The social services' responsibility for victims of violence etc.

Christian Carlsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Given the importance of the family, it is particularly serious when the home, which should be a safe place, is instead transformed into a place where violence and oppression occur. I have therefore, within the framework of my assignment in the Social Affairs Committee, chosen to engage in the issue of violence in close relationships, honor-based violence, and men's violence against women.

It sometimes happens that I am out speaking for non-profit organizations on the topic. Sometimes when I am out speaking, people come up afterwards and want to talk privately. I am thinking particularly of a young woman who came up on one occasion. She introduced herself as M. For ten years, she has been in flight in her own country, in flight from the people who were supposed to protect and should have protected her.

She is one of the hundreds of women living with a protected identity in Sweden. Her experience and story for me was that she felt a lack of proper treatment from the social services during the time she and her daughter were in protective placement. She also told about the great difficulties it entails to live with a protected identity, not least in contact with healthcare, Försäkringskassan, and other authorities. Constantly, M and women in her situation live with the risk that the identity will be revealed. Freedom is restricted every day, and she is prevented from living the life she had wanted to live.

Mr. Speaker! I believe that the country's municipal politicians and we here in this chamber together have a responsibility to try to improve the situation for women who find themselves in the same situation as M. It must be ensured that in every municipality there are enough protected shelters and funds for the women's shelters. Our authorities need to do more so as not to disclose the protected information themselves. A national mapping of the conditions for women exposed to violence who live in hiding, in order to improve their and their children's situation, is important.

Thousands of women and children seek protection at the country's women's shelters every year. When the home is transformed into a place where threats and violence, fear and terror occur, it naturally always affects the children. Every tenth child is reported to experience the father exercising violence against the mother. That is remarkably many. Those are truly frightening figures.

Safety is taken away from these children. That, of course, leaves deep scars. That in itself is unacceptable, as every child deserves a safe childhood. But it is also serious from another perspective. Children who grow up in families where violence occurs run a greater risk of exercising violence themselves later in life. Therefore, the preventive work of supporting and strengthening families to prevent violence from occurring is extremely important.

The government works from a national violence prevention program. There is a specific state grant for preventive work against men's violence against women, and that work is, of course, followed up.

In the action program for the period 2024–2026, among other things, a departure program is prioritized so that it will be easier to leave destructive relationships, and also strengthened support for children and young people who experience violence. These are welcome priorities. But more needs to be done, not least to achieve early detection.

Firstly, the question of whether there is violence in the home needs to be actively asked by health and medical care, dental care, preschool, school, social services, and law enforcement authorities. It needs to happen significantly more often than it does today. Most of those who are subjected to violence in close relationships have actually had various types of contacts with authorities where the warning signs could have been discovered.

Social services and health and medical care, for the second point, need to be able to inform the police if there is a suspicion that domestic violence is occurring. I recently read that the police have mapped 700 individuals in Sweden who are assessed to be high-risk actors when it comes to domestic violence or other types of serious crimes where there is violence against women. This concerns, for example, serial rapists. The police need to be able to share information about these 700 people with social services so that they can take their responsibility in the best way for the women who are victims of violence.

Therefore, it is very pleasing that new legislation comes into force on April 1 which aims to increase the flow of information between authorities. Then, the healthcare's ability to share information with the police will increase significantly.

The third thing I would like to highlight is that a knowledge boost is needed when it comes to countering violence in close relationships. We need to increase competence regarding how people are met. But we also need to research more on evidence-based methods to prevent and counter violence in close relationships.

The government's work paves the way for more women and children in Sweden to be able to live their lives in freedom and safety. I also look forward to continued cooperation in the Social Affairs Committee so that the social services can take greater responsibility for the women exposed to violence and so that those women can get back both their freedom and their safety.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gustaf Lantz (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thanks to the previous speaker, Christian Carlsson, for a good contribution! I am glad that the chairman of the Social Affairs Committee takes the time to meet, talk to and take impressions of people who have been subjected to this violence and who live hidden in our country.

Our country is at peace, but these people live as refugees from brutal violence and risk being killed. It is not just a tragedy for individuals every time it happens. It is also a major societal problem because the scale is so large.

From the National Centre for Women's Peace's population survey, it appears that 14 percent of women over 18 years of age have been subjected to violence in an ongoing or concluded romantic relationship.

At the same time, figures from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention show that 96 women were killed by a partner or a former partner between 2017–2023. This corresponds to an average of 14 women per year, that is, more than one woman per month on average.

Mr. Speaker! All too often, the public sector fails in its work to protect society's most vulnerable women. From research, victims' stories, and the social services' experience, we know that fatal violence in close relationships almost always follows as a step in an escalation of violence. Society must take hold of these signals in order to stop the fatal violence.

In the report Socialstyrelsen's investigations of certain injuries and deaths 2022 – 2023, Socialstyrelsen has identified about thirty deficiencies in society's safety net to prevent children and adults from being subjected to deadly violence or attempts of such. The measures that are recommended include, among others, further investments in the resources of the social services, the healthcare system, the Prosecution Authority, and the Police Authority in the violence prevention work.

In several places in the country, it is reported that staff are working under severe time pressure, are forced to make tough prioritizations, and often only manage to handle the most acute matters. The Government must do its utmost to reverse that development.

Mr. Speaker! The report also recommends that follow-ups be conducted regarding the knowledge support that has been developed and whether it has yielded results for vulnerable women. Furthermore, cooperation between the authorities must be strengthened. We Social Democrats believe that the government must take Socialstyrelsen's report seriously and quickly implement the report's proposed amendments.

The government must also prioritize the social services' preventive work with men who commit violence. Through a change in the law, the social services are now responsible for ensuring that those who subject others to violence change their behavior. However, there is limited guidance on how this work should be carried out.

Two concrete things that can be done are to designate the work against perpetrators of violence as a priority area and for the government to take the initiative for methodological support to the social services in this work. We must also find new methods to make it easier to leave harmful and dangerous relationships.

One of the problems that women's shelters, research centers, and county administrative boards are highlighting is how pets are used as a means of violence against women. By directing violence and threats of violence toward the shared pet, perpetrators prevent their partners from leaving the relationship. The pets are then used as a tool in the violence against the woman and the children. Therefore, there must be a possibility for the police or animal welfare authorities to urgently relocate an animal upon received threats so that women and children can leave a relationship without their pet being killed by a violent man.

Mr. Speaker! Society must also become better at caring for and supporting victims of violence. Therefore, we want to establish more women's peace centers in the country. We want to develop a model for coordinated interventions against men's violence against women between authorities. When children are exposed to violence and abuse, there is today a well-developed model where psychologists, social services, police, doctors, and prosecutors cooperate in the child's interest, so-called children's houses.

Even within the women's peace care and in cases of men's violence against women, there is a great demand for better cooperation between the authorities. It is time to develop a model for coordinated interventions also within the women's peace area.

Mr. Speaker! We also want to enable the voluntary shelter movement to protect, take care of, and help those subjected to violence. The voluntary women's shelters have played a crucial role for those subjected to violence in Sweden. At the same time, the women's shelter movement is threatened by a lack of resources in light of increased demands. It is therefore important that the government ensures that the funds required are available to enable a further development of the voluntary women's shelters.

On 1 April 2024, new rules regarding protected housing entered into force. The new provisions mean, among other things, that all private actors must apply for a permit to operate a protected residence. It is fundamentally a good change, which aims to remove unserious actors. The high fees for conducting an assessment of those who operate the activities have, however, often turned out to be an obstacle for already strained women's shelters. Not least the women's shelter in Uppsala has stated that the fee for the permit application constitutes a serious challenge for the finances.

Mr. Speaker! The knowledge, competence, and experience held by the voluntary women's shelters is irreplaceable. It has been built up over decades, coordinated within associations and between individual operations, and continues to be further developed. The passionate individuals who every day make life safer and better for those exposed to violence must receive the support they need.

That is why we want the women's shelters to be guaranteed long-term and sufficient state funding, especially now when it has become more expensive to run protected housing. Furthermore, the government must ensure clear guidelines for how municipalities can support the further development of the women's shelters' work for women's peace.

With that, I move for approval of the Social Democrats' reservation 17.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Malin Höglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! We shall now debate the Social Committee's report 20 concerning the social services' responsibility for those subjected to violence, and I would like to begin by moving for the approval of the committee's proposal.

Mr. Speaker! Violence in close relationships is one of the most serious social problems we have. It is a reality that far too many women, men, and children live with in their own homes, where they should feel the safest. The social services have a great responsibility to protect and support those who are subjected to it, but we still see deficiencies in the support. There is an unequal access to protection and a legal uncertainty that risks leaving the most vulnerable without help.

We Moderates stand up for those exposed to violence and for their right to receive protection, support, and the opportunity to create a new future. This government has developed the new Social Services Act which will come into effect from July 1, 2025. It is a preventive Social Services Act for increased rights, obligations, and opportunities.

Mr. Speaker! The Social Services' mandate is crucial for protecting and supporting those who are subjected to violence. But we see deficiencies in many municipalities. Today, the zip code determines what help you will receive. Some municipalities have strong safety nets and well-functioning cooperation between social services, the police, and women's shelters, while others lack the resources and competence to handle the most acute cases.

We must ensure that everyone affected by violence receives the help they need regardless of where they live. It should not be up to the individual municipality to decide whether a woman, a child, or a man receives protection from a violent partner or parent. The Moderates want the social services' work with those affected by violence to become more uniform, legally secure, and effective. Protection must always come first.

Mr. Speaker! It should not be the case that the person subjected to violence must be an expert at navigating through the bureaucracy to obtain protection. We must have a system that puts the person subjected to violence at the center, not a system that builds bureaucratic hurdles and municipal differences.

The social services must be strong, fast, and legally secure. We do not want anyone to be denied protection. No child should have to stay in a home where violence occurs, and no woman should have to return to a violent relationship because a society has failed her. Safety must not be a matter of luck. It is a matter of justice.

Mr. Speaker! Support for parents is one of the best measures a municipality can make for its residents. Through secure parents, we also get secure children. In our country, no parent should feel insecure in their parenthood. Support and help are available through, for example, parental education before the child is born, when the child attends preschool, in early school age, and when the child has become a teenager.

Mr. Speaker! Last week, on March 12, the Minister for Social Services, Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, and the national coordinator for more qualitative care places within social child and youth care, Thomas Ardenfors, held a round-table discussion with officials working with the recruitment of foster homes.

Society has a great responsibility to ensure that children and young people who are in a vulnerable situation receive the protection and support they are entitled to. This must not be hindered by the lack of foster homes and preventive work. The officials who work to secure more foster homes are making a very important contribution.

Mr. Speaker! Last year we had this debate in June. I raised then, as did several of your others, the important decision regarding the travel ban. It is a decision that has made a difference for young girls and boys and also for parents. Summer vacation is a time that most look forward to. But a number of children and young people who went on summer vacation in previous years never returned to school when the summer vacation ended.

From 1 June 2024, there will be an opportunity to decide on a travel ban if there is a tangible risk that a child will be taken abroad. This may involve physical or mental abuse, improper exploitation, deficiencies in care, or any other condition in the living environment.

No girl shall be subjected to genital mutilation. No girl or boy shall have to go on a conversion trip. No girl or boy shall be subjected to conversion attempts because of their sexual orientation.

Mr. Speaker! Women, men and children who are victims of violence should not have to fight alone for their safety. They should not have to worry about whether the social services have enough resources to protect them. They should be able to trust that their case is taken seriously regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

We Moderates will continue to pursue a policy where safety is not a privilege but a right, where the social services have the tools, resources, and powers required to act quickly and forcefully, and where no one needs to remain in a dangerous situation because society fails to act in time.

In our country, the one who leaves violence shall always be met with an outstretched hand – never a closed door.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mona Olin (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Today we are debating the Social Affairs Committee's report number 20 on the social services' responsibility for those subjected to violence. We stand behind all our reservations but particularly want to highlight and demand approval for reservation number 14.

Unfortunately, the exposure to violence in society is increasing for everyone. No one should have to be subjected to violence, whether in public places, in school, at home, or in close relationships.

Violence in close relationships is a major social and public health problem and a violation of human rights. The person who is supposed to be closest can be the one who subjects their partner or their family members to violence in various forms.

Violence in close relationships has always existed but has in recent times received increased attention in the media and research. The reports of assault and aggravated violation of a woman's integrity are increasing. The dark figure is large – it is estimated that only a quarter of the violence in close relationships is reported.

Mr. Speaker! Society has progressively focused more on preventing various forms of crime, which is clearly reflected in the new Social Services Act. The law has been reformed to prioritize crime prevention work. More open forms of support shall be established, for example through the expansion of family centers. Furthermore, the municipalities' crime prevention responsibilities will be regulated in law.

At the same time, there are serious deficiencies in society's ability to handle domestic violence. It is difficult to combat the violence if information is missing and if conditions of abuse are only noticed after the violence has occurred. If we are to effectively be able to prevent violence in close relationships, powerful measures are required to increase access to information and identify risks at an early stage. A fundamental problem is that social services often lack insight into the conditions of abuse that can result in violence in close relationships, and this hinders the possibility of intervening in time and working preventatively.

Mr. Speaker! There is a statutory requirement for public employees to report concern for children who are being harmed – a report of concern, quite simply. This obligation, however, only applies to children, which means that the reporting obligation ceases when a 17-year-old turns 18. The same applies if an adult, for example a mother, is subjected to violence instead of the child. This is not reasonable and constitutes an obstacle in the work to prevent violence in close relationships.

The legal requirement for reporting a concern should be expanded to also include adults in a relationship, regardless of whether children are involved. This would give society the opportunity to identify irregularities and intervene at an early stage, before the violence escalates or both escalates and affects more people.

Earlier today I met Emma, a 35-year-old woman. When she was in her 20s, she left her boyfriend. He assaulted her so severely that she barely survived. She lives today with a chronic brain injury. I am not saying that it could have been guaranteed that this would not happen, but it is our responsibility to do everything we can so that it does not happen to more people.

Today, it is a matter of course for many, not just public employees, to report concerns for children who are being mistreated. In order for social services to be able to work preventatively, the same principle should apply to violence in adult relationships. Everyone should be encouraged to report suspicions of violence or abuse.

Mr. Speaker! Honor-related violence and oppression is a serious social problem that requires powerful measures. Despite extensive government interventions, this type of violence and oppression has increased in Sweden. Many are subjected to threats, harassment, and violence from those who should be their closest support, all in the name of honor. In some cases, they can be forced to participate themselves in exercising the oppression, and in extreme cases, this can lead to so-called honor killings.

The staff of schools and social services have a central role in detecting and acting upon suspicion of honor-related violence and oppression. It is pleasing that Linköping University is now receiving funds to disseminate information on reports of concern in schools and preschools, with a focus on honor-related violence and oppression. A specially adapted workplace training has been developed through a collaboration with Haninge kommun. The goal is for the information to be disseminated to and used by municipalities across the country.

It is also pleasing that, according to today's press conference, a new investigation is being appointed to strengthen the work against honor-related violence and oppression in preschool and school.

Mr. Speaker! The new permit law for protected housing, which entered into force on 1 April 2024, requires all protected housing that receives persons exposed to violence or persecution to have a special permit from Ivo to be able to operate. The law sets clear requirements for these residences; it concerns safety, staff competence, and other important quality requirements. Staff at protected housing must have the necessary competence in areas such as mental health, domestic violence, and security routines to be able to handle the specific needs of the vulnerable individuals. Socialstyrelsen is responsible for conducting supervision to ensure that the residences meet their requirements.

The purpose of the new law is to improve the quality and safety in the operations and thereby give vulnerable individuals better conditions to regain control over their lives. We must, however, not forget that continuous follow-up of the new regulatory framework and reporting on how the new law functions is important.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Helene Odenjung (L)

Mr. Speaker! It has probably not escaped anyone's notice that the development of violence in Sweden has escalated. It is clear to all of us that the safety in our society is being challenged. While news reporting is often dominated by the increasingly grave crime with incidents of shootings and explosions around the country, we must never turn a blind eye to the other violence that is perpetrated in our society and which is at least as important to highlight: violence in close relationships.

Men's violence against women, the violence that occurs within the four walls of the home – these "apartment quarrels" as they were once called – are not isolated incidents but an expression of deeply rooted problems that require our full attention and powerful measures.

For me as a liberal and feminist, the individual's freedom and security are completely fundamental values. Violence in close relationships and honor oppression are direct attacks on these values. They deprive individuals of their freedom of action, their safety, and in the worst cases, their lives.

The violence that occurs within the four walls of the home – threats and harassment, physical violence, psychological violence, sexual violence – often occurs daily. Frequently, there are no outside witnesses, which inevitably also affects the children and young people who stay in the same environment. When it comes to honor-related violence and oppression as well as sexual abuse of children, the crime victims rarely dare to tell about their vulnerability, and they lack society's support and suffer in solitude. The dark figures are enormous. Every tenth child in Sweden has experienced violence in the home. The proportion of children who are taken out of the country to be married off or subjected to female genital mutilation is increasing.

Previous speakers have brought up the statistics from Brå, and I will not repeat them, but Aftonbladet maps out every woman who has been killed by a man she once had a romantic relationship with. The database stretches back to the beginning of the 00s. The latest update shows that 371 women have been affected since then – 371 women have been murdered by someone they have loved.

Despite knowing how widespread the violence is, the suffering of women and girls subjected to violence continues. Children are forced to interact with their violent fathers. Girls are placed in state-run locked facilities and risk being subjected to violence and sexual abuse by staff or other placed youths. It is therefore necessary and good that the government works on these issues, but we must be clear that a shift in perspective is required where the victim's and the child's best interests are always put first. We must never gloss over or look away from the suffering that affects so many.

A shift in perspective is underway. The government has decided that the work of preventing violence shall be enshrined in law, but more is needed. We must seriously ramp up the preventive work and earlier identify the risk factors that lead to children and women suffering. In order to be able to implement effective measures that make a difference, we must never end up smoothing over or looking away from the suffering that affects so many known or unknown. On the contrary, we shall facilitate for more to leave destructive relationships.

We must also counteract the destructive norms and the development that cause young boys and men to resort to violence as a means of power. A culture of honor fosters sons to take responsibility for the behavior of their sisters and close relatives, and the right to use threats and violence to exert control over sisters and close girls has furthermore been sanctioned by family and kin. These norms and values must be combated with a clear zero tolerance from the public sector, especially social services.

For the Liberals, the new Social Services Act is an important step forward. The law shall make it clear that the social services shall work even more preventatively, as we have discussed previously. It shall be easier to reach out to or offer support. Furthermore, the activities shall rest on a scientific basis and proven experience.

That reports of concern to the social services become searchable is another important reform that the Liberals have long pushed for. It is, therefore, a matter of a social services data register to know where children are placed and what interventions have been made so that we can become better at seeing what works and which measures do not achieve the desired effect. It will provide better opportunities to follow up on interventions and see what really makes a difference.

We Liberals emphasize the importance of a strong society that supports the most vulnerable. It is about giving a voice to those who rarely dare to speak about their vulnerability and ensuring that they do not suffer in solitude. And as I have said before: every tenth child in Sweden has experienced violence in the home. It is our duty to break the vicious circle.

It is good that the social worker education is to be reformed so that it will include knowledge about honor-related violence and oppression. I welcome it. It is obvious that those who meet society's most vulnerable must have the right knowledge to provide adequate support and help.

I also view it positively that the government has decided that the violence prevention work shall be written into law. Furthermore, a national prevention program has been decided upon, and there is a new state grant for prevention work against men's violence against women, violence in close relationships, sexual violence, honor-related violence and oppression, prostitution and human trafficking. This is an important step.

I am particularly pleased that the government tomorrow will appoint an inquiry to strengthen the work against honor-related violence and oppression in the school world and analyze the occurrence of honor-related violence and oppression in preschool, school, and after-school care.

We naturally see these measures as important steps in the right direction that we have pushed for. Society must continue to ramp up the preventive work at all levels and earlier identify the risk factors that lead to children and women suffering. We must never compromise on the safety and freedom for everyone in our society. The fight against violence must continue with strength and determination.

I vote in favor of the proposal in the committee's report.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! Terrorism – that is how the police in the United Kingdom classified violence by men against women in 2024 after over a million women were subjected to violence by men. It was something the police themselves likened to a pandemic. Already the year before, the United Kingdom's government had classified violence by men against women as a national threat to public safety. The consequence of that has been that the issue is prioritized on the same level as terrorism and organized crime.

The definitions of terrorism are the systematic and ruthless use of violence and destruction to, by instilling fear, attempt to force changes. The question is whether men's violence against women is an effective way to maintain men's supremacy over women even here in Sweden.

The National Board of Health and Welfare states that 75,000 women are subjected to violence by men annually. Every three weeks, a woman is killed by a man. In 2021, 38,300 offenses of assault and 8,600 cases of rape against women or girls were reported. That is more than one rape every hour, around the clock, all year round. Every fourth girl in ninth grade who has or has had a relationship has been subjected to violence by a boy. What we must not forget is that the dark figure is so extensive that Brå estimates that around 80 percent of the violence directed against women and girls is never reported to the police.

The effects of the violence that women are subjected to are so extensive that it is difficult to describe them in a representative way with words. In addition to the obvious physical and mental suffering that the violence entails, the violence can often have extensive consequences for women's living conditions. For those who need to flee and be kept hidden, their entire lives are overturned. For those who still remain, it can be a matter of life and death.

Economic violence can cause such damage that it risks affecting the woman's or girl's entire lifetime. Having to be constantly on guard, being harassed and persecuted, creates a stress that often leads to sick leave, enormous mental suffering, and difficulties in living a normal life. For those who are exposed, the living space is not limited; it is taken away from them.

Mr. Speaker! Structural violence does not only affect the one who is directly affected or those who are close to that person. The violence affects all women from the time we are little girls until we die.

The threat of violence limits our life choices, our freedom of movement, our relationships, and our health, not to mention our sex lives. From the time we are children, we must beware of dangerous men, and we grow up with the knowledge that our clothing choices can matter. We must learn which parks, dangerous tunnels, and dark bushes we should avoid in the evening. We must help each other by keeping each other company on the phone on the way home or by walking with a pounding heart and quick steps with keys in hand after dark.

But all of this may still not matter. In the worst of worlds, we could indeed come home to the place that is the most dangerous of them all: our own bedroom. We must learn early on to be on our guard in the choice of the one we are to love.

The threat of physical or sexual violence exists around women and girls all the time – in words, in actions, and not least in the digital world. For women and girls, the possibility to express an opinion and move freely in the public sphere is strongly limited. All women's living space is therefore more or less restricted.

With this in mind, perhaps it is precisely terror that is the word that can most closely describe how this violence affects women in our society. However, the work to stop the violence is prioritized far less highly than the actual impact it has justifies.

Mr. Speaker! The Left Party has for a very long time and on repeated occasions submitted a comprehensive motion on men's violence against women and violence in close relationships. Here we have no fewer than 35 requests with concrete proposals that are fundamental to providing women and girls with the right protection and support. I want to highlight some of the proposals that are of central importance to us.

Knowledge about violence must be increased. Therefore, we want preventive measures to be developed within preschools, schools, and leisure activities for an active, norm-critical work against violence. It is when we act in time that we have the chance to truly counteract the violence.

We want all instances of society to work to see and stop the violence. Therefore, we want initiatives for the implementation of the model A municipality free from violence or similar models aimed at changing destructive norms and values to be established throughout the country.

We want the appropriate authority to be tasked with developing the work of conducting risk assessments within healthcare, social services, youth clinics, and school health to identify the violent men and boys before women and girls are subjected to violence. We know today that the absolute majority of those who commit murder against a woman have sought help from society. We must not miss that.

We want to map out the psychological violence and develop proposals for measures against this. Psychological violence is the largest but also the least noticed form of violence against women and girls. Here, society must find new ways to put a stop to it.

We want to draw attention to Unizon's requirement for a placement fee for sheltered housing. It is taken from a Danish model, and we want to investigate the possibility of introducing that system here as well.

We see it as absolutely necessary that the operations of the women's shelters, including their protected housing, will be guaranteed long-term, stable economic solutions. The collective support to provide protection for women and girls when they need it must be strengthened. The knowledge and experience of the voluntary shelters shall be taken into account. It must be stable and long-term. We cannot under any circumstances accept that it should be possible to make a profit on women's vulnerability. Violence against women and girls must never be a business idea.

We want to emphasize the importance of strengthening the support for particularly vulnerable groups. The elderly, persons with disabilities, people living with substance abuse and in prostitution, those at risk of honor-related violence, and young people are extra vulnerable today. The support must be developed, and the knowledge must be increased.

Mr. Speaker! Last but not least, we must make visible that the most important work to stop violence against women and girls is to strengthen people's cohesion and living conditions. Women and girls shall have the same power and opportunity to shape society and their own lives. We want Sweden to invest itself into the future by building housing, creating jobs, and strengthening welfare and women's finances. The greater the gaps become and the more insecure our everyday lives become, the more the risk of violence increases.

Unemployment, housing shortages and sky-high living costs in combination with hateful rhetoric hit women, girls and children extra hard. And it is a perfect breeding ground for violence. The political and economic direction has great significance for the development of violence. We therefore need to completely change course in order to be able to provide women and girls with fair living conditions.

I will vote in favor of reservation 16.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Mr. Speaker! In my speech, like many have done before me, I will focus on violence in close relationships or men's violence against women because it is an epidemic in our country, because it is something we cannot get to grips with and because it has looked the same for so long. It is absolutely appalling. And it is something that we really must work together to put a stop to.

We often hear the government parties talk about a shift in focus and about focusing on the perpetrator. That is good. It is completely right. But I do not think that is enough. For me, it is also about a shift in perspective for all of us. This is so deeply rooted even in our genes and in our brains, despite the fact that we are very much involved in the public debate. I will give some examples of that.

I will start with the pandemic. During the pandemic, we in this chamber decided on restrictions that were intrusive in our lives. It has never been so important to go to the theater and the cinema exactly when one wants to as it was during the pandemic. There were loud discussions about whether the state really could make these decisions that interfered with our freedom. It was even questioned whether it was legal, compatible with our constitution, to make these decisions. And when the restrictions eased, we said: Oh, how nice! Now we can do what we want again.

But for some people, those restrictions are always there. For people living with protected identity, it is considered completely okay to actually never be able to do quite what they want.

There is a saying that goes: "Real men don't hit." That saying is life-threatening. Who is it then who hits if it is not real men? Who are they? The truth is that it is not monsters or fake men, but it is perfectly ordinary men who hit. It can even be beloved artists.

I think it is almost as dangerous when we say to the woman: Be strong! Stand up! Step forward! When we say that, we are actually talking about the fact that the normal thing is that one does not do it, that the normal thing is that one is withdrawn. It is just as dangerous.

Mr. Speaker! It is a fact that the most dangerous thing for a man is to associate with a man and that the most dangerous thing for a woman is to associate with a man. Who then is it that needs to change? What is it that we need to change? Yes, it is the behavior that many men have.

It also became clear during MeToo. We heard a lot of criticism that one never knows where the boundaries are, that one isn't even allowed to give a hug and so on. It is interesting that a man sometimes does not know where the boundaries are, but if the same straight man goes to a gay club, he knows exactly where the boundaries are. It is a bit strange.

Words matter – words on the schoolyard and words in the locker rooms and words around the coffee tables at work.

Mr. Speaker! There is talk here about decommissioning programs. It is also included in the committee report. The government's proposal for a decommissioning program is interesting.

I have read about a departure program for criminal individuals who are allowed to join an exit program that the municipalities and the police are responsible for. It contains this: A person who wants to quit the criminal life is offered an 18-month long treatment program on assignment and funded by social services. Following that are two years of aftercare and follow-up which are free of charge for the municipality. During the first year, there is support around the clock, and it includes interventions regarding housing, therapy, drug addiction, employment, debt restructuring, and leisure activities. Following that is a six-month long transition program so that the client becomes more self-reliant.

What does a woman who leaves a violent relationship get? If she finally dares to leave a violent relationship, she gets none of this. At best, she gets a protected identity, or else the man gets a restraining order.

What the government is proposing is not a real integration program. What I read into it are two things, which have been partially decided since earlier: coordinated support for those exposed to violence and permanent housing. These are good things, but it is not an integration program. It is only my modesty, the late hour, and the fact that I am a substitute in the Social Affairs Committee that keeps me from demanding replies on this. I truly appeal to the government parties: Make sure to create an integration program that measures up!

Speaking of protected identity and post-violence, sometimes our authorities are highly involved. We have spoken here about repeated custody disputes, custody, housing, visitation, and division of property. Much of this is about to change or has changed, and that is very good. But it turned out before Christmas that many authorities – admittedly not the social services so many times, I believe, but the police, prosecutors, and the Swedish Courts Administration – more or less systematically reveal the identities of protected persons in decisions made, which can mean a life-threatening danger for the person concerned.

In recent days, the bill on contact prohibitions has also arrived, which is very good. There are many good proposals there. But here, I also think there is a systemic error and a conceptual error. What happens the day that the woman wants to leave the protection area, for example, a municipality? What happens the day the woman wants to go on vacation or leave the municipality? Then the man will still be standing there and waiting and tracking down the woman. What happens when she wants to go to a family gathering or go to her family, who live somewhere else? Relatives are not included in the protection zone, and they are not independent carriers of the contact prohibition.

The reasonable thing would be that the man, the perpetrator, must stay in the places where he lives, works, or needs to be. If he is to travel outside that area, he must actually give notice, so that the crime victim knows about it. That is to have a crime victim perspective. This is something we must get in place, and we need to start investigating it already now.

In the new Social Services Act, there is a great deal of talk about preventive work and about the National Centre for Women's Peace and the telephone lines they operate. But there is nothing in the report regarding the support for Unga relationer, which is by far the most important preventive work. Unga relationer reported that the most common question they received was: Do you have to agree to strangulation? That really hurts in the stomach.

Then I will, unprompted, enter an area that is not primarily about social services at its core, but which social services will definitely have to face the consequences of, namely the distorted image of body and sexuality that the violent available pornography gives our young girls and boys. We have the violent pornography available 24/7 in our phones.

Believe it or not, during one year, children spend 2.2 months with their phone in their hand. Parents often tell their children things such as "you are not allowed to go out alone in the evening" or "you are not allowed to walk home alone across Sergels torg." But we have 100 percent access to the internet. And where are the perpetrators? They are no longer at Sergels torg at twelve o'clock at night. They are on the internet. Is there something we should do that is preventive? It is to, in a tangible, practical way with a normative purpose, limit the violent pornography that we have easily accessible, because this is something that social services and school health services have to deal with the effects of.

I move for approval of reservation 3.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Nils Seye Larsen (MP)

Mr. Speaker! To be the last speaker of the day again, I must say that I think it is unusually early compared to some other times I have been here in the chamber.

Violence in close relationships and men's violence against women is unfortunately all too common. Several speakers have touched upon how structural the problem is. It exists in all social orders and in all our societies. I myself have been struck by how many of my female friends have experienced, for example, sexual violence. It is more common than I ever thought. The problem with violence in close relationships is devastating and destructive mentally and physically and can cause a person to become increasingly isolated. It is terrible. Someone mentioned the figures from Aftonbladet. I am one of those who usually read the articles about all these cases. It is sick that this occurs in our society.

What is also sad is that many of those who have been subjected to violence in close relationships and even been murdered by their loved ones have been in contact with the police, social services, or healthcare in one way or another before the murder. Sometimes it has been clear and concrete. Sometimes it has been a matter of more vague cries for help, but in every case, contact. It is often only after the terrible thing has happened that the signals are understood and seen for what they are. There is a great amount of work that needs to be done now. We fully agree with the Centerpartiet's proposal to appoint an inquiry to look more closely at why these help-seekers and subsequently murdered individuals have fallen through society's safety net.

I want to focus, from a few different perspectives, on what I call double vulnerability. First and foremost, I am thinking of women with disabilities. It is frightening to see – with the limited statistics we have – that more than half of all persons with disabilities have at some point been subjected to sexual abuse. There is a clear overrepresentation.

According to a report from the Agency for Participation, many people with disabilities have a life situation that differs from the norm and involves an increased risk of being subjected to violence. This is something that I feel there is a great deal of darkness surrounding. More focus would need to be placed on this. Therefore, we share the Left Party's view that a special inquiry needs to be appointed to obtain a more comprehensive national steering in the area. The purpose, according to the Left Party's motion, is to "increase knowledge, improve detection, and develop proposals for measures."

I want to mention another group with double vulnerability. Karin Sundin and I were on a very interesting study visit at the needle exchange program here in Stockholm. Those who work there meet many people who have fallen through the cracks and are outside of society's support. Sometimes it is open only for women. Women who are victims of violence with addiction problems have a double problem that is horrific. For the first, women with addiction run a much greater risk of being subjected to violence. For the second, it is the case that a large part of society's support measures do not accept persons who are addicted to or use alcohol or drugs. This leads to women with addiction problems being pushed even further out of society's protection. We believe that the government would need to work on this and return with measures. I am thinking in particular of a report from Socialstyrelsen that points out a large part of the problems that exist and what would need to be done.

Then I want to bring up our reservation 10, regarding prostitution and sexual vulnerability, which I want to move for approval.

A film that I saw a hell of a lot of years ago that I never forget – it made me so upset, because it was horrific and gripping – was Lilja 4-ever. It was perhaps extra gripping because it was based on a real case, with a person who took their life quite close to the place where I myself grew up.

Those who are subjected to and exploited in prostitution are often completely isolated from social protection. There is an excellent government inquiry called Ut ur utsatthet. I want to take a bit from it. It points out, among other things, many of the groups that are extra affected and exploited. We have, for example, a major problem in Sweden where the persons who are prostituted are foreigners. There are a number of particularly vulnerable and susceptible groups, for example, girls and boys placed in LVU, trans people, and also persons with disabilities.

It appears that there are serious deficiencies in the current support for those who need help getting out of sexual exploitation, prostitution, or human trafficking for sexual purposes. The deficiencies primarily concern identification, knowledge of vulnerability, approach, access to non-acute care and trauma treatment, and access to care outside of metropolitan areas, as well as the distribution of responsibility and coordination between authorities.

The investigation also addresses a number of points that I believe are highly relevant to move forward with, for example, specialized low-threshold activities that are easily accessible. There, one can also work with identification and outreach. The paths to support need to be more easily accessible.

Another point that is highlighted is individually designed exit programs, where one can work specifically and on an individual basis to help people leave the prostitution they are in over a longer period of time.

There are several other good points in the investigation, including time-limited residence permits linked to an individual plan for the exit process. This is needed so that people who become trapped in this type of human trafficking will dare to make contact and be able to receive support.

Therefore, I move for approval of that reservation. I definitely believe that the government, in this case, should return with proposals based on this investigation on what we can do to better help persons in prostitution and human trafficking through, for example, exit programs.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on March 20.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)