Brott mot vuxna går före – en uppföljning. Polis- och åklagares handläggningstider vid misstänkt barnmisshandel 2010

In Sweden, police reports about child abuse and neglect are given low priority and authorities do not comply with current legislation regarding offences against children. Despite clear legislation, the reporting rate for offences against juveniles is substantially lower than for offences against adults and time frames are honoured in only half of the police-reported cases. This update report shows that children sometimes wait over eight months for an interview with the police and more than a year for a decision about whether to prosecute in the matter. The long processing times interfere with the ability to protect the abused children; have a negative effect on the children and their parents; and the cost to society overall is considerably higher. Data shows that processing time standards for 2010 before a case of suspected child abuse/neglect victim (under age 15) is brought to trial, are still unacceptably slow.