sou · H4B342 · 2016-06-16 00:00:00 — Vidare är vår uppfattning att våra förslag, som i flera avseenden utgör tydlig- göranden, kan förväntas leda till ökad förutsebarhet och rätts- säkerhet samt skapa förutsättningar för en mer nyanserad tillämpning inom såväl de brottsbekämpande myndigheterna som den dömande verksamheten. This interim report discusses that part of our remit which focuses on examining whether there is a need for measures aimed at ensuring strong protection in criminal law against the purchase of sexual services and the purchase of sexual acts from children. In this context, our task has been to: •evaluate what impact the increase, introduced in 2011, of the maximum penalty for the crime ‘purchase of sexual services’ has had, with the aim of ensuring that the penalty in serious cases of purchases of sexual services fully corresponds to the seriousness of the crime; •analyse and take a position on whether the purchase of sexual services should be exempted from the dual criminality require- ment and, regardless of our position on the substance of the matter, present proposals as to how an exception to the double criminality requirement should be designed; and •review the scale of penalties for the purchase of sexual acts from children and consider an increase of the minimum penalty with the aim of ensuring a scale of penalties that reflects the serious- ness of the crime. In addition, the inquiry has been tasked with reviewing and evalu- ating application of the negligence requirement for perpetrators regarding the crime victim’s age in sexual crimes against children (Chapter 6, Section 13, Swedish Penal Code), with the aim of con- sidering the need for legislative amendments, based on the results of our work. The inquiry’s other tasks – to investigate whether there is a need for measures aimed at ensuring strong protection in criminal law against trafficking in human beings, to review the scales of penalties for trafficking in human beings and procuring, and to review the protection provided in criminal law against exploitation of vulnerable people for activities such as forced labour, begging or for other financial gain – will be presented in a final report from the inquiry. Purchase of sexual services The crime ‘purchase of sexual services’ will be divided into degrees In 2011, stricter penalties for the purchase of sexual services were introduced when the maximum penalty was raised from imprison- ment for six months to imprisonment for one year. The purpose of this was to create greater scope for a more nuanced assessment of penal value in serious cases of the purchase of sexual services. According to statistics from (Brå) and the judgments we have obtained, it appears that the assessment of penal value and choice of penalty remains the same, despite the stricter penalties introduced in 2011. It is thus very unusual for the penalty to be set at anything other than a fine. Even if the present scale of penalties has only been in place for a relatively limited period of time, this data indicates that the stricter penalties have not had the intended impact. Consequently, our assess- ment is that despite the stricter scale of penalties for the purchase of sexual services introduced in 2011, there is a need of further amend- ments to the penalty provision to ensure a more nuanced assess- ment of the penal value for the more serious cases of the purchase of sexual services. We therefore propose that the penalty provision be amended so that the crime ‘purchase of sexual services’ is divided into degrees and that a gross offence is introduced. By amending the provision and explicitly stipulating that account is to be taken of aggravating circumstances, as well as specifying the kind of circumstances referred to, it can be expected that the stricter penalties introduced in 2011 will have the intended impact. An expected consequence of amending the penalty provision is that it will be clearer to both law enforce- ment authorities and courts that account is to be taken of aggravating circumstances, as well as what kind of circumstances are relevant to consider. Also, there will be greater predictability for the individual perpetrator and, by extension, the normative effect of the prohibition on purchasing sexual services is expected to be strengthened. Under our proposal, the punishment for the ordinary degree of the crime ‘purchase of sexual services’ will be a fine or imprison- ment for at most 6 months. For ‘gross purchase of sexual services’, the punishment will be imprisonment for at most one year. We pro- pose that when assessing whether a purchase of sexual services is to be considered a gross crime, special attention should be given to whether the person who performed the sexual service was in a vulnerable situation or whether the act was otherwise of a ruthless nature. The aim here is to cover situations where someone is the victim of trafficking in human beings or other similar organised crime. We consider that there is no reason to change the outer boundaries of the scale of penalties. The intention is not to influence the levels of penalties across the board. An exception to the dual criminality requirement for the purchase of sexual services should not be introduced The purchase of sexual services is a crime under Swedish law even when the act is committed outside Swedish territory. A general re- quirement for a Swedish court to be competent to sentence a person for a crime committed abroad is that the act in question must be a criminal offence in both and the other country, i.e. dual criminality is required. Exceptions to the dual criminality require- ment have previously been made for a large number of sexual crimes against children, including the purchase of sexual acts from children, trafficking in human beings, coercion to marry and certain child pornography offences. Exceptions have also been made for genital mutilation pursuant to Section 3 of the Act Prohibiting the Circum- cision of Women (1982:316). These crimes can therefore be pro- secuted in even if the acts are exempt from criminal liability in the country where they were committed. Consequently, the crimes that are excluded from the dual criminality requirement are those considered to be particularly serious, or are of an international and cross-border nature, or where there is international consensus as to which acts are to be punishable. We consider that an exception to the dual criminality require- ment should not be introduced for the purchase of sexual services. The most important reason for this is that at present, there is no international consensus concerning criminalisation of sexual services. Introducing an exception in this regard for the purchase of sexual services would accordingly be contrary to the current principles of when such exceptions can be made. Furthermore, a number of sexual crimes have already been ex- cluded from the dual criminality requirement. However, one circum- stance that these crimes have in common is that a condition for being excluded from the requirement is that they were committed against a person under the age of eighteen. Accordingly, at present there is no exception to the dual criminality requirement for sexual crimes committed against adults. Introducing an exception to the dual criminality requirement for the purchase of sexual services would thus deviate significantly from the existing system used in the Swedish Penal Code. In addition, any legal proceedings concerning the purchase of sexual services abroad would entail a number of difficulties since it can be assumed that the and prosecutors cannot be expected to receive full assistance from foreign authorities for the investigation of a crime that, in many countries, is not a criminal offence. In this context, it is also important to point out that in practice, it is likely that the rules concerning the require- ment of authorisation to prosecute mean that very few proceedings would be commenced for the purchase of sexual services abroad, even if an exception to the dual criminality requirement was intro- duced. Design of a possible exception Accordingly, it is the inquiry’s opinion that the purchase of sexual services should not be exempted from the dual criminality require- ment. Nevertheless, in line with our terms of reference, we are presenting a legislative proposal on such an exception. With this in mind, we consider that the exception should include both the crime ‘purchase of sexual services’ and our proposed crime of ‘gross purchase of sexual services’. Furthermore, we believe that it should also include attempts to commit a crime in so far as the crime is punishable while still in the attempt stage. Finally, we consider that Swedish courts should be able to impose sanctions considered more severe than the most severe penalty prescribed for the crime under the law in the place where it was committed. Purchase of sexual acts from children The crime should be called ‘exploitation of a child through the purchase of a sexual act’ and the penalty should be made more severe Protecting children and young people from being drawn into pro- stitution is of key importance. The extent to which children and young people are exploited in through the purchase of sexual acts is difficult to assess. In terms of criminal law, this is addressed through criminalisation, where the purchase of sexual acts from those under the age of fifteen is often punishable as rape of a child, with a minimum sentence of imprisonment for at least two years, or as sexual abuse of a child if the sexual act did not involve inter- course or a comparable act. Regarding purchases of sexual acts that target children between the ages of 15 and 17, the crime ‘purchase of a sexual act from a child’ may instead apply. The crime ‘purchase of a sexual act from a child’ was introduced in 2005 through modernisation of the previous provision on seduction of youth. The scope of application was expanded and the maximum penalty was increased from six months imprisonment to imprison- ment for two years. The latter was implemented to emphasise that the purchase of sexual acts from children generally has a higher penal value than corresponding acts that target adults. However, fines were retained in the scale of penalties for the crime. Our examination of the application of the provision has shown that since its introduction, legal proceedings have only been brought against a small number of people for the crime ‘purchase of a sexual act from a child’. Moreover, it has emerged that those who have been prosecuted for the crime are seldom sentenced to a custodial sentence and that penalties consisting of a fine have been imposed. Our examination of case-law and information provided by represen- tatives of law enforcement authorities also show that, to a certain extent, legal action is instead brought for the purchase of sexual services, even though the circumstances were such that a more careful investigation on the part of the law enforcement authorities would probably have provided a basis for legal action under the provision ‘purchase of a sexual act from a child’, which would result in a more severe penalty. Our view is that more measures should be implemented to ensure that the penalty for the purchase of sexual acts from children reflects the seriousness of the crime. We therefore propose that: •fines are no longer to be included in the scale of penalties; •the crime is to be divided into degrees to provide greater opportu- nities to make a more nuanced assessment of the penal value regarding serious cases of the purchase of sexual acts from child- ren; •when assessing whether the purchase of sexual acts from children is to be considered gross, particular account is to be taken of whether the child was in a vulnerable situation or if the act was otherwise of a ruthless nature; •the scale of penalties for the purchase of sexual acts of the ordinary degree is to be imprisonment for at most two years; •the scale of penalties for the purchase of sexual acts from children is to be imprisonment for at least six months and at most four years; and •the names of the crimes are to be changed to exploitation of a child through the purchase of a sexual act and gross exploitation of a child through the purchase of a sexual act in order to further emphasise the difference between children and adults where the purchase of sexual acts is concerned. Accordingly, purchasing sexual services from a young person should always be considered exploitation of that person and never viewed as a business trans- action between two equal partners. Negligence requirement for perpetrators regarding the crime victim’s age in sexual crimes against children The general rule is that intent is required for someone to be found guilty of a crime under the Swedish Penal Code unless otherwise specifically prescribed (Chapter 1, Section 2, first paragraph of the Swedish Penal Code). Chapter 6 of the Swedish Penal Code con- tains such an exception regarding sexual crimes. Under Chapter 6, Section 13, a person who did not realise but had reasonable cause to assume that the other person had not reached a certain age is also to be found guilty of a criminal offence. The provision was introduced in connection with the establish- ment of the Penal Code. The legislative history of the provision makes clear that the provision is to be applied with great caution and that a fairly high degree of negligence is required for criminal liability to exist. The provision fulfils an important function in maintaining the protection children have under criminal law from exposure to sexual abuse. This is because an element that is common to the provisions on sexual crimes against children is that the injured party is under a certain age, usually fifteen but in some cases eighteen. That which can be shown about the perpetrator’s awareness of the victim’s age then becomes important, as well as how the legal provisions con- cerning this are designed. In our examination of the case-law, we have found that there is no common standard of regarding what is required in relation to the child’s age for a defendant to be found of guilty of a sexual crime against a child. Furthermore, in our examination we noted major variations in courts’ assessments of negligence, which is illustrated by the fact that courts, in many cases, assess similar circumstances in different ways. Examples of such circumstances may include the perpetrator’s age, the perpetrator’s knowledge of which school the injured party attends, that the injured party used his or her year of birth in their email address or profile name, and that the perpetrator did not adequately check the injured party’s age. This risks seriously impairing the protection of children who have been subjected to sexual abuse as well as predictability for the defendants. Moreover, our examination shows that there is great variation in the courts’ reasoning regarding the injured party’s physical develop- ment when determining the perpetrator’s guilt. It can also be noted that the use of assessments of young people’s physical development as the basis of the perpetrator’s awareness or suspicion of a child’s age has its shortcomings, not least from a child protection perspec- tive. In light of this, we consider that the provision must be changed. In this connection, the inquiry has considered introducing much more stringent requirements on the perpetrator by lowering the standard for criminality by means of negligence, for example by intro- ducing a strict liability requirement or a control obligation laid down in law. However, for reasons pertaining to legal certainty, rquire- ments of this kind would be too far-reaching. Instead, we propose that a general assessment of negligence be made. Such an assessment should take account of all existing circumstances. Furthermore, it should be made clear that for criminal liability to be considered, it is sufficient for the perpetrator to have been unintentionally negli- gent. The term ‘unintentional negligence’ involves making an exami- nation of what the perpetrator could have done to obtain the rele- vant awareness and, thereafter, whether it can be expected of the perpetrator that he or she should have done that which, in the first stage, it was determined that he or she had the ability and opportunity to do. Accordingly, we propose that the provision of Chapter 6, Section 13 of the Swedish Penal Code be formulated so that a judgment of guilty, which under Chapter 6 of the Penal Code is pre- scribed for an act committed against a person under a certain age, is also to be handed down against a person who has been negligent with respect to the fact that the other person had not reached that age. The amendment is intended to help clarify the scope of appli- cation, but also entails a certain tightening of the requirements on the carefulness the perpetrator is required to exercise in order to avoid criminal liability. Entry into force, etc. It is proposed that the legislative amendments enter into force on 1 2017. No special transitional provisions are necessary. In all, implementation of the proposals we have presented will not lead to any substantial cost increases for public authorities. Our pro- posals regarding dividing the crimes ‘purchase of sexual services’ and ‘exploitation of a child through the purchase of a sexual act’ into degrees, and making the penalty for the latter crime stricter, can be expected to result in a larger share of perpetrators being sentenced to penalties other than a fine than is presently the case. Our pro- posal on amending the wording of the negligence requirement for perpetrators in relation to a young crime victim can also be expected to result in somewhat more perpetrators being found guilty than today. This would entail a cost increase for the Swedish Prison and . However, the financial consequences are difficult to access and are based on estimates. Nevertheless, we believe that any increased costs that result from our proposals can be expected to fit within existing appropriations. It can also be expected that several of our proposals will require training and information for staff working within the judicial system. We consider that these costs as well will fit within existing appro- priations. Among the other consequences of our proposals is that certain positive effects for crime prevention work can be expected. In addition, our view is that our proposals, which in many respects are clarifications, can be expected to result in increased predictability and legal certainty, and create the conditions for a more nuanced application by law enforcement authorities and the judiciary. Den som, i annat fall än som avses förut i detta kapitel, för- mår ett barn som inte fyllt att mot ersättning företa eller tåla en sexuell handling, döms för utnyttjande av barn genom köp av sexuell handling till fängelse i högst två år.Är brottet grovt, döms för grovt utnyttjande av barn genom köp av sexuell handling till fängelse i lägst och högst . Vid bedömande av om brottet är grovt ska särskilt beaktas om barnet befunnit sig i en utsatt situation eller om gärningen annars varit av hänsynslös art.31 lag om ändring i (1962:700) Härigenom föreskrivs i fråga om att 6 kap. 9, 11, 13 och 15 §§ ska ha följande lydelse. Den som, i annat fall än som avses förut i detta kapitel, för- mår ett barn som inte fyllt att mot ersättning företa eller tåla en sexuell handling, döms för köp av sexuell handling av barn till böter eller fängelse i högst . 1 Senaste lydelse 2005:90. Vid bedömande av om brottet är grovt ska särskilt beaktas om den som utfört den sexuella tjänsten befunnit sig i en utsatt situation eller om gärning- en annars varit av hänsynslös art.Vad som sägs i första och andra styckena gäller även om ersätt- ningen har utlovats eller getts av någon annan. Vad som sägs i första stycket gäller även om ersättningen har utlovats eller getts av någon annan. Vad som sägs i första och andra styckena gäller även om ersätt- ningen har utlovats eller getts av någon annan. Den som, i annat fall än som avses förut i detta kapitel, skaffar sig en tillfällig sexuell förbindel- se mot ersättning, döms för köp av sexuell tjänst till böter eller fängelse i högst . Vad som sägs i första stycket gäller även om ersättningen har utlovats eller getts av någon annan. Till ansvar som i detta kapitel Till ansvar som i detta kapitel är föreskrivet för en gärning som är föreskrivet för en gärning som begås mot någon under en viss begås mot någon under en viss ålder skall dömas även den som ålder ska dömas även den som inte insåg men hade skälig anled- varit oaktsam i förhållande till att ning att anta att den andra per- den andra personen inte hade sonen inte uppnått den åldern. uppnått den åldern. 2Senaste lydelse 2011:517. 3Senaste lydelse 2005:90. För försök till våldtäkt, grov För försök till våldtäkt, grov sexuellt tvång, sexuellt utnyttjan- sexuellt tvång, sexuellt utnyttjan- de av person i beroendeställning, de av person i beroendeställning, person i beroendeställning, våld- person i beroendeställning, våld- täkt mot barn, grov våldtäkt mot täkt mot barn, grov våldtäkt mot barn, sexuellt utnyttjande av barn, barn, sexuellt utnyttjande av barn, barn, utnyttjande av barn för barn, utnyttjande av barn för sexuell posering, grovt utnyttjan- sexuell posering, grovt utnyttjan- de av barn för sexuell posering, de av barn för sexuell posering, köp av sexuell handling av barn, utnyttjande av barn genom köp köp av sexuell tjänst, koppleri av sexuell handling, grovt ut- och grovt koppleri döms till an- nyttjande av barn genom köp av svar enligt vad som föreskrivs i sexuell handling, köp av sexuell tjänst, grovt köp av sexuell tjänst, koppleri och grovt koppleri döms till ansvar enligt vad som före- skrivs i 23 kap. Detsamma gäller i fråga om Detsamma gäller i fråga om våldtäkt, grov våldtäkt, våldtäkt våldtäkt, grov våldtäkt, våldtäkt mot barn, grov våldtäkt mot mot barn, grov våldtäkt mot barn, barn, grovt utnyttjande av barn grovt utnyttjande av barn för för sexuell posering och grovt sexuell posering, grovt utnyttjan- de av barn genom köp av sexuell handling och grovt koppleri. Denna lag träder i kraft . 4 Senaste lydelse 2011:511. 2Uppdraget och dess genomförande Regeringen beslutade att tillkalla en särskild utredare med uppdrag att undersöka om det finns behov av åtgär- der i syfte att säkerställa ett starkt straffrättsligt skydd mot män- niskohandel, köp av sexuell tjänst och köp av sexuell handling av barn. I uppdraget har även ingått att vid behov lämna förslag till förändringar. beslutade regeringen att även ge utred- ningen i uppdrag att analysera och ta ställning till om brottet köp av sexuell tjänst ska undantas från kravet på dubbel straffbarhet. I uppdraget har även ingått att oavsett ställningstagande i frågan lämna förslag på hur ett undantag från kravet på dubbel straffbarhet bör utformas. Därefter beslutade regeringen att även ge ut- redningen i uppdrag att se över straffskalorna för människohandel och koppleri. I uppdraget har också ingått att vid behov lämna förslag till förändringar. Utredningstiden förlängdes till . beslutade regeringen att utredningen också skulle utreda om det finns behov av ett förtydligat, utvidgat eller på något annat sätt förändrat straffrättsligt skydd mot tvångs- arbete eller exploatering för annan verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den utsatte och otillbörligt ekonomiskt utnytt- jande av personer som, exempelvis på grund av ekonomiskt svåra förhållanden, okunskap eller en beroendeställning, befinner sig i en Uppdraget och dess genomförande I uppdraget har även ingått att vid behov lämna förslag till förändringar.