Proposals on custody and custody transfer in case of domestic violence

The election manifesto states that the child perspective must be strengthened in custody disputes and that it must not be possible for perpetrators of violence to retain joint custody. This directly requires that custody transfer must be possible for more forms of violence than fatal violence. The party programme furthermore requires comprehensive, research-based work against violent crime and that the child's best interests must guide.

• perpetrators must lose custodydecisive»Barnperspektivet måste stärkas i vårdnadstvister och det ska inte vara möjligt för våldsutövare att behålla gemensam vårdnad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The child perspective must be strengthened in custody disputes and it must not be possible for perpetrators of violence to retain joint custody.”
• comprehensive work against violence»Vi vill se ett genomgripande arbete mot våldsbrottslighet, som utgår« (party programme ↗)“We want to see comprehensive work against violent crime, which is based on”
• justice system that takes violence seriously»Det är viktigt att rättssystemet fungerar, att kvinnors erfarenheter tas på allvar och att de som begår brott döms.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is important that the justice system works, that women's experiences are taken seriously and that those who commit crime are convicted.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan demands vigorous combat of violence against children and men's violence against women as well as support for victims, and sees violence as an exercise of power society has responsibility to stop. That a child shall be able to be protected from a violent guardian even when the violence is not fatal follows from that commitment. The plan does not address custody regulations in themselves, so the conclusion is derived.

• protection of children against violencedecisive»Kraftfullt bekämpande av våld mot barn och stöd till barn som bevittnar våld.« (party programme ↗)“Vigorous combat of violence against children and support for children witnessing violence.”
• action against violence in close relationships»• 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-based 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 close relationships, and increased resources to women's and girls' counselling services' important work.”
• violence as an exercise of power»Mäns våld mot kvinnor är en maktutövning som står i direkt motsats mot dessa principer.« (party programme ↗)“Men's violence against women is an exercise of power that stands in direct opposition to these principles.”
• society's security responsibility»Samhället har ett grundläggande ansvar att säkra tryggheten i landet.« (party programme ↗)“Society has a fundamental responsibility to ensure security in the country.”

flags: citat_migrerat

The plan states that children's right to security weighs more heavily than violent parents' right to their children and that children shall be protected from contact with a violent parent. To broaden the grounds for custody transfer to more forms of violence, not just lethal violence, is precisely this commitment. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal.

• children's security weighs heaviestdecisive»I vårt Sverige väger barns rätt till trygghet tyngre än våldsamma föräldrars rätt till sina barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In our Sweden, children's right to security weighs more heavily than violent parents' right to their children.”
• protection against violent parent»skydda barn från att tvingas till umgänge med en våldsam förälder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect children from being forced into contact with a violent parent.”
• no parental right against the child's best interests»Barn ska ha rätt till alla sina föräldrar, men föräldrar har inte rätt till sina barn om det inte är till barnets bästa.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to all their parents, but parents do not have the right to their children if it is not in the child's best interests.”
• the child's best interests decisive»Barnkonventionen är svensk lag och barnets bästa ska alltid vara avgörande när beslut fattas kring barn.« (party programme ↗)“The Convention on the Rights of the Child is Swedish law and the child's best interests shall always be decisive when decisions are made regarding children.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The election manifesto requires efforts against violence against children and that the crime victim perspective be strengthened, and the party programme makes children's rights and every child's right to grow in safety a particularly important task. That a child in practice is left with a violent guardian as long as the violence is not fatal goes against these commitments. The counter-proposal's expanded grounds for custody transfer thus follows from the plan.

• efforts against violence against childrendecisive»Sverige behöver fler poliser, hårdare straff och bättre förebyggande insatser — med krafttag mot såväl gängbrottslighet, våld mot barn och mäns våld mot kvinnor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs more police, harsher sentences and better preventive measures — with efforts against both gang criminality, violence against children and men's violence against women.”
• protect 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 ↗)“Especially important is to protect every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”
• the child's perspective weighs most»Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Of greatest importance are then the rights and perspectives of children.”
• strengthened crime victim perspective»Brottsofferperspektivet måste stärkas. Den som utsatts för brott ska få upprättelse och bättre stöd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The crime victim perspective must be strengthened. Those who have been subjected to crime should receive redress and better support.”

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 establishes that a parent convicted of serious or fatal violence against the other parent should automatically lose custody – thus not only for fatal violence. The same logic carries the counter-proposal's demand that custody be transferable in more forms of violence than the fatal ones. The plan also establishes that children shall never be forced into contact with a parent who has harmed them and that all violence in close relationships shall be prevented.

• violent parent loses rightsdecisive»Den förälder som döms för att ha utsatt den andra föräldern för grovt eller dödligt våld bör automatiskt förlora umgängesrätt med barnet.« (party programme ↗)“The parent convicted of subjecting the other parent to serious or fatal violence should automatically lose custody of the child.”
• child's protection before contact»Barn ska inte tvingas till umgänge med en förälder som utsatt barnet för övergrepp, psykisk eller fysisk misshandel.« (party programme ↗)“Children shall not be forced into contact with a parent who has subjected the child to abuse, psychological or physical assault.”
• all relationship violence shall be combated»Alla former av våld i relationer och könsrelaterat våld ska förebyggas.« (party programme ↗)“All forms of violence in relationships and gender-related violence shall be prevented.”
• strengthened protection for violence victims»Vi vill se en ökad handlingskraft mot sexuellt våld och våld mot kvinnor genom bland annat högre straff för sexualbrott och ett bättre skydd och stöd för offren.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see increased action against sexual violence and violence against women through among other things higher penalties for sexual offences and better protection and support for victims.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme makes the best interests of the child decisive in all decisions concerning children and states that abuse and oppression can never be tolerated within the family. Children who have been subjected to violence in a close relationship shall be given adequate support and protection and have the right to a safe growing environment. The ability to transfer custody also in cases of other serious or repeated violence than fatal violence follows directly from these commitments. The counter-proposal's demands are supported.

• the best interests of the child decisivedecisive»Barnets bästa ska vara styrande i all familjepolitik och vid alla beslut som rör barn.« (party programme ↗)“The best interests of the child shall be decisive in all family policy and all decisions concerning children.”
• protection against violence in close relationships»Kvinnor, män och barn som utsatts för våld i en nära relation ska ges adekvat stöd och skydd.« (party programme ↗)“Women, men and children who have been subjected to violence in a close relationship shall be given adequate support and protection.”
• zero tolerance for family violence»Övergrepp och förtryck kan aldrig tolereras inom familjen, lika litet som någon annanstans.« (party programme ↗)“Abuse and oppression can never be tolerated within the family, no more than anywhere else.”
• safe growing environment»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe growing environment.”

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 wants to ensure that more children are taken into care according to the Care of Young Persons Act and that the rule of law always stands on the side of crime victims, and it views violence in close relationships as something that should be met with clear consequences even after sentence served. That custody can be moved in more forms of violence than lethal violence follows from that protection perspective. The party programme establishes that violence has no place in society.

• care orders to protect childrendecisive»Säkerställa att fler omhändertas enligt LVU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that more are taken into care according to the Care of Young Persons Act”
• the crime victim first»Rättssamhället måste alltid stå på brottsoffrets sida.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law must always stand on the side of the crime victim.”
• protection against violent perpetrator»Införa vistelseförbud för personer som dömts för våld i nära relation, så att den som utsatt sin tidigare partner för våld och övergrepp kan förbjudas att vara i ett visst bostadsområde även efter att ha släppts ur fängelset« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce residence bans for persons convicted of domestic violence, so that someone who has subjected their former partner to violence and abuse can be prohibited from being in a certain residential area even after release from prison”
• zero tolerance for violence»Våld har ingen plats i vårt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Violence has no place in our society.”

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 states that the child's best interests should always be considered and that society should step in to support children when parents fail their responsibility. The counter-proposal's requirement that custody transfer more clearly should include various forms of violence, not just fatal violence, is an application of precisely that protection responsibility and of the plan's requirement for intensified combat against violence. The plan's norm about joint custody constitutes a counterweight but does not apply to cases of violence.

• the child's best interestsdecisive»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the child's best interests should always be considered”
• protection nets when parents fail»starka skyddsnät och rycka ut till barnens stöd i de fall då föräldrarna sviker sitt ansvar« (party programme ↗)“strong protection nets and step in to support children in cases where parents fail their responsibility”
• intensified combat against violence»Stärka kampen mot våld och överfall« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the combat against violence and assault”
• joint custody as the norm»Att gemensam vårdnad utgör norm« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That joint custody is the norm”

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.