Response to interpellation 2025/26:31 on support for women in cases of domestic violence

Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Sanne Lennström has asked the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance what assessment she makes regarding the need for targeted support upon moving for those who are forced to leave their home due to violence in a close relationship, and whether she intends to work towards such support being introduced. The work within the government is distributed such that it is I who shall answer the interpellation.

I would like to start by thanking Sanne Lennström and Member Sofia Amloh for raising an important and pressing issue. Violence against women is a major societal problem and a high-priority issue for the government. No woman should have to remain in a violent relationship for fear of being left without stable housing.

On July 1, 2024, new rules entered into force aimed at strengthening the rental law protection for women while simultaneously expanding the possibility to evict a tenant who commits violence against a close relative. The person who commits violence against a close relative shall be able to lose their apartment, while the victim's opportunity to take over the contract and remain in the home has been strengthened. It is the perpetrators who shall need to move – not the crime victims.

The Government's action program to prevent and combat men's violence against women, violence in close relationships and honor-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking during 2024–2026 contains a large amount of initiatives and measures. The action program includes, among other things, an exit program for leaving destructive relationships, which consists of a number of measures aimed at facilitating and enabling a way out of a violent or destructive life situation.

Other important measures in the area are a reform for protected housing that has recently been implemented. The purpose of the reform is to improve the protection for and support of those who are in need of protected housing and to strengthen the children's rights perspective for children who accompany a guardian to such a housing. The Government has also introduced a temporary state grant to develop the municipalities' work in offering help to those affected by violence to arrange permanent housing.

Many women are also subjected to economic violence which makes it difficult to leave a relationship and to secure their own housing. The Government has recently given several agencies renewed mandates which mean that they shall compile and disseminate information about economic violence and develop knowledge-based methods to provide support to those affected by violence.

According to a new government grant regulation, supporting measures to enable individuals to leave violent relationships shall, among other things, be prioritized. In the budget bill for 2026, the government adds 100 million kronor in permanent funds to that regulation. In June this year, the government also tasked Socialstyrelsen with monitoring the national homelessness strategy, with a particular focus on how the work with permanent housing for those exposed to violence can be strengthened.

In November 2024, the government gave a special investigator a mandate to review the rules on the division of property and the reflection period in the Marriage Code (dir. 2024:107). The purpose is to ensure a well-functioning, efficient, and legally secure order for persons who wish to separate and to counter economic violence. The mandate shall be reported by December 15 this year at the latest.

The Social Welfare Committee has a statutory responsibility to provide support to crime victims and their relatives. The Social Welfare Committee's responsibility includes that the committee shall be attentive to the fact that individuals may be in need of interventions to change their situation, such as women who are or have been subjected to violence or other abuse.

When the interpellator reported that she was prevented from attending the meeting, the third deputy speaker granted that Sofia Amloh (S) instead was allowed to participate in the interpellation debate.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! I support several of the proposals stated in the answer. I want above all to highlight that we Social Democrats have taken the initiative for that which this government is taking further. We support more proposals beyond that.

Many of these things are good. However, I have a small apprehension regarding the proposal on who should move and who should remain on the lease. It is complicated. That the perpetrator should move has an important signaling value. But it could be that the person who was subjected to the violence cannot afford to stay and try to finance the rent alone. There are many other problems surrounding this that I really hope we can find more solutions for that achieve the full effect intended.

I intend to dwell for a while on something that many women's shelters describe. It is they who meet the most women who are in flight, who are hidden and who are fleeing this type of dangerous relationships, destructiveness and violence. They testify in unison that it often depends on the economy, regardless of which part of society one comes from or what economic circumstances one had while living in a violent relationship. Often it is not just about psychological violence but also about economic violence.

That the man takes control over the woman is something that occurs over a long period. It results in that when she finally is going to get away from there or try to flee and has sought help, many of these factors have worn her down, not just psychologically and economically. When one needs to flee, one might not be able to go to Arbetsförmedlingen the next day and directly get a job. It is many times where somewhere it cracks.

Kvinnojourerna describe that it is a matter of not having money to buy the most necessary things to start a life. Many testify that it is the reason why some, after a period, return to a dangerous and destructive relationship, i.e., that one cannot manage financially. Kvinnojour after kvinnojour and people who work with women in this incredibly vulnerable situation say that it can depend on the funding. I think it is important to listen to that.

If we want women to be able to leave these relationships, we need to support the parts that enable exactly that. My question remains: What is the Minister's position on this? Financial support in the form of a separation payment could mean that more women are able to endure and get the opportunity to start over in life. Why has the government not included it in the budget? We Social Democrats have, as I believe the Minister has noted, allocated funds in our shadow budget to enable this. Why has the government not done so?

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you to both the interpellor and the minister for us being able to have a debate once again on this incredibly important topic! Men's violence against women is an ongoing epidemic in our society. I also thank you for a full answer.

In my first contribution, I will dwell a little on the decommissioning programs, as the Minister mentioned in the response. However, the word decommissioning program does not appear in the government's budget. I could not find that word at all.

The question posed by the interpellator was almost mostly of an economic nature: What is the government doing so that women, when they finally dare to take the step, will be able to afford to leave a violent relationship?

In another policy area, namely the fight against gang crime, there has for many years been an exit program for criminals. They are offered the chance to leave the criminal life if they cooperate with the government in the future to apprehend other criminals. That exit program includes support for individuals. I will mention briefly what that support entails. It involves treatment for one and a half years, free for the individual and the municipality. Then one receives aftercare and support for two years. One is offered housing. One is offered therapy. One is offered drug detoxification. One is offered employment. One is offered debt restructuring. One is offered leisure activities. This continues for a total of three years.

When a woman finally takes the step and dares to leave a violent relationship, what support does the woman receive? In practice, she receives nothing of what a criminal person who wants to leave the criminal life receives. The woman has not done anything criminal, but the person who wants to join the exit program has. The woman may receive a restraining order, which is of little use. She may receive a protected residence if there are any left in the area where she lives. We have legislation that has hit a bit wrong. A vulnerable woman receives, in the worst case, a protected identity. Otherwise, she must herself provide for the move, new housing, new clothes for the children if they were not taken along, new subscriptions for phones, new insurance, and new bus passes for school.

My question is what the government's submission program consists of, concretely. Is there a coherent function that supports the woman from the moment she finally dares or has the opportunity to make the decision until she has a new home – or stays put, if the man is moved?

Above all, I want to ask about the maternity payment. For the last three years, the Centre Party has budgeted for both a maternity program and for an individual maternity payment, i.e., a support directly to the woman. It is not reasonable that she should bear the costs herself. A maternity program only works when there is clear leadership, a clear project with clear frameworks from beginning to end. If that does not exist, it is quite unreasonable, I dare say, to talk about a maternity program.

We have had similar projects that have worked very well all over Sweden. We had Igor in Stockholm. There was another project in Jämtland and in other places where they have worked in the same way, but they are no longer there. It is very good if one believes that it can be taken out in line, but then money must also be allocated.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, the Minister and the members, for that we have this debate on an extremely important issue! Violence in close relationships is one of Sweden's most serious social problems. It is primarily men who perpetrate violence, both against other men and against women. The violence can take different forms, for example physical, psychological, sexual and economic.

I want to start by saying that I, for the most part, think that the government is taking the issue seriously. In many parts, they have taken the work further that Miljöpartiet, through our equality ministers Åsa Lindhagen and Märta Stenevi, began during our time in government.

During the Green Party's time in government, a 40-point program against men's violence against women was launched with a long series of measures to prevent and combat violence. This included, among other things, preventive measures, support and protection for those exposed to violence, increased penalties, and increased investments in competence and research. A large part of the program was implemented during our time in government, but the sitting government has in many parts taken the remaining points further. It is very good.

Much more must however be done, which is also raised here. One of the remaining problems is the one that Sanna Lennström highlights in the interpellation and which Sofia Amloh takes up here in the debate, namely the economic difficulties that many victims of domestic violence face when they are forced to flee from their violent partner. That quickly breaking up from one's home, one's work and one's surroundings can lead both to new costs and to the loss of income.

For someone who is subjected to economic violence by their partner, the situation becomes even worse. In addition to the obvious loss of income that follows from being forced to break away from their entire life, many women who are victims of violence are also hit by large costs, for example, when their personal data is cleared and they are forced to leave the new apartment or the protected housing on very short notice.

Madam Speaker! This is an unreasonable situation. For me, it is obvious that the state must to a greater extent help families who are already in a very vulnerable situation, so that crime victims do not also have to go down on their knees financially when they leave a violent partner or are forced into repeated moves.

We in Miljöpartiet have therefore, in our budget motions over several years, proposed the introduction of a special relocation allowance in the social insurance system. It could help with the extra expenses that crime victims incur. It is a simple reform and would mean a welcome economic security for a group of people who truly need it. It is a pity that the government does not see the responsibility that the state could take in this matter.

In the Minister's response, the crime victims are referred to the municipalities' social services. This should not be a responsibility that lies with either the crime victims or the municipalities. I wish that the Minister for Equality had listened to us also regarding this reform. I would like to receive an answer from the Minister for Equality as to whether a relocation fee is an alternative for you in the future.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! It is very positive that the member shows interest in the issue of women who are forced to leave their homes due to violence in close relationships. But it is very bold of a Social Democrat to ask questions about why the support is failing when it was her party that bore the responsibility when the problems grew.

During the Socialdemokraternas time in power, violence against women actually increased. The proportion of prosecutions fell, and support for protected housing decreased. I was one of the affected women during that time. I lived with a violent man for a long time, something I have raised several times here in the speaker's chair. On several occasions, the police were alerted to the residence. I received no help from either the social services, the police, or society. This happened during the Socialdemokraternas time in power.

Only after a long struggle, when I had finally managed to leave him, was a restraining order granted, but by then the post-violence had already begun. Today, it is easier to obtain a restraining order.

I know how it feels when the perpetrator tries to manipulate one, when the economy is used as a weapon, and when the perpetrator tries to turn a child against their own mother. It is a reality that thousands of women share, and it emerged during a government that called itself feminist but failed at the most fundamental thing, which is to protect women from violence.

This happened during the Social Democrats' time in power. At that time, the number of reported cases of aggravated violation of a woman's integrity increased, but fewer led to prosecution. The police lacked resources, social services were on their knees, and many women's shelters struggled to survive.

Madam Speaker! The Social Democrats simultaneously ignored the alarms regarding honor violence, despite repeated warnings from both authorities and civil society. It is the same Social Democrats who today ask why the support is lacking. As I said at the beginning of my speech: It is incredibly galling to criticize the government that is cleaning up after another.

The current government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, has tightened the penalties for repeated domestic violence and violations of restraining orders. The police have been given increased powers and more electronic ankle bracelets to be able to intervene quickly in cases of threats. We have allocated much more funds than previous governments in the fight against violence in close relationships and also against honor-related violence and oppression.

The social services have been tasked with coordinating the support for those affected by violence so that women will no longer fall between the cracks when they try to start over in life. Furthermore, work is underway to introduce a special relocation support so that no woman will have to choose between poverty and insecurity.

It is about building a country where the rule of law stands on the woman's side and not the perpetrator's. There is a big difference between the Social Democrats and the current government.

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank member Sofia Amloh and the other members for their contributions.

The Government is working systematically and intensively to ensure that those exposed to violence receive the support and protection they need before, during, and after an outbreak. In the action program to prevent and combat men's violence against women, violence in close relationships, and honor-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking, a number of measures were gathered to make this possible.

Among other things, there is a mandate for the National Board of Health and Welfare to investigate to what extent those subjected to violence are offered a contact person who assists with coordinated support and help during contacts with authorities, based on people's different needs and circumstances. Just as Member Sofia Amloh points out, there are practical difficulties, even if the conditions for rent regulation are eased, which would have an important signaling value. Therefore, coordinated support and help during contacts with authorities is completely central.

In the assignment, the National Board of Health and Welfare shall analyze whether contact persons are a purposeful intervention to meet the needs of those exposed to violence. The authority shall also propose which measures can be taken to increase and improve access to coordinated support for those exposed to violence. The assignment includes analyzing and producing proposals on how contact persons can be included in coordinated support for individuals exposed to violence. Furthermore, the authority shall analyze and produce proposals on what coordinated support can look like, which actors should be included, which professional groups should be involved, and how the support can be individualized.

Furthermore, the Prison and Probation Service, the Swedish Police Authority, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the Swedish Prosecution Authority have been tasked with strengthening cooperation to prevent and combat violence against women. The mandate aims at strengthened operational cooperation between the police, prosecutors, the Prison and Probation Service, social services, and health and medical care, partly against the background that the National Board of Health and Welfare's injury and death investigations call for more active and coordinated action against the violence from these societal actors. The mandate will be revisited next year.

In June this year, the government tasked Socialstyrelsen with following up on the work with the national homelessness strategy and submitting proposals for further measures in the area. The assignment includes specifically investigating how the government's work with permanent housing for those exposed to violence can be strengthened. The current homelessness strategy expires at the end of 2026. The government assesses that it is of great importance that the work to prevent and counteract homelessness can continue and be developed so that individuals do not end up in homelessness.

In the budget bill for 2026, the government therefore proposes an extended and strengthened homelessness strategy. It is proposed that 70 million be added to the current homelessness strategy during 2026. Thereafter, 150 million shall be allocated annually until 2031.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! Even though these things are being done, which several of us in this debate believe are good, we need to start from the reality that exists. We see – and I assume the Minister also sees – that women's shelters in quite large parts of the country are being forced to shut down and end their operations. They cannot manage to conduct their operations financially. This also needs to be reviewed and something must be done about it, if one seriously means that women should have this opportunity. This is what we see in Sweden now: that women's shelters are shutting down.

We also see that the government is not providing funding to Brottsofferjouren for their national support line. That support line is the first point of contact for many women who have been victims of violence, along with the police. When Brottsofferjouren does not receive the funds they need to run the support line, it becomes difficult to see where the government's effort is being made.

When one, often after many attempts to leave, arrives at a women's shelter that has space, one should establish themselves, find another residence and receive support and help in a new municipality, but then those kronor are not there. Most often, it is actually not that many kronor that are needed for the individual.

My question remains, then: Why has this government not allocated those funds in this budget – that item does not exist – to support these women in having the strength to endure, establish themselves, and complete their project of leaving the violent relationship?

As I described in my previous speech, there are also very many stories about not completing it. One gets quite far but has no possibility at all of living or supporting oneself and actually goes back to the violent relationship – many times with a strong conviction that the behavior from the man one is in the relationship with will never be repeated and that improvements will occur, in combination with the fact that it is economically secure. Many other such perspectives also make one consider choosing the easy way. Going back to the destructive, violent relationship should not be the easy way. The easy way should be to be able to leave the relationship when one is subjected to some form of violence in Sweden. In that case, a separation payment is needed, a financial support to have the strength and manage to leave the relationship. We see so clearly that this is the reason why one perhaps does not do it – the rope runs out and completes it.

My question is: Why has the government not allocated any kronor? It is zero kronor from the government in this budget. Why is there no money to finance support for these women to leave a relationship completely?

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!

I can also identify the efforts made so far, which may resemble a transition program. The Minister mentioned the assignment to Socialstyrelsen to introduce a contact person – very good. The reform regarding rental apartments, which aims to ensure that the person subjected to violence gets to keep their home, is very good.

But I promise that I was very happy when the minister's representative last summer held a press conference and said that the government will now introduce an exit program. Then I could observe that what was done was to package together already existing measures, where I believe both of these are included, into one and the same bag – but no new money came. It was a bit painful. One should be careful with the use of the word exit program, because it implies per se that women should be given financial support and all the support needed to dare to take the step and leave the relationship. This is not, I argue, any exit program, because it is not about any new money.

When it comes to other financial support, the reform regarding protected housing is mentioned in the answer, and I wonder if the Minister also has time to answer how that can be done. The reform regarding protected housing has failed. So far, if one only looks at the negative effects, it has led to there being fewer residences and fewer women and children being offered a place in protected housing. This does not directly mean any financial support and does not encourage women who want to leave a violent relationship. I hope that the government can in some way pull the emergency brake until this becomes what was intended.

The Minister also mentions a government grant regulation of 100 million for supporting measures so that individuals can leave. It sounds like individuals should be able to apply for support, and that is not correct, is it? My question is: What does the Minister mean by this? It is, as far as I understand, municipalities and regions that should be able to apply for these funds. If it is not about targeted grants that are to go solely to, for example, a departure program, then there will be no departure program.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! My fellow speakers have said many very wise things that I do not need to repeat.

I believe we all agree that the perpetrator should be the one who moves is a good basic principle. But we know, as has been mentioned here earlier, that the victim often cannot afford to stay. We also know that in many cases the victim does not dare to stay in their home, because the perpetrator knows that the victim, the former partner, lives there and can track that person down. In the vast majority of cases, the woman actually must move, and that often involves a difficult financial situation. That is why relocation support is needed – to help people who are affected by something of the most horrific one can be hit by from someone they thought they loved and were loved by.

We are allocating 100 million kronor for this in our budget proposal. I want to ask the same question as I asked earlier and which has been repeated here: Why is the government not doing it? Even though it is said that there should be a relocation program of some kind, no money is allocated for a specific relocation support.

Then I also think that the state should be able to cover half the cost for placement in protected housing, as it works in, for example, Denmark, so that more women and children can be placed in protected housing. We have, in fact, a problem with that very many try to leave a relationship but do not necessarily get a place. I therefore also wonder how the government and the minister view the possibility for the state to cover half the cost for placement in protected housing in the future.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! I think it is extremely important that we actually talk about the reason why society looks the way it does. It is, in fact, the Social Democrats' rule that is the basis for this. They spoke loudly about feminism, but at the same time, they did not give the vulnerable the support they needed – not enough.

The current government, together with the Sweden Democrats, has however changed direction. It simply takes time to clean up the Social Democrats' mess. We have strengthened the protection regarding restraining orders, introduced possibilities for electronic surveillance, and increased the penalties for repeated violations.

We have built a national model for cooperation between the police, social services, and crime victim support services. Support for women's shelters and protected housing has been strengthened.

It is only now, under this government and with the support of the Sweden Democrats, that women's safety is actually taken seriously. The Sweden Democrats will continue to push for a Sweden where no woman is forced to be left alone with violence and where the state stands on her side, not the perpetrator's.

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Thanks to the members for their contributions and questions!

This government has made a number of different interventions and prioritizes measures to counter men's violence against women. We are introducing increased penalties. We are making a total overhaul of the criminal justice policy with a focus on the crime victim. It is the crime victim's restitution and important signaling values that should be decisive. We have, among other things, facilitated contact prohibitions in combination with ankle bracelets. We are also in the process of introducing new legislation against psychological violence.

We have presented a number of different missions regarding support, which also have a precise effect. We are providing increased grants to the women's shelters. We have implemented a reform aimed at increasing the quality of protected housing.

Just as several of the interpellants and debaters point out, we also see certain negative consequences of the reform that are linked to protected housing. The Government has ensured that this is evaluated. Statskontoret has a mandate to review the effects of the reform.

The National Agency for Public Procurement also has a mandate to develop background information, materials, and methods to assist the municipalities when it comes to promoting the procurement of idea-based activities linked to the women's shelters. It is an incredibly important support for the municipalities in their responsibility – this is, in fact, their responsibility. In addition, there are also a number of other measures.

It sounds so easy with relocation money, moving money, or different forms of grants. I can agree that economic conditions are definitely an important factor in the puzzle. But this is a comprehensive societal problem that affects so many different parts, and we must approach it broadly. You make it sound as if a moving money payment would solve society's problems with men's violence against women, but that doesn't hold up. It is not enough.

It is absolutely important to continue the discussion on economic conditions. A number of the measures that the government has taken also have the effect that an individual, with more coordinated support and with a contact person, can navigate their situation better. There can, of course, also be an economic aspect to this.

This is an immensely extensive problem, and the government has had it as a top priority. We intend to continue to do so. I welcome the discussion and the proposals, but I can state that this government, during the years we have been in power, has achieved significantly more than what was achieved during the past eight years with the previous governments.

With this, I thank the interpellor and the members. This was my concluding statement.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin with what the member from the Sweden Democrats raised. What mess is it that the Sweden Democrats mean when they say they are going to clean up after the Social Democrats? Is it the introduction of the parental insurance, which I have mentioned earlier today? Is it the introduction of childcare, which also made it possible for women to enter the workforce? What we see is also the result of us having one of the highest employment rates in Europe. Is it this that you are going to clean up? Is it about the abolition of joint taxation and the investments in women's health? Or is it about the increased resources for police and investigators over the last ten years? During that period, we also introduced the concept of crimes against children and tightened the penalties for sexual offenses. Or is it about the consent legislation – is it this that the Sweden Democrats mean they are going to clean up? Then we know where the Sweden Democrats stand when they talk about promoting equality.

This is not what equality is for me, and I believe that there are very many Swedes who feel the same way.

The Minister has now left the chamber before the debate is concluded, but I heard that for her, there is obviously a red line when it comes to specifically relocation money. That is why there is no relocation money. It does not exist, because it is considered that it would be a grant. It would thus be a grant to these women, who are the absolutely most vulnerable. These women have, against all odds, managed to get this far that they want to start a new life without violence, and they need these kronor to enable a new start. But the government cannot provide those funds, because it would be a grant. This says quite a lot about the government's initiatives.

The interpellation debate was hereby concluded.

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