Speach by State Secretary Minna Ljunggren at the ISPCAN congress

Your Majesty, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

Let me start by thanking Your Majesty for your very insightful remarks. We all know the long standing commitment and dedication Your Majesty has shown when it comes to the wellbeing of children – all over the world. Thank you.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank the (ISPCAN) and Barnafrid – the Swedish National Center for Knowledge on Violence against Children at Linköping University for organising this important congress.

Sweden has a longstanding history taking a leading role in advocating for children's rights and combating violence against children. Not least since Sweden was the first country in the world to ban corporal punishment back in 1979.

In the process of banning corporal punishment, the government stated that disciplinary methods were contradictory to the view of the child as an independent and rights-bearing individual. The government believed that the view of parents' right to reprimand children through forms of violence is dangerous, regardless of the extent of the violence, as this can all too easily justify more serious abuse.

Since then, research has consistently shown that punitive violence not only fail to improve behavior – it indeed poses significant risks to children's physical and emotional health, and wellbeing. Positive parenting, on the other hand, is shown to reduce the likelihood of parents physically and emotionally abusing their children and improves parent-child relationships. 

Sweden will continue to strengthen the rights and improve children’s living conditions through both bilateral and multilateral development cooperation. Sweden has for a long time taken a proactive role concerning abolition against all corporal punishment of children. And I can ensure you that as both the Minister of Social Services, and myself, are deeply committed to issues relating to the rights and wellbeing of children and youth – we will continue to push the positions forward in this field. 

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Today, the goal of Sweden's children's rights policy is for children and young people to be respected and given the opportunity for development, security, participation, and influence.

The objective for the area is based, among other things, on the commitments Sweden made by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention has also been incorporated into Swedish law since 2020.

According to article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – as I am sure you know – every child has a right to be protected from all forms of violence, including all forms of physical or psychological abuse, harm, exploitation, or neglect that affect a child's well-being, survival, development, or dignity – as well as corporal punishment.  

There is never an excuse for using violence against children in whatever setting. The need to discipline children is no reason to use violence, neither in schools, institutions, nor in the family. Children should always be raised by positive measures. 

It is important to note that violence against children includes all forms of violence, in all settings – including intimate partner violence, armed conflicts and bullying, to mention a few examples – where children with disabilities are more frequently subject to all forms of violence.  

It is also important to note that violent acts can take place both in the physical world as well as online. Since online violence is an immense problem for our younger generations, I am happy to see that the topic is high on the agenda during multiple sessions throughout this congress.

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The situation for children and youth in Sweden is generally good – for example regarding the general standard of living, health, and education.
However, opportunities between different groups of children and young people differ.

Today, Sweden is facing a situation where an increasing number of children and young people are involved and used in organized crime. Both victims and perpetrators are increasingly younger. And their acts of violence are increasingly worse. 

The children, most frequently boys – but we are currently worrying over increasing number of girls – who commit serious violent crimes, they have often been exposed to violence themselves and grown up in socially vulnerable situations.

This is a very serious situation, which I look at with sadness but most of all  – with great determination to change. I am therefore particularly touched by the theme of the congress – Working Together in Times of Crisis. A theme that is relevant both in and outside of Sweden today.

I know that many of you attending the congress here today have deep knowledge and vast experience in this matter, which I look forward to taking part of. I think we have a lot to learn from each other.

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The Swedish fatality reviews is a legal framework and a working model, with the purpose to investigate and shine light on problems within the public social safety net – to instances of deadly violence against children as well as deadly domestic violence against adults and certain forms of serious non-deadly violent crimes.

The model aims to provide the Government with a basis for decisions on preventive measures, by identifying systemic failures of the public social safety net. For example, the fatality reviews have demonstrated the need for extended coordination between different social actors in Sweden as well as developed measures to actively detect violence, to better prevent serious and deadly violence against children.

This is relevant not least to providers of health care and social services, from which many victims seek help without disclosing their exposure to violence. 

I am certain that this kind of systemic failures of the public social safety net, is unfortunately not unique for Sweden. In this global context, this leads me to emphasize the role of healthcare professionals in detecting and protecting children from violence.

Regardless of existing laws or personal opinions, healthcare professionals have a duty to act in the best interest of the child. This ethical and professional responsibility is central to ensuring that all children receive the protection and care they are entitled to.

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The government of Sweden has not yet succeeded in fulfilling the objective of ending violence against children, but is strongly committed to do so, building onto vast experience of progressive child protection.

In November, the very first international ministerial conference on the theme of combating violence against children, will be held in Colombia. The conference will be organised by the Government of Colombia together with the Government of Sweden as well as WHO, UNICEF and UN special representative on violence against children.  

The main objective of the conference is to engage the UN Member States in discussions on violence against children to speed up the progress towards reaching the Sustainable Developments Goals, to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children, including torture. 

The seed to this conference stems from a global, as well as national, situation where focus on child protection is highly important to enhance. 
Furthermore, we believe that the time is ripe for a global advancement towards ending corporal punishment, forty-five years since this was prohibited in Sweden. 

Therefore, we are – together with the other co-host of the conference –working on a draft call to action, where we also see the need to make a push to ensure comprehensive prohibition of all forms of violence, and those priorities must include absolute prohibition of corporal punishment, among other important issues – which we hope as many member states as possible will support. 

I hope that this conference could be the accelerator towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals on ending violence against children, and be a starting point to exchange knowledge as well as best practices between countries on a global level. I really hope many of you will be able to contribute to the conference, and that your future work will benefit from the outcome! 

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I wish to end this speech by highlighting the hope I feel is present here today.

Despite many current difficulties, both nationally and internationally – seeing you all, knowing the tremendous competence gathered in this hall – and being aware of the magnificent exchange that will take place during this conference, here in Uppsala – that makes me hopeful.

The official programme of the conference is of course impressive – but I am also talking about the smaller meetings that will take place during the coffee break during the FIKA – where I am sure you will find new colleagues and friends even, to chat with, to dive into deep discussions with, to solve problems with, and thereby you will really honour the theme of this congress – Working Together in Times of Crisis.

I wish you all a very fruitful conference.

Thank you!