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Nu avskaffas kontaktprincipen- en genomtänkt reform? En rättssociologisk granskning av hur kontaktprincipen påverkar barnets välmående.

Jigsved, Emma LU (2024) LAGF03 20242
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The thesis has examined how a legislative change regarding the child's need of a good and close relationship with both parents relates to the child's well-being in all custody, residence, and contact matters. The legislative change is presented in the bill 2024/25:10 A Safer Home for Children, which the thesis has discussed, as well as the report accompanying the bill. The change is motivated by a report from the Equality Authority, which shows that the principle of contact has had a significant impact on the District Court’s rulings between April 2020 and November 2021. To minimize the impact of the contact principle and strengthen "the protection of the child," the government intends to abolish the contact principle in Chapter 6, Section... (More)
The thesis has examined how a legislative change regarding the child's need of a good and close relationship with both parents relates to the child's well-being in all custody, residence, and contact matters. The legislative change is presented in the bill 2024/25:10 A Safer Home for Children, which the thesis has discussed, as well as the report accompanying the bill. The change is motivated by a report from the Equality Authority, which shows that the principle of contact has had a significant impact on the District Court’s rulings between April 2020 and November 2021. To minimize the impact of the contact principle and strengthen "the protection of the child," the government intends to abolish the contact principle in Chapter 6, Section 2 a of the Parental Code (FB), which previously stated that the contact principle should be considered in matters of custody, residence, and visitation.
The legislative change has been both supported and opposed by the referral bodies. Major child welfare organizations such as Save the Children, BRIS, and Unizon are in favor of the change, while several district courts have opposed it. One of the strongest arguments against is that there has been no analysis of how the change will affect the general case, where the contact principle is of utmost importance. These critics see a risk that the change will have an undesirable effect in the general case.
Research shows that childhood violence leads to serious consequences for the child, which can manifest in both physical and psychological harm. A child who has been exposed to violence by one parent does not appear to have improved well-being if contact continues; in fact, studies indicate that the child will continue to suffer in most cases if contact is maintained. Based on these factors, the thesis concludes that the well-being of children who have been exposed to violence will not be negatively affected by the legislative change, as they do not need contact with an abusive parent.
In cases where there is no information about violence, the situation is different for the child. Studies indicate that continued contact can protect the child from harm, especially in cases where there is conflict between parents without violence. The parents' care is also the most important factor in the child’s attachment development, which, in turn, is crucial for the child's overall development and well-being. In the general case, the child does have a need for contact with both parents, and it is unclear how the legislative change will affect the assessment of the contact principle in such cases. There is a lack of forward-looking analysis of the change, and it is mainly focused on visitation issues involving violence, which is why the change does not appear adapted to the general case. In conclusion, it can be stated that the legislative change does not rule out a negative effect on the child's well-being in the general case. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Uppsatsen har genom en rättssociologisk undersökning granskat hur en lagändring gällande barnets behov av en god och nära kontakt med båda föräldrarna förhåller sig till barnets välmående i alla vårdnads-, boende -och umgängesmål. Lagändringen framförs i proposition 2024/25:10 tryggare hem för barn, som uppsatsen har redovisat för samt i betänkandet till propositionen. Lagändringen motiveras av en rapport från Jämställdhetsmyndigheten som visar på att kontaktprincipen fått stort genomslag i tingsrättens domar mellan april 2020 och november 2021. För att minimera kontaktprincipens genomslag och stärka skyddet för barnet vill regeringen avskaffa kontaktprincipen i 6 kap. 2 a § FB som innan lagändringen stadgade att kontaktprincipen skulle... (More)
Uppsatsen har genom en rättssociologisk undersökning granskat hur en lagändring gällande barnets behov av en god och nära kontakt med båda föräldrarna förhåller sig till barnets välmående i alla vårdnads-, boende -och umgängesmål. Lagändringen framförs i proposition 2024/25:10 tryggare hem för barn, som uppsatsen har redovisat för samt i betänkandet till propositionen. Lagändringen motiveras av en rapport från Jämställdhetsmyndigheten som visar på att kontaktprincipen fått stort genomslag i tingsrättens domar mellan april 2020 och november 2021. För att minimera kontaktprincipens genomslag och stärka skyddet för barnet vill regeringen avskaffa kontaktprincipen i 6 kap. 2 a § FB som innan lagändringen stadgade att kontaktprincipen skulle beaktas vid frågor om vårdnad, boende och umgänge.
Lagändringen har både styrkts och avstyrkts av remissinstanserna. De större barnrättsorganisationerna som Rädda Barnen, BRIS och Unizon ställer sig positiva till lagändringen medan flera tingsrätter har motsatt sig ändringen. Ett av de starkare argumenten emot är att det inte finns en analys av hur lagändringen kommer att påverka de fall där våld inte förekommit, även kallat det generella fallet, där kontaktprincipen är av yttersta vikt. De ser alltså en risk för att lagändringen kommer få en oönskad effekt i det generella fallet.
Forskning visar på att våld i uppväxten leder till allvarliga konsekvenser för barnet som kan visa sig genom både fysiska och psykiska men. Ett barn som utsatts för våld av en förälder verkar inte ha ett ökat välmående om kontakt fortsätter men det finns däremot studier som visar på att barnet i majoriteten av fallen fortsätter fara illa vid fortsatt kontakt. Utifrån dessa faktorer kommer uppsatsen fram till att våldsutsatta barns välmående inte kommer påverkas negativt av lagändringen, eftersom de inte har ett behov av kontakt med en våldsutövande förälder.
I fall där det inte finns uppgifter om våld ser det annorlunda ut. Studier visar på att fortsatt kontakt kan skydda barnet från att lida men när det finns konflikter utan våld mellan föräldrarna. Föräldrarnas omvårdnad är också den viktigaste faktorn i barnets anknytningsutveckling, som i sin tur är av yttersta vikt för barnets utveckling och mående. Barnet i det generella fallet har alltså ett behov av kontakt med båda föräldrarna och det är oklart hur lagändringen kommer att påverka hur kontaktprincipen bedöms i det generella fallet. Det saknas en framåtsyftande analys av lagändringen och den är främst hänförlig till umgängesfrågor där våld förekommer, varför lagändringen inte framstår som anpassad till det generella fallet. Som slutsats kan sägas att lagändringen inte säkerställer en positiv effekt på barnets välmående i det generella fallet. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Jigsved, Emma LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20242
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Familjerätt, rättssociologi, vårdnads-, boende -och umgängesfrågor, kontaktprincipen
language
Swedish
id
9180174
date added to LUP
2025-03-20 14:09:12
date last changed
2025-03-20 14:09:12
@misc{9180174,
  abstract     = {{The thesis has examined how a legislative change regarding the child's need of a good and close relationship with both parents relates to the child's well-being in all custody, residence, and contact matters. The legislative change is presented in the bill 2024/25:10 A Safer Home for Children, which the thesis has discussed, as well as the report accompanying the bill. The change is motivated by a report from the Equality Authority, which shows that the principle of contact has had a significant impact on the District Court’s rulings between April 2020 and November 2021. To minimize the impact of the contact principle and strengthen "the protection of the child," the government intends to abolish the contact principle in Chapter 6, Section 2 a of the Parental Code (FB), which previously stated that the contact principle should be considered in matters of custody, residence, and visitation.
The legislative change has been both supported and opposed by the referral bodies. Major child welfare organizations such as Save the Children, BRIS, and Unizon are in favor of the change, while several district courts have opposed it. One of the strongest arguments against is that there has been no analysis of how the change will affect the general case, where the contact principle is of utmost importance. These critics see a risk that the change will have an undesirable effect in the general case.
Research shows that childhood violence leads to serious consequences for the child, which can manifest in both physical and psychological harm. A child who has been exposed to violence by one parent does not appear to have improved well-being if contact continues; in fact, studies indicate that the child will continue to suffer in most cases if contact is maintained. Based on these factors, the thesis concludes that the well-being of children who have been exposed to violence will not be negatively affected by the legislative change, as they do not need contact with an abusive parent.
In cases where there is no information about violence, the situation is different for the child. Studies indicate that continued contact can protect the child from harm, especially in cases where there is conflict between parents without violence. The parents' care is also the most important factor in the child’s attachment development, which, in turn, is crucial for the child's overall development and well-being. In the general case, the child does have a need for contact with both parents, and it is unclear how the legislative change will affect the assessment of the contact principle in such cases. There is a lack of forward-looking analysis of the change, and it is mainly focused on visitation issues involving violence, which is why the change does not appear adapted to the general case. In conclusion, it can be stated that the legislative change does not rule out a negative effect on the child's well-being in the general case.}},
  author       = {{Jigsved, Emma}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Nu avskaffas kontaktprincipen- en genomtänkt reform? En rättssociologisk granskning av hur kontaktprincipen påverkar barnets välmående.}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}