Even in a relatively liberal country like Sweden, girls know that the Word of the Father carries more weight than the testimony of a child. It is horrifying that this daughter had the burden of collecting her own evidence of rape.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.thelocal.se/48380/20130607/
Swedish teen gathers evidence of rapist father
Published: 7 Jun 13 17:19 CET
A 14-year-old Swedish girl felt forced to swab her body for DNA, for fear that social services and police would not believe her when she decided to report her father for repeatedly raping her at her home in southern Sweden.
A court of appeals this week upheld the six-year jail sentence for the man from Småland who raped his daughter for a period of two years, according to a report in the Metro newspaper.
The teenager finally decided to tell her friends last winter that her father was forcing her to have sex with him. The friends responded by telling her that she had to tell her mother, and then report her father to social services.
Yet the 14-year-old was convinced that no one would believe her. Metro reported on Friday that she thus decided she had to collect the evidence herself.
She hid cotton buds in her bed and waited for her father to force himself upon her again. After the rape, when the father left the room to get paper to clean her off, she used the swaps to save the evidence. She also used the cotton bud on the inside of her mouth to trace her father's saliva.
Once the case reached court, the father denied all allegations against him and said his daughter was lying.
Metro reported that the prosecution was successful due to the forensic evidence that the 14-year-old had collected, as otherwise it would have been a word-against-word account playing out in court.
The father was sentenced to six years in jail for aggravated rape of a child and sexual molestation of a child. He was also ordered to pay his daughter 280,000 kronor ($42,600) in damages.
His appeal against the verdict was discarded by an appeals court this week.
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Friday, June 7, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Fathers often keep custody after killing kids' mothers (Sweden)
Even in liberal Sweden, violent fathers are coddled. Sweden or Saudi Arabia--the smell may be slightly different, but it's the same sh**.
http://www.thelocal.se/45396/20130103/
Dads often keep custody after killing kids' mums
Published: 3 Jan 13 10:08 CET
More than 120 children in Sweden have had their mothers killed by their fathers in the last decade, with the dads nevertheless retaining custody of their children in four out of ten cases, according to a new review.
The review, carried out by the Aftonbladet newspaper, found that 201 women in Sweden had been killed by their husbands or ex-husbands since 2000.
The killings left 179 children under the age of 18 left without a mother, with 126 of the children having had their mothers killed by their own fathers. The review also found that 63 children were home when their mothers were killed, with 33 witnessing the murder.
"These children are incredibly affected by the murders of which they are often the only witness," psychologist Anna Norlén from Save the Children (Rädda Barnen) told Svergies Televsion (SVT).
In several cases, fathers also took their own lives after killing their wives or girlfriends, but Aftonbladet carried out a deeper analysis involving 54 children, finding that in four out of ten cases, the fathers convicted of killing their children's mothers still have custody, often using it for leverage to disrupt their kids' lives.
The findings, based on interviews with the children as well as a review of legal and other documents from public agencies, show that, in many cases, Swedish authorities prioritize the rights of the convicted killers over the rights of the surviving children.
Among other things, the incarcerated fathers hold sway over their children's lives by refusing to allow their minor children to switch schools, making it hard for them to get prescription medications, or refusing to let them apply for a passport.
In one case, a boy was forced to spend nights in prison with his father despite being terrified of the man.
"Society must be clearer, faster, and more forceful in protecting children's interests," said Norlén, suggesting they be provided with specially appointed guardians.
http://www.thelocal.se/45396/20130103/
Dads often keep custody after killing kids' mums
Published: 3 Jan 13 10:08 CET
More than 120 children in Sweden have had their mothers killed by their fathers in the last decade, with the dads nevertheless retaining custody of their children in four out of ten cases, according to a new review.
The review, carried out by the Aftonbladet newspaper, found that 201 women in Sweden had been killed by their husbands or ex-husbands since 2000.
The killings left 179 children under the age of 18 left without a mother, with 126 of the children having had their mothers killed by their own fathers. The review also found that 63 children were home when their mothers were killed, with 33 witnessing the murder.
"These children are incredibly affected by the murders of which they are often the only witness," psychologist Anna Norlén from Save the Children (Rädda Barnen) told Svergies Televsion (SVT).
In several cases, fathers also took their own lives after killing their wives or girlfriends, but Aftonbladet carried out a deeper analysis involving 54 children, finding that in four out of ten cases, the fathers convicted of killing their children's mothers still have custody, often using it for leverage to disrupt their kids' lives.
The findings, based on interviews with the children as well as a review of legal and other documents from public agencies, show that, in many cases, Swedish authorities prioritize the rights of the convicted killers over the rights of the surviving children.
Among other things, the incarcerated fathers hold sway over their children's lives by refusing to allow their minor children to switch schools, making it hard for them to get prescription medications, or refusing to let them apply for a passport.
In one case, a boy was forced to spend nights in prison with his father despite being terrified of the man.
"Society must be clearer, faster, and more forceful in protecting children's interests," said Norlén, suggesting they be provided with specially appointed guardians.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Dad arrested for tying 6-year-old son to fence, locking him in dark room (Uppsala, Sweden)
Is it any big surprise that UNNNAMED DAD is also accused of assaulting his wife?
http://www.thelocal.se/40730/20120509/
Man arrested after tying 6-year-old to fence Published: 9 May 12 11:39 CET
A man in Uppsala, eastern Sweden, has been arrested by police after allegedly tying up his 6-year-old and locking him up in a dark room.
The authorities were alerted by staff at the child’s day care after the boy had repeatedly told them of being treated roughly by his father, reports local paper Upsala Nya Tidning.
The boy told staff that his father had hit him on several occasions. At one point the young boy was also allegedly locked up in a darkened room and not allowed out. On another occasion the father tied him to a fence.
As a result, both the six-year-old boy and a younger sibling have been taken into custody by the local authorities. The decision to take the children into mandatory care was taken by the administrative court (förvaltningsrätten).
The father has admitted to treating his young children in an unacceptable way and is not contesting them being taken into care by the authorities.
According to the paper, the family has been under scrutiny of the social services for some time and social workers have testified of abusive behaviour towards the kids by their father on many occasions.
The man has also recently been charged with the assault and battery of his wife, according to the paper.
TT/Rebecca Martin
http://www.thelocal.se/40730/20120509/
Man arrested after tying 6-year-old to fence Published: 9 May 12 11:39 CET
A man in Uppsala, eastern Sweden, has been arrested by police after allegedly tying up his 6-year-old and locking him up in a dark room.
The authorities were alerted by staff at the child’s day care after the boy had repeatedly told them of being treated roughly by his father, reports local paper Upsala Nya Tidning.
The boy told staff that his father had hit him on several occasions. At one point the young boy was also allegedly locked up in a darkened room and not allowed out. On another occasion the father tied him to a fence.
As a result, both the six-year-old boy and a younger sibling have been taken into custody by the local authorities. The decision to take the children into mandatory care was taken by the administrative court (förvaltningsrätten).
The father has admitted to treating his young children in an unacceptable way and is not contesting them being taken into care by the authorities.
According to the paper, the family has been under scrutiny of the social services for some time and social workers have testified of abusive behaviour towards the kids by their father on many occasions.
The man has also recently been charged with the assault and battery of his wife, according to the paper.
TT/Rebecca Martin
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Dad confesses to murder of 7-year-old son (Umea, Sweden)
UNNAMED DAD, little detail. No mention of mother.
http://www.thelocal.se/34886/20110712/
Father remanded into custody over son's death
The 53-year-old man suspected of murdering his 7-year-old son in Umeå in northern Sweden on Sunday has been remanded into custody.
The man has admitted to cause the death of his child and according to details published by the Aftonbladet newspaper he has confessed to aggravated assault and manslaughter.
The 53-year-old is set to undergo a so-called paragraph 7 examination to assess his psychiatric health, according to the remand decision announced by Umeå district court on Tuesday.
The court ruled that the man should be remanded into custody until August 12th at which point the prosecutor can press charges, request an extension, or release the man.
The hearing was held behind closed doors.
Police were alerted to the fatal incident after a neighbour made a call at around 8am on Sunday morning.
On arriving at the apartment, police officers found the severely wounded boy. He was taken to the hospital, but later died of his injuries.
According to criminologist Mikael Rying, an average of three children younger than 15 are subjected to deadly violence every year.
This figure has been more than halved since the 1990s, when 10-12 cases were reported per year. However, the figure can also vary greatly from year to year.
"When children are this badly hurt, one of the parents is the perpetrator in 80-90 percent of the cases. The crime is committed in their apartment, and the motive is rarely directed at the child. Instead, mental illness or custody cases can lie behind the violence," said Rying.
The most common group of children to fall victim are the very young, around one-years-old.
"But the sort of case found in Umeå is thankfully very uncommon. Weapons are rarely involved in cases with young children," said Rying.
http://www.thelocal.se/34886/20110712/
Father remanded into custody over son's death
The 53-year-old man suspected of murdering his 7-year-old son in Umeå in northern Sweden on Sunday has been remanded into custody.
The man has admitted to cause the death of his child and according to details published by the Aftonbladet newspaper he has confessed to aggravated assault and manslaughter.
The 53-year-old is set to undergo a so-called paragraph 7 examination to assess his psychiatric health, according to the remand decision announced by Umeå district court on Tuesday.
The court ruled that the man should be remanded into custody until August 12th at which point the prosecutor can press charges, request an extension, or release the man.
The hearing was held behind closed doors.
Police were alerted to the fatal incident after a neighbour made a call at around 8am on Sunday morning.
On arriving at the apartment, police officers found the severely wounded boy. He was taken to the hospital, but later died of his injuries.
According to criminologist Mikael Rying, an average of three children younger than 15 are subjected to deadly violence every year.
This figure has been more than halved since the 1990s, when 10-12 cases were reported per year. However, the figure can also vary greatly from year to year.
"When children are this badly hurt, one of the parents is the perpetrator in 80-90 percent of the cases. The crime is committed in their apartment, and the motive is rarely directed at the child. Instead, mental illness or custody cases can lie behind the violence," said Rying.
The most common group of children to fall victim are the very young, around one-years-old.
"But the sort of case found in Umeå is thankfully very uncommon. Weapons are rarely involved in cases with young children," said Rying.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Dad gets 21 years in prison for honor killing of 21-year-old daughter (Nykoping, Sweden)
Dad SUBHI OTHMAN has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the brutal "honor" killing of his 21-year-old daughter. Seems Daddy was displeased with her "indecent" lifestyle--"indecent" being that she was divorced. Thank goodness Swedish authorities will be throwing him out of the country after his sentence is over, too.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/22/Father-draws-prison-for-honor-killing/UPI-19461300798941/
Father draws prison for honor killing
Published: March. 22, 2011 at 9:02 AM
NYKOPING, Sweden, March 22 (UPI) -- A Swedish court has sentenced a man to 18 years in prison for the honor killing of his 21-year-old daughter in central Sweden last year.
Subhi Othman was found guilty of premeditated murder for fatally stabbing his daughter 53 times, the Swedish news agency TT reported Tuesday.
Police said Othman gave himself up when police arrived at the scene and found his daughter lying at the bottom of the stairs.
During questioning, Othman told police he saw no other solution since his daughter was leading what he viewed as an "indecent" lifestyle. The young woman and her three-year-old child had moved in with Othman and his wife after going through a divorce.
Authorities said Othman will be expelled from Sweden after serving his sentence.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/22/Father-draws-prison-for-honor-killing/UPI-19461300798941/#ixzz1HLp057ww
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/22/Father-draws-prison-for-honor-killing/UPI-19461300798941/
Father draws prison for honor killing
Published: March. 22, 2011 at 9:02 AM
NYKOPING, Sweden, March 22 (UPI) -- A Swedish court has sentenced a man to 18 years in prison for the honor killing of his 21-year-old daughter in central Sweden last year.
Subhi Othman was found guilty of premeditated murder for fatally stabbing his daughter 53 times, the Swedish news agency TT reported Tuesday.
Police said Othman gave himself up when police arrived at the scene and found his daughter lying at the bottom of the stairs.
During questioning, Othman told police he saw no other solution since his daughter was leading what he viewed as an "indecent" lifestyle. The young woman and her three-year-old child had moved in with Othman and his wife after going through a divorce.
Authorities said Othman will be expelled from Sweden after serving his sentence.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/22/Father-draws-prison-for-honor-killing/UPI-19461300798941/#ixzz1HLp057ww
Monday, January 4, 2010
Dad loses custody battle, so he "executes" mom in front of the children; dad sentenced to only 14 years in prison (Smedsbyn, Sweden)
Last year, dad MARTIN HENSVOLD lost a custody battle for his 2-year-old son and 4-month-old daughter. Research shows that abusive and violent fathers are more likely to pursue custody than normal fathers, and this case is certainly a testimony to that. When Mom went out to the home of the paternal grandparents to pick up the 2-year-old son, Dad basically "executed" her by shooting her in the back of the neck with a bolt pistol. Needless to say, the little @$$wipe had no qualms about doing the deed in front of the children either. Dad seems to be getting only 14 years (instead of life) because he's pleading "depression." Bullsh**. He's a textbook classic abuser type--"If I can't control you and the kids, then somebody dies."
http://www.thelocal.se/24194/20100104/
Man sentenced for 'executing' ex-girlfriend
Published: 4 Jan 10 14:56 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24194/20100104/
A 37-year-old Swedish man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend with a bolt pistol normally used for anaesthetizing livestock.
An August 26th of last year, Martin Hensvold lost a prolonged custody battle with 24-year-old Frida Stenberg over the couple’s two-year-old son and four-month old daughter.
Three hours after being awarded custody and with her infant daughter in tow, Stenberg drove out to pick up her son from a farm owned by Hensvold’s parents in the village of Smedsbyn outside of Luleå in northern Sweden.
Before leaving with her son, however, Stenberg asked the boy’s father to go fetch some shoes and socks for the 2-year-old.
Hensvold returned from his car with the requested items as well as a bolt pistol he kept handy in order to put down animals on the farm should the need arise.
He then placed the cattle pistol against the back of Stenberg’s neck and fired a fatal shot as the couple’s children looked on, the Expressen newspaper reported.
Prosecutor Karin Hansson had urged the district court in Luleå to sentence Hensvold to life in prison for the murder.
She argued that the ex-boyfriend had had time to collect his thoughts when he went to his car to get the bolt pistol.
“We’re talking about a straightforward execution,” Hansson told the court.
In its ruling, the court found that Hensvold knew from his experience using a bolt gun to kill livestock that one shot to the neck would be fatal.
The court also found that Hensvold, who had made partial confessions to the crime during a police investigation in August, was directly responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s death.
A psychiatric evaluation conducted during the investigation in September revealed that Hensvold wasn’t suffering from any mental illnesses at the time of the killing.
However, his mental condition deteriorated throughout the autumn, with a later examination showing that following the crime Hensvold had started to suffer from a deep depression with symptoms of psychosis and was in need of psychiatric care.
The Luleå District Court asserted that it wasn’t uncommon for people to be afflicted by serious, but temporary mental disturbances once they begin to realize the consequences their criminal acts will have on their lives.
The court therefore ruled that a long prison sentence, rather than time in a psychiatric care facility, was the most appropriate punishment for Hensvold and that his mental health needs can be met within the framework of those provided by the Swedish prison service.
TT/David Landes (news@thelocal.se)
http://www.thelocal.se/24194/20100104/
Man sentenced for 'executing' ex-girlfriend
Published: 4 Jan 10 14:56 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24194/20100104/
A 37-year-old Swedish man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend with a bolt pistol normally used for anaesthetizing livestock.
An August 26th of last year, Martin Hensvold lost a prolonged custody battle with 24-year-old Frida Stenberg over the couple’s two-year-old son and four-month old daughter.
Three hours after being awarded custody and with her infant daughter in tow, Stenberg drove out to pick up her son from a farm owned by Hensvold’s parents in the village of Smedsbyn outside of Luleå in northern Sweden.
Before leaving with her son, however, Stenberg asked the boy’s father to go fetch some shoes and socks for the 2-year-old.
Hensvold returned from his car with the requested items as well as a bolt pistol he kept handy in order to put down animals on the farm should the need arise.
He then placed the cattle pistol against the back of Stenberg’s neck and fired a fatal shot as the couple’s children looked on, the Expressen newspaper reported.
Prosecutor Karin Hansson had urged the district court in Luleå to sentence Hensvold to life in prison for the murder.
She argued that the ex-boyfriend had had time to collect his thoughts when he went to his car to get the bolt pistol.
“We’re talking about a straightforward execution,” Hansson told the court.
In its ruling, the court found that Hensvold knew from his experience using a bolt gun to kill livestock that one shot to the neck would be fatal.
The court also found that Hensvold, who had made partial confessions to the crime during a police investigation in August, was directly responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s death.
A psychiatric evaluation conducted during the investigation in September revealed that Hensvold wasn’t suffering from any mental illnesses at the time of the killing.
However, his mental condition deteriorated throughout the autumn, with a later examination showing that following the crime Hensvold had started to suffer from a deep depression with symptoms of psychosis and was in need of psychiatric care.
The Luleå District Court asserted that it wasn’t uncommon for people to be afflicted by serious, but temporary mental disturbances once they begin to realize the consequences their criminal acts will have on their lives.
The court therefore ruled that a long prison sentence, rather than time in a psychiatric care facility, was the most appropriate punishment for Hensvold and that his mental health needs can be met within the framework of those provided by the Swedish prison service.
TT/David Landes (news@thelocal.se)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Research on father-headed households: Risk behaviors, victimisation and mental distress amoung adolesents
Part of an ongoing series looking at what the research literature actually says about father-headed households. The major findings are highlighted in bold.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/b182j04rp083l088/
Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Publisher Steinkopff
ISSN 0933-7954 (Print) 1433-9285 (Online)
Issue Volume 42, Number 8 / August, 2007
Category ORIGINAL PAPER
DOI 10.1007/s00127-007-0210-3
Pages 656-663
Subject Collection Medicine
SpringerLink Date Thursday, May 24, 2007
ORIGINAL PAPER
Risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures
Beata Jablonska1 and Lene Lindberg1
(1)
Stockholms Centre for Public Health, Stockholm County Council, Box 17533, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Accepted: 24 April 2007 Published online: 23 May 2007
Abstract
Background Previous studies have shown an elevated risk with regard to social and behavioural domains in adolescents of single parents. However, the diversity of single parent families concerning gender of the resident parent has seldom been taken into account when investigating the relation between family structure and children’s negative outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures using more detailed sub-groups of single parents (i.e., single mother, single father and shared physical custody).
Methods The sample consisted of 15,428 ninth graders from all municipal and private schools in the county of Stockholm (response rate 83.4%). Risk behaviours included use of alcohol, illicit drugs and smoking. Victimisation was measured by experiences of exposure to bullying and physical violence. Mental distress was assessed with the anxious/depressed and aggressive behaviour syndrome scales in the Youth Self Report (YSR). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between family structure and outcome variables.
Results Adolescents in single-mother/father families were at higher risk of risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress than their counterparts in two-parent families. However, after control for possible confounders the associations between victimisation, aggressive behaviour problems and single motherhood were no longer significant, whereas these relations remained for children living with single fathers. Adolescents in shared physical custody run no increased risk of any of the studied outcomes (except drunkenness) after adjustment for covariates. Post hoc analyses revealed that adolescents in single-father families were at higher risk for use of alcohol, illicit drugs, drunkenness, and aggressive behaviour as compared to their peers in single-mother families, whereas no differences were found between adolescents in single-mother families and those in shared physical custody.
Conclusions Children of single parents should not be treated as a homogenous group when planning prevention and intervention programmes. Researchers and professionals should be aware of and consider the specific problems of single parent children and that their problems may vary depending on their living arrangements.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/b182j04rp083l088/
Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Publisher Steinkopff
ISSN 0933-7954 (Print) 1433-9285 (Online)
Issue Volume 42, Number 8 / August, 2007
Category ORIGINAL PAPER
DOI 10.1007/s00127-007-0210-3
Pages 656-663
Subject Collection Medicine
SpringerLink Date Thursday, May 24, 2007
ORIGINAL PAPER
Risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures
Beata Jablonska1 and Lene Lindberg1
(1)
Stockholms Centre for Public Health, Stockholm County Council, Box 17533, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Accepted: 24 April 2007 Published online: 23 May 2007
Abstract
Background Previous studies have shown an elevated risk with regard to social and behavioural domains in adolescents of single parents. However, the diversity of single parent families concerning gender of the resident parent has seldom been taken into account when investigating the relation between family structure and children’s negative outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures using more detailed sub-groups of single parents (i.e., single mother, single father and shared physical custody).
Methods The sample consisted of 15,428 ninth graders from all municipal and private schools in the county of Stockholm (response rate 83.4%). Risk behaviours included use of alcohol, illicit drugs and smoking. Victimisation was measured by experiences of exposure to bullying and physical violence. Mental distress was assessed with the anxious/depressed and aggressive behaviour syndrome scales in the Youth Self Report (YSR). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between family structure and outcome variables.
Results Adolescents in single-mother/father families were at higher risk of risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress than their counterparts in two-parent families. However, after control for possible confounders the associations between victimisation, aggressive behaviour problems and single motherhood were no longer significant, whereas these relations remained for children living with single fathers. Adolescents in shared physical custody run no increased risk of any of the studied outcomes (except drunkenness) after adjustment for covariates. Post hoc analyses revealed that adolescents in single-father families were at higher risk for use of alcohol, illicit drugs, drunkenness, and aggressive behaviour as compared to their peers in single-mother families, whereas no differences were found between adolescents in single-mother families and those in shared physical custody.
Conclusions Children of single parents should not be treated as a homogenous group when planning prevention and intervention programmes. Researchers and professionals should be aware of and consider the specific problems of single parent children and that their problems may vary depending on their living arrangements.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Research in Child Abuse and Neglect: Physical child abuse in Sweden (2001)
Part of our ongoing series on what the research on child abuse and neglect really says about perpetrators. Perpetrator data is highlighted in bold below.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/guuybkpm5rdmam0l/
Physical child abuse in Sweden: A study of police reports between 1986 and 1996
Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Publisher Steinkopff
ISSN 0933-7954 (Print) 1433-9285 (Online)
Issue Volume 36, Number 3 / May, 2001
Physical child abuse in Sweden: A study of police reports between 1986 and 1996
C. Lindell1 and C. G. Svedin1
(1) BUP-Elefanten, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden e-mail: charlotta.lindell@lio.se Tel.: +46-13-225040; Fax: +46-13-225045, SE
Abstract Background: This study aims at investigating physical child abuse in Sweden during 1986–1996, a period when alarm was being raised about an increased number of police reports on physical child abuse. The study focuses on abuse committed by a parent or carer and aims at analyzing the victim and the perpetrator, family environment, injuries and judicial consequences of physical abuse. Method: All police reports on physical child abuse (0–14 years old) in a designated police district in Sweden during 1986–1996 were examined, as well as any judicial proceedings that followed. Results: Our research yielded three major findings. Firstly, a large part of the increased number of police reports had to do with violence outside the family: 145 children (0.5 per 1000 children) were found abused within the families, by a parent or a carer. Secondly, there was a tendency toward males abusing boys and females abusing girls, and the biological father was the most frequent suspected perpetrator. Thirdly, 20% of the police reports led to prosecutions, and the investigations were time consuming. Known risk factors for physical abuse, such as unemployment, violent spouse relations, substance and drug abuse and poor mental health were found in several families, often among the prosecuted perpetrators. When examining incidence of physical abuse, Sweden was comparable to the other Scandinavian countries, where legislation and social context are similar. Conclusions: The numbers of physically abused children that have been reported to the police in Sweden has increased during the investigated period. Familiar risk factors are present in our study, accompanied by new findings, such as, for instance, a gender preference towards the abuse victim.
Accepted: 21 November 2000
http://www.springerlink.com/content/guuybkpm5rdmam0l/
Physical child abuse in Sweden: A study of police reports between 1986 and 1996
Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Publisher Steinkopff
ISSN 0933-7954 (Print) 1433-9285 (Online)
Issue Volume 36, Number 3 / May, 2001
Physical child abuse in Sweden: A study of police reports between 1986 and 1996
C. Lindell1 and C. G. Svedin1
(1) BUP-Elefanten, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden e-mail: charlotta.lindell@lio.se Tel.: +46-13-225040; Fax: +46-13-225045, SE
Abstract Background: This study aims at investigating physical child abuse in Sweden during 1986–1996, a period when alarm was being raised about an increased number of police reports on physical child abuse. The study focuses on abuse committed by a parent or carer and aims at analyzing the victim and the perpetrator, family environment, injuries and judicial consequences of physical abuse. Method: All police reports on physical child abuse (0–14 years old) in a designated police district in Sweden during 1986–1996 were examined, as well as any judicial proceedings that followed. Results: Our research yielded three major findings. Firstly, a large part of the increased number of police reports had to do with violence outside the family: 145 children (0.5 per 1000 children) were found abused within the families, by a parent or a carer. Secondly, there was a tendency toward males abusing boys and females abusing girls, and the biological father was the most frequent suspected perpetrator. Thirdly, 20% of the police reports led to prosecutions, and the investigations were time consuming. Known risk factors for physical abuse, such as unemployment, violent spouse relations, substance and drug abuse and poor mental health were found in several families, often among the prosecuted perpetrators. When examining incidence of physical abuse, Sweden was comparable to the other Scandinavian countries, where legislation and social context are similar. Conclusions: The numbers of physically abused children that have been reported to the police in Sweden has increased during the investigated period. Familiar risk factors are present in our study, accompanied by new findings, such as, for instance, a gender preference towards the abuse victim.
Accepted: 21 November 2000
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Dad hopes to generate breast milk with pump (Stockholm, Sweden)
RAGNAR BENGTSSON is the father of a 2-year-old. As a dad, he's not particularly dastardly by Dastardly Dad standards. But he is, well, a tad eccentric. And he does rank high in the "ick" factor. I can't imagine a lot of dads jumping on the pump your own breast bandwagon--even the FR guys who insist that they have "equal" or "sole" custody of breastfeeding infants.
http://www.examiner.com/x-12237-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Ragnar-Bengtsson-Swedish-man-hopes-to-generate-breast-milk-with-pump
Ragnar Bengtsson: Swedish man hopes to generate breast milk with pump
September 8, 7:25 AM Matt Kailey
No, he’s not pregnant, but Ragnar Bengtsson, a 26-year-old student at Stockholm University, is going to use a breast pump every three hours through December in an effort to induce lactation.
The Local, a Swedish news site, reports that Bengtsson, the father of a two-year-old, thinks that he might eventually be able to breastfeed any other children he might have.
“Anything that doesn't do any harm is worth trying out. And if it works, it could prove very important for men's ability to get much closer to their children at an early stage,” he told The Local.
While endocrinologist Sigbritt Werner told The Local that it could be possible for Bengtsson to produce “a drop or two” after three or four months, it is unlikely that he will produce enough milk to breastfeed a child without inducing lactation through the use of hormones, something that he does not intend to do.
But while some people find the idea of a father breastfeeding to be “completely sick,” according the Bengtsson, the act of suckling, with or without milk available, is comforting for a child and can encourage bonding, Werner says.
Groups who insist that children need both a father and a mother in order to thrive should welcome Bengtsson’s lactation experiment as a potential means of increasing father/child bonding. Why do I think this probably won’t happen?
Gender roles are firmly entrenched, and Bengtsson is publicly transgressing them, insisting that he will use the breast pump even in public and during his university classes.
“But really it doesn't bother me if it makes people uncomfortable,” he says. “If they have issues with it, that's their problem.”
No argument here.
http://www.examiner.com/x-12237-Transgender--Transsexual-Issues-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Ragnar-Bengtsson-Swedish-man-hopes-to-generate-breast-milk-with-pump
Ragnar Bengtsson: Swedish man hopes to generate breast milk with pump
September 8, 7:25 AM Matt Kailey
No, he’s not pregnant, but Ragnar Bengtsson, a 26-year-old student at Stockholm University, is going to use a breast pump every three hours through December in an effort to induce lactation.
The Local, a Swedish news site, reports that Bengtsson, the father of a two-year-old, thinks that he might eventually be able to breastfeed any other children he might have.
“Anything that doesn't do any harm is worth trying out. And if it works, it could prove very important for men's ability to get much closer to their children at an early stage,” he told The Local.
While endocrinologist Sigbritt Werner told The Local that it could be possible for Bengtsson to produce “a drop or two” after three or four months, it is unlikely that he will produce enough milk to breastfeed a child without inducing lactation through the use of hormones, something that he does not intend to do.
But while some people find the idea of a father breastfeeding to be “completely sick,” according the Bengtsson, the act of suckling, with or without milk available, is comforting for a child and can encourage bonding, Werner says.
Groups who insist that children need both a father and a mother in order to thrive should welcome Bengtsson’s lactation experiment as a potential means of increasing father/child bonding. Why do I think this probably won’t happen?
Gender roles are firmly entrenched, and Bengtsson is publicly transgressing them, insisting that he will use the breast pump even in public and during his university classes.
“But really it doesn't bother me if it makes people uncomfortable,” he says. “If they have issues with it, that's their problem.”
No argument here.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
UPDATE: Children tell of 'hell' under abusive father (Uppsala, Sweden)
UPDATE: I orginally posted about this case on July 15. But the case is such an extreme case of abuse and control that it really requires an update. The UNNAMED DAD here is a classic example of a domestic terrorist abuser.
http://www.thelocal.se/20874/20090723/
Children tell of 'hell' under abusive father
Published: 23 Jul 09 16:30
Three children of a father accused of abusing and imprisoning his family spoke out on Thursday as the trial of the 58-year-old kicked off in Uppsala in eastern Sweden.
Despite the fact that the children are born in Sweden, two of them needed interpreters in court. They testified about abuse, fear and never having attended school.
The father warned of the dangers of Swedish society, telling his children they would be raped and lobotomized and that all Swedes were racists.
“If all the children in Sweden were lobotomized, why are they so happy?” recalled one of the daughters, according to the Aftonbladet newspaper.
Between September 2003 and March 2004, the children were confined to the family's apartment, never leaving the dwelling once, according to public prosecutor Johan Strömbäck.
Three of the children have sought compensation totaling 148,000 kronor ($20,000) for deprivation of liberty (frihetsberövande), including missing out on their education.
During a morning court hearing, three of the man's four children testified about their experience while confined by their dominating father, who is a native of Iran.
The 17-year-old son related how he peered out of the bathroom window and watched other children play, thinking that “we want to go to school, we want to live like other children.”
“It was hell, it's impossible to describe. If I think about it, my entire soul quakes,” he said.
His brother, who is a year older, described how he spent long periods crying and crying, and talked about his desire to go and play football with other children.
But he wasn't allowed to go outside, or to have any friends.
“We always got to play the quite game,” explained one of the sons, according to the Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT) newspaper.“I remember one time when I was horsing around loudly and he took me to another room and forced a glass jar filled with pepper in my mouth.”
Both brothers needed the assistance of an interpreter, but their 22-year-old sister testified in clear Swedish. She said that she had to fight to learn the language, despite the fact that she was born in Sweden, just like her brothers. She explained that she clearly remembered how smug her father was when he learned that children who were not residing in Sweden were exempt from compulsory school attendance.
“He has deprived us of our rights as Swedish citizens,” the daughter said. “I’ve never attended school, either in Iran or in Sweden. Not one single minute.”
The children's mother also testified during the emotionally charged hearing.“They don't know what the inside of a school, or a classroom, or a bank looks like,” she said. “I sometimes felt like he had control our breathing.”
Shortly after her husband's arrest on June 27th, the woman filed for divorce, citing that the man had abused her and the children for 20 some years. She has also requested that she be given sole custody of the two children who are still under 18.
The youngest child, a 16-year-old daughter was treated differently than the others, and doesn't believe she was deprived of her freedom. Prosecutors were delayed in bringing charges against the man after uncertainties arose regarding his identify.
According to the original indictment, the father is listed as being 68-years-old, but according to Strömbäck he is actually a decade younger. "He says himself that a mistake was made in the translation of his original documents," the lawyer said.
When the 58-year-old man took the stand in the afternoon, he denied all the accusations against him, claiming his wife and children were lying.
He said his children had made up their stories out of fear of their mother.“She’s taken over the whole family and controls their lives, not me,” he said.
He claimed that his wife was a “fundamentalist” and wanted to send the children to schools in Iran run by mullahs.
The father also refuted accusations that he had beaten his children.“I’m against violence, it’s the mother who is violent,” he said.“She does what she wants in the name of Islam.”
He said his children did in fact attend school in Iran and that there are diplomas to prove it at the country’s education ministry.
However, the 58-year-old was unable to produce any diplomas in court.
According to him, the children’s mother forbid them from attending school in Sweden.“They want to make me look like a monster,” he said.
http://www.thelocal.se/20874/20090723/
Children tell of 'hell' under abusive father
Published: 23 Jul 09 16:30
Three children of a father accused of abusing and imprisoning his family spoke out on Thursday as the trial of the 58-year-old kicked off in Uppsala in eastern Sweden.
Despite the fact that the children are born in Sweden, two of them needed interpreters in court. They testified about abuse, fear and never having attended school.
The father warned of the dangers of Swedish society, telling his children they would be raped and lobotomized and that all Swedes were racists.
“If all the children in Sweden were lobotomized, why are they so happy?” recalled one of the daughters, according to the Aftonbladet newspaper.
Between September 2003 and March 2004, the children were confined to the family's apartment, never leaving the dwelling once, according to public prosecutor Johan Strömbäck.
Three of the children have sought compensation totaling 148,000 kronor ($20,000) for deprivation of liberty (frihetsberövande), including missing out on their education.
During a morning court hearing, three of the man's four children testified about their experience while confined by their dominating father, who is a native of Iran.
The 17-year-old son related how he peered out of the bathroom window and watched other children play, thinking that “we want to go to school, we want to live like other children.”
“It was hell, it's impossible to describe. If I think about it, my entire soul quakes,” he said.
His brother, who is a year older, described how he spent long periods crying and crying, and talked about his desire to go and play football with other children.
But he wasn't allowed to go outside, or to have any friends.
“We always got to play the quite game,” explained one of the sons, according to the Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT) newspaper.“I remember one time when I was horsing around loudly and he took me to another room and forced a glass jar filled with pepper in my mouth.”
Both brothers needed the assistance of an interpreter, but their 22-year-old sister testified in clear Swedish. She said that she had to fight to learn the language, despite the fact that she was born in Sweden, just like her brothers. She explained that she clearly remembered how smug her father was when he learned that children who were not residing in Sweden were exempt from compulsory school attendance.
“He has deprived us of our rights as Swedish citizens,” the daughter said. “I’ve never attended school, either in Iran or in Sweden. Not one single minute.”
The children's mother also testified during the emotionally charged hearing.“They don't know what the inside of a school, or a classroom, or a bank looks like,” she said. “I sometimes felt like he had control our breathing.”
Shortly after her husband's arrest on June 27th, the woman filed for divorce, citing that the man had abused her and the children for 20 some years. She has also requested that she be given sole custody of the two children who are still under 18.
The youngest child, a 16-year-old daughter was treated differently than the others, and doesn't believe she was deprived of her freedom. Prosecutors were delayed in bringing charges against the man after uncertainties arose regarding his identify.
According to the original indictment, the father is listed as being 68-years-old, but according to Strömbäck he is actually a decade younger. "He says himself that a mistake was made in the translation of his original documents," the lawyer said.
When the 58-year-old man took the stand in the afternoon, he denied all the accusations against him, claiming his wife and children were lying.
He said his children had made up their stories out of fear of their mother.“She’s taken over the whole family and controls their lives, not me,” he said.
He claimed that his wife was a “fundamentalist” and wanted to send the children to schools in Iran run by mullahs.
The father also refuted accusations that he had beaten his children.“I’m against violence, it’s the mother who is violent,” he said.“She does what she wants in the name of Islam.”
He said his children did in fact attend school in Iran and that there are diplomas to prove it at the country’s education ministry.
However, the 58-year-old was unable to produce any diplomas in court.
According to him, the children’s mother forbid them from attending school in Sweden.“They want to make me look like a monster,” he said.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Dad locks up 4 children, wife in apartment; kids not allowed to go to school (Uppsala, Sweden)
UNNAMED DAD is arrested on suspicion of keeping his wife and 4 children locked up in their apartment. The children, who range in age from 16 to 22, were not allowed to attend school.
http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/501d17d7b5124aa2b3e53072f1b642c1/13-07-2009%2010-07/Father_locks_up_wife,_kids
Father locks up wife, kids
2009-07-13 22:04
Stockholm - A man has been arrested on suspicion of keeping his wife and four teenage and young adult children locked up at home for several years, Swedish police said on Monday.
The case was unravelled at the end of June when police officers were alerted to an altercation at the family's flat in Uppsala, some 70km north-west of Stockholm.
Other details emerged while the police officers were at the flat, police spokesperson Christer Nordstrom told the German Press Agency dpa.
The children, aged 16 to 22, were apparently not allowed to attend school and like their mother were not allowed to leave the flat without being accompanied by the father, Nordstrom said.
Formal charges have yet to be presented against the man. The investigation includes suspicions that he assaulted his wife and unlawfully detained the children, Nordstrom said.
The man and his wife came to Sweden from Iran in 1985 and have Swedish citizenship, as do the children. The family has revisited Iran on numerous occasions. In 2004 the whole family left Sweden and did not return until early this year, Nordstrom said.
Local authorities have launched a separate probe into how the children had been kept out of school for so many years.
- SAPA
http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/501d17d7b5124aa2b3e53072f1b642c1/13-07-2009%2010-07/Father_locks_up_wife,_kids
Father locks up wife, kids
2009-07-13 22:04
Stockholm - A man has been arrested on suspicion of keeping his wife and four teenage and young adult children locked up at home for several years, Swedish police said on Monday.
The case was unravelled at the end of June when police officers were alerted to an altercation at the family's flat in Uppsala, some 70km north-west of Stockholm.
Other details emerged while the police officers were at the flat, police spokesperson Christer Nordstrom told the German Press Agency dpa.
The children, aged 16 to 22, were apparently not allowed to attend school and like their mother were not allowed to leave the flat without being accompanied by the father, Nordstrom said.
Formal charges have yet to be presented against the man. The investigation includes suspicions that he assaulted his wife and unlawfully detained the children, Nordstrom said.
The man and his wife came to Sweden from Iran in 1985 and have Swedish citizenship, as do the children. The family has revisited Iran on numerous occasions. In 2004 the whole family left Sweden and did not return until early this year, Nordstrom said.
Local authorities have launched a separate probe into how the children had been kept out of school for so many years.
- SAPA
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