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Frivillighetens gränser - En studie av frivillighetslagstiftningens tillämpning till följd av parternas relation

Deuschl, Ebba LU (2024) LAGF03 20242
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Den 1 juli 2018 ändrades Sveriges sexualbrottslagstiftning i syfte att stärka skyddet av individers sexuella integritet och självbestämmanderätt. Lagändringen innebär att straffbarhet numera avgörs utifrån om deltagandet i en sexuell handling är frivilligt eller inte, oavsett våld, hot eller särskilt utsatt situation. Dessutom infördes ett oaktsamhetsansvar för våldtäkt (6 kap. 1 a § brottsbalken), som gör det straffbart att genomföra en sexuell handling med någon som inte deltar frivilligt, om gärningspersonen har varit grovt oaktsam i förhållande till ofrivilligheten.
Lagändringen kom i en tid då jämställdhetsfrågor var i centrum och våld mot kvinnor uppmärksammades som en straffrättslig fråga. Våld i nära relationer, inklusive... (More)
Den 1 juli 2018 ändrades Sveriges sexualbrottslagstiftning i syfte att stärka skyddet av individers sexuella integritet och självbestämmanderätt. Lagändringen innebär att straffbarhet numera avgörs utifrån om deltagandet i en sexuell handling är frivilligt eller inte, oavsett våld, hot eller särskilt utsatt situation. Dessutom infördes ett oaktsamhetsansvar för våldtäkt (6 kap. 1 a § brottsbalken), som gör det straffbart att genomföra en sexuell handling med någon som inte deltar frivilligt, om gärningspersonen har varit grovt oaktsam i förhållande till ofrivilligheten.
Lagändringen kom i en tid då jämställdhetsfrågor var i centrum och våld mot kvinnor uppmärksammades som en straffrättslig fråga. Våld i nära relationer, inklusive sexuellt våld, är ett utbrett samhällsproblem som ofta kopplas till mäns våld mot kvinnor. Vidare visar statistik att våldtäkter idag sker oftare i relationer än mellan obekanta. Uppsatsen syftar till att redogöra för frivillighetslagstiftningen vid våldtäkt och oaktsam våldtäkt med fokus på hur tidigare sexuella relationer påverkar rättstillämpningen. För att besvara frågeställningarna har förarbeten, juridisk litteratur och lagtext använts. Vidare har avgöranden från Högsta domstolen och hovrätterna analyserats för att identifiera mönster i rättstillämpningen.
Inledningsvis behandlas våldtäktsbestämmelsens historiska utveckling fram till frivillighetslagstiftningen. Därefter redogörs för frivillighetsrekvisitet samt kritik mot lagstiftningen, följt av en beskrivning av samband mellan sexualbrott och relationer. Slutligen presenteras relevanta avgöranden från Högsta domstolen och en kvantitativ redovisning av hovrättsavgöranden.
Avslutningsvis diskuteras det material som presenteras i uppsatsen för att besvara de uppställda frågeställningarna. Våldtäkt erkändes som ett sexualbrott först vid brottsbalkens tillkomst 1962, men frivillighetslagstiftningen kom först 2018. Tidigare ställdes ett högt krav på våld och tvång. Kritiken riktad mot sexualbrott och relationer är tudelad: vissa menar att straffrätten inte beaktar relationer och maktförhållanden tillräckligt mycket vid sexualbrott, medan andra anser att relationer beaktas på ett sätt som gör annars straffbara handlingar tillåtna. Praxis visar att relationer ofta spelar en avgörande roll vid ansvarsbedömningar, men att deras påverkan är situationsberoende. I vissa fall leder det till att gärningspersonen, med hänsyn till parternas tidigare sexuella relation, borde ha förstått eller insett risken för motpartens ofrivilliga deltagande. I andra fall leder det till motsatt slutsats.
Frivillighetsrekvisitet tar inte sikte på personens inre inställning, utan avgörande är om personen har haft möjlighet att fritt ta ställning till deltagandet i den sexuella handlingen. När parterna har haft en tidigare sexuell relation blir det ofta avgörande hur målsäganden har agerat vid den aktuella handlingen i förhållande till tidigare sexuella umgängen. Detta kan hämma lagstiftningens effektivitet vid våld i nära relationer, eftersom frivillighet ska bedömas vid den sexuella handlingen. Därav borde inte tidigare sexuella interaktioner vara av vikt. (Less)
Abstract
On 1 July 2018, Sweden amended its sexual offence legislation to strengthen the protection of individuals' sexual integrity and self-determination. The reform criminalized the performance of sexual acts with someone who does not participate voluntarily, regardless of violence, threats or exploitation of a particularly vulnerable situation. In addition, negligent rape was introduced as a new criminal offence in the Swedish Penal Code, which made it criminal to be grossly negligent regarding the lack of voluntariness in a sexual act.
The new legislation emerged amid heightened focus on gender equality and violence against women. Violence in close relationships, including sexual violence, is a widespread social problem connected to men's... (More)
On 1 July 2018, Sweden amended its sexual offence legislation to strengthen the protection of individuals' sexual integrity and self-determination. The reform criminalized the performance of sexual acts with someone who does not participate voluntarily, regardless of violence, threats or exploitation of a particularly vulnerable situation. In addition, negligent rape was introduced as a new criminal offence in the Swedish Penal Code, which made it criminal to be grossly negligent regarding the lack of voluntariness in a sexual act.
The new legislation emerged amid heightened focus on gender equality and violence against women. Violence in close relationships, including sexual violence, is a widespread social problem connected to men's violence against women. Furthermore, it is more common for a rape victim to have a relationship with its perpetrator than for them to be completely unfamiliar with each other. This essay examines the new Swedish sexual offence legislation in cases of rape and negligent rape, focusing on how prior sexual relationships between the parties affect how the law is applied. Preparatory works, legal literature and legal text as well as precedents from the Supreme Court and rulings by the Courts of Appeal have been included in the essay to fulfil its purpose.
First, the development of the rape provision leading up to the voluntariness-based legislation is described. This is followed by a section dealing with the voluntariness requisite and criticism against the legislation, followed by a description of the connection between sexual offences and relationships. Furthermore, Supreme Court precedents and quantitative data from Courts of Appeal rulings are also presented.
Lastly, this essay contains a discussion aiming to answer what the legislation based on voluntariness means and how it operates when parties have a previous sexual relationship. Furthermore, it examines the emergence of the voluntariness requisite, whether the Swedish sexual assault legislation has been criticized for taking relationships into account and how relationships impact legal assessments in practice.
Rape was first recognized as a sexual offence in 1962 when the Swedish Penal Code was enacted, but the voluntariness legislation was not introduced until 2018. Prior to this, the law required evidence of force or coercion for a sexual offence to be punishable. Criticism regarding how relationships are addressed in sexual offence cases is divided: some argue that the law inadequately considers relationships and power relations in sexual offences, while others believe that relationships are taken into account in a way that potentially makes otherwise criminal acts permissible. In practice, relationships often play a crucial but situation-dependent role in assessing responsibility. In some cases, the existence of a prior sexual relationship has led to the conclusion that the defendant should have understood or recognized the risk of the other party’s involuntary participation. In others, it has led to the opposite conclusion.
The voluntariness requisite focuses not on the inner attitudes, but on the opportunity to freely decide to participate in the sexual act. In cases of prior sexual relationships between the parties, it is often decisive how the plaintiff has acted in the current act in relation to previous sexual intercourses. This may hamper the effectiveness of the legislation in cases of violence in close relationships, as voluntariness should be assessed for the sexual act in question. Hence, previous sexual interactions should not be of importance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Deuschl, Ebba LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20242
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Straffrätt, criminal law, frivillighet, våldtäkt, oaktsam våldtäkt, sexuell relation, våld i nära relationer
language
Swedish
id
9179164
date added to LUP
2025-03-20 13:55:13
date last changed
2025-03-20 13:55:13
@misc{9179164,
  abstract     = {{On 1 July 2018, Sweden amended its sexual offence legislation to strengthen the protection of individuals' sexual integrity and self-determination. The reform criminalized the performance of sexual acts with someone who does not participate voluntarily, regardless of violence, threats or exploitation of a particularly vulnerable situation. In addition, negligent rape was introduced as a new criminal offence in the Swedish Penal Code, which made it criminal to be grossly negligent regarding the lack of voluntariness in a sexual act.
The new legislation emerged amid heightened focus on gender equality and violence against women. Violence in close relationships, including sexual violence, is a widespread social problem connected to men's violence against women. Furthermore, it is more common for a rape victim to have a relationship with its perpetrator than for them to be completely unfamiliar with each other. This essay examines the new Swedish sexual offence legislation in cases of rape and negligent rape, focusing on how prior sexual relationships between the parties affect how the law is applied. Preparatory works, legal literature and legal text as well as precedents from the Supreme Court and rulings by the Courts of Appeal have been included in the essay to fulfil its purpose. 
First, the development of the rape provision leading up to the voluntariness-based legislation is described. This is followed by a section dealing with the voluntariness requisite and criticism against the legislation, followed by a description of the connection between sexual offences and relationships. Furthermore, Supreme Court precedents and quantitative data from Courts of Appeal rulings are also presented.
Lastly, this essay contains a discussion aiming to answer what the legislation based on voluntariness means and how it operates when parties have a previous sexual relationship. Furthermore, it examines the emergence of the voluntariness requisite, whether the Swedish sexual assault legislation has been criticized for taking relationships into account and how relationships impact legal assessments in practice.
Rape was first recognized as a sexual offence in 1962 when the Swedish Penal Code was enacted, but the voluntariness legislation was not introduced until 2018. Prior to this, the law required evidence of force or coercion for a sexual offence to be punishable. Criticism regarding how relationships are addressed in sexual offence cases is divided: some argue that the law inadequately considers relationships and power relations in sexual offences, while others believe that relationships are taken into account in a way that potentially makes otherwise criminal acts permissible. In practice, relationships often play a crucial but situation-dependent role in assessing responsibility. In some cases, the existence of a prior sexual relationship has led to the conclusion that the defendant should have understood or recognized the risk of the other party’s involuntary participation. In others, it has led to the opposite conclusion.
The voluntariness requisite focuses not on the inner attitudes, but on the opportunity to freely decide to participate in the sexual act. In cases of prior sexual relationships between the parties, it is often decisive how the plaintiff has acted in the current act in relation to previous sexual intercourses. This may hamper the effectiveness of the legislation in cases of violence in close relationships, as voluntariness should be assessed for the sexual act in question. Hence, previous sexual interactions should not be of importance.}},
  author       = {{Deuschl, Ebba}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Frivillighetens gränser - En studie av frivillighetslagstiftningens tillämpning till följd av parternas relation}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}