Trafficking in human beings for sexual and other purposes - Polisen

3. Criminal Development29subjecting a person to a state of distress after havingrecruited a 14-year-old girl from Serbia to Sweden.The intention was for the girl, according to the prosecutor,to be exploited sexually by the couple’s 25-yearoldson, and exposed to a state of distress through anenforced relationship with the son. The woman wasalso charged with assault, unlawful threats, rape orcomplicity in rape or sexual coercion. The son wascharged with child rape or the sexual exploitation ofchildren and for rape or sexual coercion.The prosecution was based primarily on informationconveyed by the girl during police interviews.During the trial, the girl changed her statement. Thecourt could not determine which of the girl’s pieces ofinformation were correct, and whether the girl hadchanged her story because she had been subjected tothreats of reprisals. The prosecution concerninghuman trafficking was dismissed, among otherthings, because the reason for bringing the girl toSweden could not be proven 38 . Other charges werealso dismissed. The sentence, which was appealedagainst, was confirmed by the Court of Appeal inSeptember 2012 39 . An appeal against the Court ofAppeal’s sentence has been submitted to the SupremeCourt.3.3.2 The purchase of a sexual act from a childIn conjunction with new sexual offences legislationcoming into force on 1 April 2005, the ban on the purchaseof sexual acts from children under the age of 18was made stricter and extended 40 . The aim was thatthe ban should also cover situations in which a personexploits, for example, a child’s lack of maturity to lureand exploit him or her to accept payment for a sexualpurpose. Just as in the case of the purchase of a sexualservice, this also covers cases in which a person38 Gothenburg District Court 30.01.2012, Case no B 15416-11.39 The Court of Appeal for Western Sweden 14.09.2012, Case noB 1689-1240 “New sexual offences legislation” (Bill 2004/05: 45).exploits a child though a sexual act that someone elsepays for or has paid for. The penalty clause alsoincludes the purchase of sexual acts from childrenunder conditions other than those that constituteprostitution. A person who purchases a sexual actfrom a child under 18 may be sentenced to imprisonmentfor a maximum of two years.YearThe purchase ofa sexual act froma child – reportsThe purchase ofa sexual act from a child– prosecutions/rulings2008 46 4/32009 150 6/52010 231 9/92011 131 7/7Statistics – National Crime Prevention Council (BRÅ) 2012The crime of purchasing sexual acts from children 41can sometimes be difficult to investigate and to prove.It can often be a long time after the children havebeen exposed to abuse until a report is lodged. Theremay be several reasons for this: In many cases, theperpetrator threatens to reveal the child’s “behaviour”to parents, school and friends if the child tells ofthe abuse. Children are often in great fear of the abuserand of continuing to be exposed to sexual abuse.Sometimes children also blame themselves for theabuse that they have been subjected to. Many childrenmay have been abused previously and do nottrust the adult world to take them seriously or thatthe abuse will cease.Many offences relating to the purchase of sexualacts from children occur after the perpetrator hasmade contact with the girl or boy through on-linewebsites with the purpose of exploiting the child sexually.The perpetrator often endeavours to create a(false) sense of trust with the child, making it evenmore difficult for him or her to report the adult perpetratorfor the abuse.Most children who fall victim to the purchase of41 Chapter 6 § 9 of the Penal Code.