Victim of crime status for children exploited in child pornography

The plan states that the child's best interest shall come first and that children cannot themselves speak to stop abuse they are subjected to. It also describes how violence against women and children is exploited by the pornography industry. Moving child pornography from a crime against public order to a crime where the child is recognized as a victim is a direct application of these commitments.

• the child's best interest firstdecisive»Vänsterpartiets politik ska utformas så att barnens bästa kommer i första rummet.« (party programme ↗)“Left Party policy shall be formed so that the child's best interest comes first.”
• children need their own legal protection»Barn har specifika behov, men de kan inte alltid uttrycka dem. Lika lite kan de föra sin egen talan för att stoppa kränkningar de utsätts för.« (party programme ↗)“Children have specific needs, but they cannot always express them. Nor can they speak for themselves to stop abuse they are subjected to.”
• pornography industry exploits children»Våldet mot kvinnor och barn exploateras av porrindustrin, som blivit en vinstgivande kapitalistisk storindustri.« (party programme ↗)“Violence against women and children is exploited by the pornography industry, which has become a profitable capitalist major industry.”
• legislation against sexual exploitation»Vi står bakom och försvarar lagen som förbjuder köp av sexuella tjänster och lagen om kvinnofridskränkning.« (party programme ↗)“We support and defend the law prohibiting purchase of sexual services and the law on violence against women.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme states that all children have the right to a safe upbringing free from violence in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and that children's best interests shall be considered in all decisions. Allowing the child pornography offence to protect the child rather than public order, so that affected children are recognized as crime victims, is an application of this, and the election manifesto promises action against sexual crimes. The classification of the crime is not explicitly addressed.

• child's best interests in all decisionsdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention. Barnens« (party programme ↗)“All children shall have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children's”
• children's right to protection»Alla barn och ungdomar ska ha rätt till likvärdiga villkor« (party programme ↗)“All children and young people shall have the right to equal conditions”
• action against sexual crimes»Krafttag för att stoppa hedersrelaterat våld, sexualbrott och mäns våld mot kvinnor. Vi vill fort sätta den politiska riktning som skärpt straffen för våld och andra kränkningar i nära relationer, och som ökat resurserna till kvinno- och tjejjourernas viktiga arbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Action to stop honour-related violence, sexual crimes and men's violence against women. We want to continue the political direction that has strengthened penalties for violence and other violations in intimate relationships, and increased resources to women's and girls' organisations' important work.”
• individuals' right to protection»människors rätt till liv i frihet och säkerhet måste alltid försvaras.« (party programme ↗)“people's right to life in freedom and security must always be defended.”

flags: citat_migrerat

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that criminal justice policy puts the crime victim and their victimization at the centre and that children's legal security is strengthened in cases of suspected sexual abuse, with the Children's Convention as Swedish law. That the child, not the state, is recognized as the crime victim in documented abuse cases follows directly from these commitments. The criminal classification is not explicitly addressed in the plan.

• crime victim at the centredecisive»Rättspolitiken ska sätta brottsoffret och dennes utsatthet i centrum.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal justice policy shall put the crime victim and their victimization at the centre.”
• children's legal security»Barnets rättstrygghet måste stärkas om det finns misstankar om våld eller sexuella övergrepp.« (party programme ↗)“Children's legal security must be strengthened if there are suspicions of violence or sexual abuse.”
• Children's Convention as law»FN:s barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag« (party programme ↗)“The UN Children's Convention shall become Swedish law”
• children as separate legal subjects»Barn är aktiva medskapare av samhället och ska inte ses som passiva mottagare av det samhälle som vuxna skapar åt dem.« (party programme ↗)“Children are active co-creators of society and shall not be seen as passive recipients of the society that adults create for them.”

The party programme places the child's right to be respected and unconditional protection against violence and humiliation at the centre, and establishes that children's rights and perspectives are of the greatest importance. The election manifesto further requires that the victims' perspective is strengthened. Moving child pornography crime from crime against public order and recognizing the victimized children as crime victims follows directly from these commitments.

• the child's perspective paramountdecisive»Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Of greatest importance are then children's rights and perspectives.”
• unconditional protection for children»villkorslöst skydd mot våld och förnedring inom och utom hemmet,« (party programme ↗)“unconditional protection against violence and humiliation inside and outside the home,”
• strengthened victims' perspective»Brottsofferperspektivet måste stärkas. Den som utsatts för brott ska få upprättelse och bättre stöd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The victims' perspective must be strengthened. The one who has been the victim of crime shall receive redress and better support.”
• every child's right»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“Particularly important is to value every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme requires that sexual-offence legislation be based on the crime victim's right to sexual integrity, which suggests that the victimized children, not public order, is the object of protection of the crime. The plan makes support to crime victims a core task for the justice system and emphasizes the rights of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That the public shall actively prevent abuse of children points in the same direction.

• crime victim's sexual integritydecisive»Sexualbrottslagstiftningen måste utgå från brottsoffrets rätt till sexuell integritet.« (party programme ↗)“Sexual-offence legislation must be based on the crime victim's right to sexual integrity.”
• crime victim support as core task»Insatser för att stödja brottsoffer är ett huvuduppdrag för både rättsväsende och socialtjänst.« (party programme ↗)“Measures to support crime victims are a core task for both the justice system and social services.”
• rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child»Genom att FN:s barnkonvention införlivats i svensk lag tydliggörs barns och ungas rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“By incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law, the rights of children and young people are clarified.”
• protection against abuse of children»Det offentliga ska också aktivt förebygga våld och övergrepp mot barn« (party programme ↗)“The public shall also actively prevent violence and abuse of children”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan asserts that society must stand by the crime victim's side and that abuse and violations of fellow humans' integrity can never be tolerated. Children have the right to a safe upbringing environment and the convention on the child requires that the child's best interests come first, particularly as children rarely can assert their own rights. To recognize the exploited children as crime victims rather than see the crime as an offense against public order thus follows from the plan.

• society stands by the victimdecisive»att samhället ställer sig på brottsoffrets sida.« (party programme ↗)“that society stands by the crime victim's side.”
• child's best interests first»barnets bästa ska komma i främsta rummet.« (party programme ↗)“the child's best interests must come first.”
• children's right to safety»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe upbringing environment.”
• violations are never tolerated»Övergrepp och kränkningar av medmänniskors integritet och egendom« (party programme ↗)“Abuse and violations of fellow humans' integrity and property”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's crucial commitment is a new criminal code that shifts focus from the perpetrator to the victim and that the victim perspective shall be strengthened in the entire justice system. To move child pornography crime from crimes against public order and recognize the exposed children as crime victims is precisely that perspective shift. The crime classification itself is however not explicitly addressed.

• perspective shift to the victimdecisive»Införa en ny brottsbalk för att skifta fokus från gärningsmannen till brottsoffer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a new criminal code to shift focus from the perpetrator to the victim”
• strengthened victim perspective»Brottsofferperspektivet behöver stärkas i svenskt rättsväsende.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The victim perspective needs to be strengthened in Swedish justice system.”
• the legal state on the victim's side»Rättssamhället måste alltid stå på brottsoffrets sida. Moderaterna kommer kraftigt stärka brottsoffrets ställning i rättsprocessen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The legal society must always stand on the victim's side. Moderates will strongly strengthen the victim's position in legal proceedings.”
• the victim in criminal policy»Brottsoffrens perspektiv är viktigt i kriminalpolitiken.« (party programme ↗)“The victims' perspective is important in criminal policy.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's starting point is that policy should be shaped according to the crime victim's best interests and that the crime victim's position should be strengthened; the party programme states that crime victims' interests must always be prioritized before those of criminals. That child pornography offences are classified as offences against public order rather than recognizing the victimized children as crime victims contravenes this. The plan further emphasizes that the best interests of the child must always be considered.

• crime victim firstdecisive»Utformningen av politiken måste ske utifrån brottsoffrets bästa, inte gärningsmannen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy formation must be based on the crime victim's best interests, not the perpetrator's.”
• crime victims' interests foremost»Brottsoffers och potentiella brottsoffers intressen måste i alla lägen sättas framför brottslingars« (party programme ↗)“Crime victims' and potential crime victims' interests must in all cases be prioritized before those of criminals”
• strengthened crime victim status»Stärka brottsoffrets ställning och öka stödet till brottsoffer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the crime victim's position and increase support for crime victims”
• best interests of the child»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the best interests of the child must always be considered”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.