Borta bra, hemma värst - En undersökning av det föreslagna barnfridsbrottet utifrån principer för kriminalisering

Sammanfattning: Violence in close relationships and especially men’s violence against women, is today considered a social problem. There are studies showing that approximately every tenth child in Sweden has ever experienced violence between related adults. This can cause devastating consequences for a child, such as both physical and mental injuries. Letting children witness violence or other criminal acts between relatives is today not a criminalized act. On 14 June 2018, the Swedish government decided to appoint a special committee to investigate an increased criminal protection for children who witness domestic violence between relatives. The committee proposed a new provision in the fourth chapter of the Criminal Code, barnfridsbrottet. The provision proposes it to be a criminal offense to expose a child to witnessing certain specified crimes in a close relationship. When criminalizing a behavior, there are several Swedish criminal law principles that the legislator must consider. These principles are supposed to provide guidance on whether it is justified to legislate a provision. This essay examines barnfridsbrottet on the basis of three principles of criminalization. These principles are i) ultima ratio ii) effectiveness and iii) predictability. The conclusion is that the principle of predictability is complied with. Considering the principle of ultima ratio and effectiveness it can be argued whether these principles are complied with or not.