sou · H4B370 · 2016-10-26 00:00:00 — Det är inte möjligt att med någon säkerhet upp- skatta hur stora de tillkommande kostnaderna för staten kommer att bli, särskilt som utredningarna som kommer ligga till grund för de nya brotten i flertalet fall förmodligen kommer ha sin grund i andra brott (vanligtvis människohandel). Kostnadsökningen bedöms emellertid rymmas inom de befintliga anslagen för myndigheterna. De föreslagna ändringarna kan även antas medföra vissa kost- nader för information, utbildning och andra liknande insatser fram- för allt hos och . Även dessa kostnader bör dock rymmas inom befintliga anslag för respektive myndighet. I övrigt leder våra förslag inte i sig till några kostnadsökningar. På kan även de lagändringar som vi föreslår förväntas leda till en minskad brottslighet. The Inquiry’s remit The aim of our assignment, as outlined in this final report, was to investigate whether there is a need for measures to ensure strong criminal law protection against human trafficking, and to investi- gate whether there is a need to clarify, broaden or in some other way amend the criminal law protection against both forced labour or exploitation for other activities in situations involving distress for the victims, and improper financial exploitation of people in a vulnerable situation. In this context, our task has been to: •review current practice to clarify the application of the human trafficking provision and analyse how it has developed since 2010; •highlight and analyse whether there are any particular problems with interpretation or other difficulties in applying the penalty provision; •consider whether there is a need to clarify or otherwise amend the provision on human trafficking offences; •examine and analyse how and prosecutors investigate and otherwise handle cases involving human trafficking; •consider measures to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of criminal investigations and increase prosecutions of human trafficking offences; •review the scales of penalties for human trafficking and pro- curing; •analyse and decide whether there is a need to clarify, broaden or in some other way amend the criminal law protection against forced labour or exploitation for other activities in situations that involve distress for the victims; and •analyse and decide whether there is a need to clarify, broaden or in some other way amend the criminal law protection against improper economic exploitation of people in a vulnerable situa- tion. Our remit also included proposing legislative amendments where necessary. For further information on our terms of reference, see annexes 1–5. In this year we presented our interim report, Strong crimi- nal law protection against the purchase of sexual services and the exploi- tation of children via the purchase of sexual acts, etc. (SOU 2016:42). The report outlined various issues concerning the purchase of sexual services, the purchase of sexual acts from children, and the negli- gence requirement contained in Chapter 6, Section 13 of the Swedish Penal Code. The Inquiry’s assessments and proposals The human trafficking provision should be amended so that it is applied in a more appropriate way Human trafficking is an offence that involves the ruthless and cyni- cal exploitation of other human beings. Moreover, human trafficking is a serious violation of the individual’s human dignity and right to decide over their own life and body. Work to combat human trafficking can be pursued with various targets and aims. It can, for example, target the driving forces behind human trafficking, including curbing the demand for people to exploit for various purposes and the possibility of financial gain. The work can also aim to ensure that there is strong criminal law protection against human trafficking. Our remit concerned the latter, and we have focused in particular on measures that can en- sure that more cases of human trafficking result in prosecutions and convictions for this offence. In light of this, we have evaluated the application of the provision on human trafficking. The human trafficking provision was last revised in 2010, when the amendments included removing the control requirement. We have investigated whether the aim of the reform has been achieved, but also generally considered how the human trafficking provision can be amended to ensure that it is applied more adequately. We have also examined how the law enforcement authorities investi- gate and otherwise work on human trafficking cases. Our con- clusions can be summarised as follows. The analysis of statistics on reports, prosecutions and convictions concerning human trafficking that we presented in the report show that the number of convictions for human trafficking is not only small, it is also far too small to reflect the reality of this kind of offence in . Despite the Government and authori- ties concerned having taken various measures to increase the number of convictions, in our view, there are still far too few reports that lead to prosecutions and convictions for human trafficking in . There are strong indications that a large number of cases go unreported. Human trafficking is an offence that builds on international conventions, and it is complex in terms of its legal technicalities. To be convicted of human trafficking under Chapter 4, Sec- tion 1 (a) of the Swedish Penal Code, an offender must have brought about a trafficking measure (e.g. recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving) through improper means (e.g. unlawful coercion, deceit or exploitation of another person’s vulnerable situation). As such, a causal link is required between the improper means and the trafficking measure. Moreover, it is a requirement that the offender’s aim (intent) with their actions was the future exploitation of the victim for a specific purpose (sexual purposes, the removal of organs, military service, forced labour or other activities in a situation that involves distress for the victim). A large number of circumstances must thus be proved for a conviction to be secured. Furthermore, it appears that in practice, the courts often have a tendency to still require a relationship of power (roughly equivalent to the previous control requirement), in addition to the legal requirements out- lined in the human trafficking provision, to secure a conviction for human trafficking. It is therefore our view that the aim of the legislative amendment in 2010, whereby the control requirement was removed, has not been achieved. To ensure that the human trafficking provision is applied more appropriately and further strengthen the criminal law protection, we propose the following amendments to the human trafficking provision. •Firstly, it should be clarified that the very use of one of the improper means listed in the provision is in itself sufficient for the trafficking measures enabled to be considered to have been improperly brought about. A relationship of power between the offender and the victim should therefore not be required when applying the provision. •Secondly, criminal liability should arise even if the offender demonstrated indifferent intent to exploit (cf. wilful intent, which applies at present). This broadens the criminal area to include all forms of intent, i.e. including cases in which the offender realises that their actions entail a major risk of future exploitation of the victim and they are indifferent to this risk. •Thirdly, the child protection perspective should be further strengthened in cases of human trafficking involving children. It is already the case that if the victim is under the age of eighteen, the offender does not have to have brought about the trafficking measure through improper means in order to be criminally liable. However, if this rule is to be applicable, the offender must have known the victim’s age. We propose that the rule should also be applicable if the offender did not know the victim’s age, but was negligent of whether the other person had reached the age of eighteen. The law enforcement authorities should handle human trafficking cases in an effective and appropriate If human trafficking cases are to lead to prosecutions – and sub- sequently to possible convictions – it is a prerequisite that the law enforcement authorities conduct their work in an effective and appropriate . Since the Swedish Authority, the Swedish Prosecution Authority and the courts do not use the same case management systems or comparable terms (cf. reports, suspicions of offences, prosecution cases and court decisions), it has not been possible for us to follow individual cases throughout the judicial chain with any ease. has it been possible to follow cases within the Swedish Authority or the Swedish Pro- secution Authority in any satisfactory way. Nonetheless, we feel able to report the following reflections in this area. Based on the statistics to which we have had access, we note that 522 reports concerning human trafficking were registered by the Swedish Authority in the period 2011–2015. Moreover, we note that 366 suspicions of offences concerning human trafficking were registered by the Swedish Prosecution Authority in the same period, but that just ten per cent of these led to prosecution proceedings and judgments (acquittals or convictions for human trafficking or other offences). We also note that during this time period, only twelve judgments were issued that had involved an examination of human trafficking. The courts found that human trafficking had been proved in any respect in just half of these cases. It has not been possible within this inquiry to analyse reports referred to the Swedish Authority and suspicions of offences at the Swedish Prosecution Authority to follow up how the law enforcement authorities handled these, and why they were handled in a given way. However, such an analysis is needed if we are to draw any firm conclusions about the work of the law enforcement authorities. Nonetheless, through our contacts with the law enforce- ment authorities, we have the impression that the reason why the majority of preliminary investigations are discontinued is a lack of surveillance and investigation resources at the Authority, the fact that the injured party in the majority of human trafficking cases will not or cannot fully take part in the judicial process, a lack of evidence, or, in some cases, the fact that the offender is un- known. Moreover, experience of handling human trafficking cases and their complex issues has so far been limited in the judicial sys- tem. Both the Swedish Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority have themselves previously analysed and identified various measures that they should improve in order to achieve greater success in their law enforcement efforts against human trafficking. We largely share the conclusions drawn by the authorities in their analyses, but we would like to particularly highlight the following measures, which we consider of particular importance if more pro- secutions are to be brought and more convictions issued. •Ensuring that both the Swedish Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority have sufficient resources for their work to combat human trafficking. •Implementing regular method and skills improvement measures at the law enforcement authorities (including regular analyses of concluded cases at both the Swedish Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority). •Ensuring that special groups in the Swedish Authority in all regions are specialised in human trafficking and related offences. •Ensuring that special prosecutors in the Swedish Prosecution Authority handle all forms of human trafficking and related offences. •Pursuing continuous efforts to identify potential victims, inclu- ding collaboration with other government agencies and actors. •Ensuring that victims of human trafficking are given greater support and protection to promote their participation in legal proceedings and their re-establishment in society. •Ensuring that human trafficking investigations focus strongly on supporting evidence. Criminal law protection against exploitation of vulnerable people in cases other than human trafficking A penalty provision should be introduced on exploitation of the distress of others The human trafficking provision affords a certain amount of pro- tection against exploitation of vulnerable people. As outlined above, however, there are a number of cases that are not covered by the provision, e.g. if the offender has not taken any trafficking mea- sures involving the victim. This applies to cases where someone uses improper means to exploit another person for sexual purposes, the removal of organs, military service, forced labour or other activities in a situation that involves distress for the victim (e.g. begging, criminal acts and labour exploitation). Criminal law pro- tection against exploitation in these cases should therefore be strengthened. The need is particularly conspicuous in the case of forced labour, labour exploitation and exploitation for begging and criminal acts. However, in our view criminalisation should not be limited to these forms of exploitation, because regulation of that kind would be too restrictive and risk rapidly becoming obsolete as new forms of exploitation emerge. We therefore propose the criminalisation of all forms of exploitation covered by the human trafficking pro- vision. Specific criminal liability should therefore be introduced for such exploitation, thus somewhat broadening the criminal area. Criminal liability should require the use of improper means in the exploitation. The offence, which should be graded, should be designated exploi- tation of the distress of another and gross exploitation of the distress of another. The penalty for the offence should be imprisonment for a maxi- mum of four years or, if the offence is gross, imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of eight years. A penalty provision should be introduced on improper financial exploitation of others In our view, criminal law protection against improper financial exploitation of people in vulnerable situations should also be strong. In such cases it is seldom possible to claim a lack of willing- ness, or that the victim was threatened. In our view, the established law, primarily in the form of the provisions on fraud and usury, offers criminal law protection in some situations of exploitation. In other cases, particularly where there is no contract or other legal document and where the victim’s lack of knowledge is exploited, there is, however, a lack of adequate, appropriate criminal law pro- tection. This applies in cases where someone improperly exploits another person’s financial difficulties, lack of knowledge or depen- dence to get that person to act or to fail to act in certain cases, e.g. to pay for something that is free or for unreasonable costs. Specific criminal liability should therefore be introduced for anyone who improperly exploits another person’s financial diffi- culties, lack of knowledge or dependence to get that person to act or to fail to act in a way that entails advantage for the offender and harm for the victim or for someone else for whom they are acting. The offence, which should be graded, should be designated im- proper financial exploitation of another and gross improper financial exploitation of another. The penalty for the offence should be fines or imprisonment for a maximum of two years or, if the offence is gross, imprisonment for a minimum of six months and a maximum of four years. The scales of penalties for human trafficking and procuring The basic starting point for all scales of penalties is the seriousness of the offence. The penalty should reflect the seriousness and reprehensibility of the offence in question. serious offences should be punished more severely than less serious offences (pro- portionality), and equally serious offences should be punished equally (equivalence). The scale of penalties for human trafficking is imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of ten years, and for less serious cases imprisonment for a minimum of fourteen days and a maximum of four years. The scale of penalties for procuring is imprisonment for a maximum of four years or, if the offence is gross, imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of eight years. The existing scales of penalties for human trafficking and pro- curing are, in our view, entirely compatible with the principles of proportionality and equivalence. In our review of court practice – albeit with a limited number of human trafficking cases – it also emerged that the courts take nuanced account of any aggravating and mitigating circumstances. In our view, the current scales of penalties for both human trafficking and procuring and gross pro- curing therefore appear well-considered. There is thus no need to amend the scales of penalties at either end of the scale. Entry into force, etc. It is proposed that the legislative amendments enter into force on 1 2018. No special transitional provisions are necessary. We propose that the human trafficking provision be amended to make the application of the provision more appropriate. These amend- ments should result in more reports leading to prosecution proceedings and convictions, which should entail increased costs for the judicial system. However, in our assessment the increase in costs can be covered within the existing appropriations to the govern- ment authorities. Furthermore, we propose the introduction of two new penalty provisions on exploitation of vulnerable people. This means broadening the criminal area, which may imply additional costs for the judicial system. It is impossible to estimate with any certainty the scale of the additional costs to central government, particularly as the investigations from which the majority of these new offences will stem will be based on other offences (generally human trafficking). However, in our assessment the increase in costs can be covered within the existing appropriations to the government authorities. The proposed amendments can also be assumed to entail certain costs for information, training and other similar measures, primarily at the Swedish Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority. Nonetheless, these costs should also be covered within the existing appropriations for each government authority. Otherwise, our proposals do not in themselves entail any cost increases. In the longer term, the legislative amendments that we propose can be expected to lead to reduced crime. lag om ändring i (1962:700) Härigenom föreskrivs i fråga om dels att 4 kap. 1 a och 10 §§ samt 9 kap. 11 §§ ska ha följande lydelse, dels att det ska införas två nya paragrafer, 4 kap. 3 § och 9 kap. 10 a §, av följande lydelse. Den som, i annat fall än som Den som, i annat fall än som avses i 1 §, genom olaga tvång, avses i 1 §, med användande av ett otillbörligt medel, såsom olaga tvång, vilseledande, utnyttjande medel rekryterar, transporterar, överför, inhyser eller tar emot en person i syfte att han eller hon för, inhyser eller tar emot en ska exploateras för sexuella ända- person, med uppsåt att han eller mål, avlägsnande av organ, krigs- hon ska exploateras för sexuella ändamål, avlägsnande av organ, verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den utsatte, annan verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den 1 Senaste lydelse 2010:371. fängelse i lägst två och högst tio utsatte, döms för människohandel till fängelse i lägst två och högst Den som begår en gärning Den som begår en gärning som avses i första stycket mot som avses i första stycket mot en person som inte har fyllt en person som inte har fyllt handel även om inte något så- handel även om inte något så- dant otillbörligt medel som an- dant otillbörligt medel som an- ges där har använts. ges där har använts. ska gälla för den som begår en sådan gärning om han eller hon varit oaktsam i förhållande till att den andra personen inte hade fyllt Är ett brott som avses i första eller andra stycket mindre grovt, döms till fängelse i högst . Den som, i annat fall än som avses i 1 och 1 a §§, med använd- ande av ett otillbörligt medel, så- som olaga tvång, vilseledande, utnyttjande av någons utsatta be- lägenhet eller annat motsvarande medel utnyttjar en person för sexu- ella ändamål, avlägsnande av or- gan, krigstjänst, tvångsarbete eller annan verksamhet i en situation som innebär nödläge för den ut- satte, döms för utnyttjande av annans nödläge till fängelse i högst . Är brottet att anse som grovt, döms för grovt utnyttjande av annans nödläge till fängelse i lägst två och högst . För försök, förberedelse eller stämpling till människorov, människohandel, olaga frihets- berövande eller grovt utnyttjande av annans nödläge och för under- låtenhet att avslöja eller för- hindra ett sådant brott döms det till ansvar enligt 23 kap. Det- samma gäller för försök, för- beredelse eller stämpling till ut- nyttjande av annans nödläge, grovt olaga tvång, äktenskaps- tvång eller grovt olaga hot och för försök eller förberedelse till dataintrång som om det fullbor- dats inte skulle ha varit att anse som ringa, eller grovt dataintrång.33 ande av om brottet är grovt ska särskilt beaktas om brottet avsett en verksamhet som bedrivits i större omfattning, medfört betydande eller inneburit ett hän- synslöst utnyttjande av annan. Den som begår en gärning som avses i första eller andra stycket mot en person som inte har fyllt döms till ansvar även om inte något sådant otillbörligt medel som anges där har använts. Detsamma ska gälla för den som begår en sådan gärning om han eller hon varit oaktsam i förhåll- ande till att den andra personen inte hade fyllt . För försök, förberedelse eller stämpling till människorov, människohandel eller olaga fri- hetsberövande och för underlåt- enhet att avslöja eller förhindra ett sådant brott döms det till ansvar enligt 23 kap. Detsamma gäller för försök, förberedelse eller stämpling till grovt olaga tvång, äktenskapstvång eller grovt olaga hot och för försök eller förberedelse till dataintrång som om det fullbordats inte skulle ha varit att anse som ringa, eller grovt dataintrång. 2 Senaste lydelse 2016:508. Den som, i annat fall än förut i detta kapitel är sagt, genom otillbörligt utnyttjande av en per- sons ekonomiskt svåra förhållan- den, okunskap eller beroendeställ- ning förmår någon till handling eller underlåtenhet, som innebär för gärningsmannen och skada för den utsatte eller någon i vars ställe denne är, döms för otillbörligt ekonomiskt utnyttjande av annan till böter eller fängelse i Är brottet att anse som grovt, döms för grovt otillbörligt ekono- miskt utnyttjande av annan till fängelse i lägst och om brottet är grovt ska särskilt beaktas om brottet avsett en verk- samhet som bedrivits i större om- fattning, medfört betydande eller inneburit ett hänsynslöst ut- nyttjande av annan. För försök eller förberedelse För försök eller förberedelse till bedrägeri, grovt bedrägeri, till bedrägeri, grovt bedrägeri, utpressning, ringa utpressning, grov utpressning, ocker eller grovt grov utpressning, ocker, grovt häleri och för stämpling till grovt häleri, otillbörligt ekonomiskt ut- bedrägeri, grov utpressning eller nyttjande av annan, grovt otill- grovt häleri döms det till ansvar börligt ekonomiskt utnyttjande av 3 Senaste lydelse 2016:508. 23 kap. 3 § ska dock inte gälla i grovt bedrägeri, grov utpress- fråga om försök till utpressning, ning eller grovt häleri döms det ringa utpressning eller grov ut- till ansvar enligt 23 kap. Bestäm- melserna i 23 kap. 3 § ska dock inte gälla i fråga om försök till utpressning, ringa utpressning eller grov utpressning.