, the witnessing requirement was not an obvious choice. Dis-cussions took place in the preparatory work on how this requirement would be applied and whether it is sufficient to protect children. The introduction of the crime aimed to protect the children from the consequences they may suffer from witnessing violence in the home. Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child were at the center of the criminal provision.
This investigation aims to examine whether the mentioned crime is compatible with articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how this is expressed in legal practice. The essay also aims to assess whether the requirement of witnessing can be an obstacle in the legal application and whether its scope is to narrow. The overarching questions are “Is there a clear application of Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the 4th chapter 3 § BrB and does the practical application of child peace crimes comply with Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention?" and "Does the practical application of the witnessing requirement comply with the purpose of the crime in the 4th chapter 3 § BrB?". To achieve the purpose and questions of the essay, the investigation is based on a legal dogmatic method. This is complemented by a case study to examine practical application and an inter-disciplinary method to include research on children's experiences of violence. The teleological interpretation method is used to interpret the purpose of the law. The essay is based on a child rights perspective with a focus on articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The result of this investigation shows that the courts have different assess-ments regarding cases where children have witnessed crimes. The legal provi-sion is applied regarding articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s right to express their opinions has been accommodated, however it is debatable whether the courts take sufficient account of the ma-turity and ability of the children when assessing their statements. The witness-ing requirement has been shown to be narrowly formulated and can lead to acquittals, which may mean a lack of protection against violence according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite this, the investigation con-cludes that the introduction of the law is positive, but there is room for im-provements and development of the criminal provision. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9152812
- author
- Zigovic, Johmna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Protection for children witnessing violence
- course
- JURM02 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- straffrätt, criminal law, barnfridsbrott, bevittna, bevittnat våld
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9152812
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-05 14:11:51
- date last changed
- 2024-06-05 14:11:51
@misc{9152812,
abstract = {{Over 200 000 children in Sweden live in homes where violence is occurring. In a report from the UN convention on the Rights of the Child, it was pointed out that children who witness violence can suffer as much harm as those chil-dren who are directly exposed to it. Research shows that it can be more harm-ful for a child to experience violence than to be exposed to it themselves. The implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a contrib-uting factor to the criminalization of allowing children to witness a number of listed crimes between close relatives. The law was introduced on the 1st of July 2021, and van be found in 4th chapter 3 § BrB.
The provision protects children from witnessing violence and gives them a legal position in the legal process. One of the requirements to be held respon-sible for a crime according to the provision is that the child has witnessed the crime. However, the witnessing requirement was not an obvious choice. Dis-cussions took place in the preparatory work on how this requirement would be applied and whether it is sufficient to protect children. The introduction of the crime aimed to protect the children from the consequences they may suffer from witnessing violence in the home. Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child were at the center of the criminal provision.
This investigation aims to examine whether the mentioned crime is compatible with articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how this is expressed in legal practice. The essay also aims to assess whether the requirement of witnessing can be an obstacle in the legal application and whether its scope is to narrow. The overarching questions are “Is there a clear application of Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the 4th chapter 3 § BrB and does the practical application of child peace crimes comply with Articles 12 and 19 of the Convention?" and "Does the practical application of the witnessing requirement comply with the purpose of the crime in the 4th chapter 3 § BrB?". To achieve the purpose and questions of the essay, the investigation is based on a legal dogmatic method. This is complemented by a case study to examine practical application and an inter-disciplinary method to include research on children's experiences of violence. The teleological interpretation method is used to interpret the purpose of the law. The essay is based on a child rights perspective with a focus on articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The result of this investigation shows that the courts have different assess-ments regarding cases where children have witnessed crimes. The legal provi-sion is applied regarding articles 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s right to express their opinions has been accommodated, however it is debatable whether the courts take sufficient account of the ma-turity and ability of the children when assessing their statements. The witness-ing requirement has been shown to be narrowly formulated and can lead to acquittals, which may mean a lack of protection against violence according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite this, the investigation con-cludes that the introduction of the law is positive, but there is room for im-provements and development of the criminal provision.}},
author = {{Zigovic, Johmna}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Skyddet för barn som bevittnar våld - En undersökning av rekvisitet bevittna samt barnkonventionens roll i barnfridsbrottet}},
year = {{2024}},
}