The law means that it is a criminal offense to expose children to witnessing crimes in a close relationship. It can be violent crimes such as assault, threats and sexual abuse, but also, for example, vandalism.
– It is about the child in some way experiencing crime against relatives when it happened. This does not only mean that the child must have seen the act, but also, for example, have experienced it by hearing what happened from a neighboring room, says Christina Björk Göransson, who is group leader for crimes in close relationships / child investigators at the police in Västernorrland.
Via Facetime or phone
– It can also be experienced via, for example, Facetime or that the child heard what happened over the phone. But they must have experienced the whole thing when it happened, and didn’t find out about it afterwards, so that it would be labeled as a child welfare violation, she continues.
On February 21 this year, a man in Sundsvall was sentenced for, among other things, child welfare offenses after threatening to kill his partner and also breaking into the partner’s mother’s apartment, crimes that were witnessed by the children.