Beskrivningar av brottsoffer för grov kvinnofridskränkning

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to examine descriptions of plaintiffs in Swedish district court rulings in cases of violations of women’s integrities for an in-depth insight into how the image of abused women is constructed in this context. The focus was on: what information about the plaintiffs was deemed relevant to include in the judgments; what characteristics and circumstances of the plaintiffs were described in the texts; and in what way the plaintiff's victim role was constructed in the judgments. The empirical material used was comprised of 10 convictions, obtained from a Swedish district court, having been made public between 2017 and 2018. The data collected was descriptions of plaintiffs, analysed according to a qualitative method incorporating quantitative aspects. The theory employed was Nils Christie's theory about the ideal victim. The results revealed that the plaintiffs were described in accordance with a number of recurring themes which in turn led to the construction of the plaintiff’s role and typical character. Among other things, the plaintiff was depicted as a passive character having to explain her choice to remains in a violent relationship. In light of the theory of the ideal victim, the result was further elucidated and increased the understanding of how the plaintiff was regarded as a victim, and with what credibility she was ascribed in relation to society's expectations of an ideal victim. The study concludes that the plaintiff was far from an ideal victim, even though some parts were consistent with several criteria of the theory.