The characteristics and extent of child abuse: findings from a study of the Swedish Social Services child protection

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses child abuse and the Social Services protection and builds upon a study of verdicts concerning § 2 Care of Young Persons Act (CYPA). The aim was to explore the extent of, and what characterised, the violence the children were being subjected to. A central finding was that of all the applications of § 2 CYPA during one year concerning 196 children, 13–18 years, 70% concerned children reported as subjected to violence. The violence was in most cases described as severe and systematically exerted over many years with intimidating tactics of power and control. More girls than boys were in question for care because of violence. Girls were also to a greater extent reported as having been subjected to sexual abuse or coercive control of their sexuality in relation to standards regarding honour and virginity. In an international perspective the findings can be said to confirm the need to analyse such factors as gender, power and control when research and interventions concerns children abused by their parents. In a Swedish context the findings can be said to suggest that the § 2 CYPA is a crucial intervention to protect children from violence.

ABSTRAKT

Den här artikeln synliggör föräldrar och andra närståendes våld och socialtjänstens skydd av barn. Artikeln bygger på en studie av domar som rör ansökningar om vård enligt 2 § lag (1990:52) med särskilda bestämmelser om vård av unga. Syftet var att undersöka omfång av våldsutsatthet och vad som karaktäriserade våldet. Ett centralt resultat var att av alla ansökningar om vård enligt 2 § LVU under ett år som rörde 196 barn, 13–18 år, beskrevs 70 procent som utsatta för våld. Våldet var i majoriteten av ärendena beskrivet som grovt och systematiskt med hög grad av hot, makt och kontroll och utövat under lång tid. Fler flickor än pojkar var aktuella för skydd på grund av våldsutsatthet. Flickor beskrevs också i högre grad som utsatta för sexuella övergrepp och tvång och kontroll kopplat till sexualitet som en följd av normer kring heder och oskuld. I ett internationellt perspektiv kan resultaten bekräfta vikten av att synliggöra faktorer som kön, makt och kontroll också i nom forskning och insatser som rör barn som utsätts för våld av föräldrar. I ett svenskt perspektiv kan resultaten visa på att 2 § LVU är en viktig insats för att skydda barn från våld.

KEYWORDS:

• Child protection
• child abuse
• honour-based violence
• compulsory care

NYCKELORD:

• Barnskydd
• barnmisshandel
• hedersrelaterat våld
• tvångsvård

Notes on contributor

Hanna Linell is currently a Ph.D. Student at the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Stockholm University and has worked within several government commissions focusing on child abuse, honour-related violence and forced marriages. She has also worked directly with adolescents in need of protection from abuse within a non-governmental organisation. Her research interest is children’s access to protection from abuse and the municipal Social Services challenges in this area.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University and funds from Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE).