Helhetstänk på riktigt: Rädda Barnens garantinivå för förebyggande arbete och tidigt stöd

There are an estimated 400,000 children in Sweden today living with one alcohol-dependent and abusive parent. A recent report on corporal punishment released by Save the Children showed that 14% of Swedish 16-year olds had at some time in their lives been submitted to physical violence and that 3% of them had been repeatedly beaten. The same report indicated that approximately 280,000 children were suffering from physical abuse, while as many as 60,000 were repeat victims of violence. Moreover, 133,000 children are exposed to domestic violence at home and around 100,000 children live with one mentally ill parent. According to a survey carried out by Save the Children in 2008 at municipal level, only 1,225 of these children received individual counselling after experiencing domestic violence and merely 1,847 children participated in support groups, meaning that existing programmes only reach a small percentage of the target population. There are disparities in the handling of child physical abuse cases by local municipal authorities. The municipality where the child has the place of his or her residence, for instance, should not be the factor determining the type of support the child is entitled to get.
Save the Children underlines the need for a truly holistic approach to violence against children and urges the government to set up a guaranteed minimum level of support services that will enable all municipalities and neighbourhoods in Sweden to offer timely prevention and early and easily accessible intervention services in cases involving physical child abuse.