Policy areas

CRIME & VIOLENCE - Sweden: Bill on Violence Against Women

 

In 1998, the Swedish parliament approved the government Bill Violence against Women.

The main features of the act are:

• new and more rigorous legislation;
• further preventive measures;
• training for professionals (police, health professionals, social workers);
• amendment of the Social Services Act that points out the responsibility of the social services towards victims instead of relying on women's shelters;
• to support programmes and services dealing with perpetrators;
• funds have been allocated to men's networks combating violence.

Among various measures to counteract violence against women are:

• the introduction of a new offence (gross violation of integrity) into the Penal Code that is defined as repeated punishable acts directed at women in a close relationship with the perpetrator, or against children or against other closely related persons;
• the purchase of sexual services became a punishable offence;
• the defining of the term 'sexual harassment in the workplace';
• the increase in scale of penalties for genital mutilation (which has replaced the old term 'circumcision');
• support to voluntary organisations/NGOs working against violence against women: the bulk of money (14 million SK annually goes to two national organisations of women's shelters, and a smaller amount to the men's network combating violence.
• regular report to government on measures taken.

Outcomes:
Among the most conspicuous outcomes is a multi-disciplinary approach, which is a pre-requisite for tackling the issue of gender-based violence. Cooperation has been established between:

• the National Board of Health and Welfare;
• the National Police Board;
• the National Institute of Public Health;
• the National Board for Youth Affairs;
• the National Agency for Education;
• the National Integration Office;
• the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman; and others.

Among other important outcomes are:

• training programmes for police, health, and other professionals in dealing with the victims of violence
• the production of a criminal victim handbook by the National Police Board (distributed to all police authorities);
• Improvement of documentation and the system of classification of crimes (data disaggregated by sex, age, and relationship between victim and perpetrator);
• antitrafficking measures: the National Police Board has been nominated as a rapporteur concerning trafficking in women for sexual exploitation. Their brief includes fact-finding and the drafting of an action plan.

Source: The Follow-up of the Violence Against Women Reform Fact Sheet. Swedish Government Offices. January 2001