9.5 Corporal punishment of children, domestic violence, gross violation of a woman’s integrity

Violence in the family, such as infliction of physical injuries as well as corporal punishment of children, is regarded as assault according to Chapter 3, Section 5 and 6 of the Swedish Penal Code.

In order to prevent domestic violence, Sweden has adopted a progressive legislation by criminalizing repeated criminal acts such as assault and sexual abuse against a family member as gross violation of integrity or, in case the victim is a female spouse or partner, as gross violation of a woman's integrity. The provisions require that the repeated acts have violated the person's integrity and that the violations are conducted in order to severely damage the person's self-esteem. The penal provisions on violation of integrity and violation of a woman's integrity are found in Chapter 4, Section 4a of the Swedish Penal Code.

The Swedish Penal Code