Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Sweden (Ratification: 2001)

Article 4(3) of the Convention. Periodic review of the list of types of hazardous work. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s information that the Provisions on the Work Environment of Minors (AFS 1996) have been revised (AFS 2012) and entered into force on 1 February 2013. According to the Government’s report, section 5 of AFS 2012 contains the list of hazardous tasks that are prohibited to minors, including a prohibition against solitary work. The Committee notes that, while the Government indicates that a copy of the revised provisions has been attached, no copy has been supplied. The Committee, therefore, once again requests the Government to provide a copy of the relevant provisions of AFS 2012 containing the updated list of hazardous types of work prohibited to minors under 18 years of age, along with its next report.

Article 8. International cooperation and assistance. Child sex tourism. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s information that amendments with regard to providing more severe penalties for the sexual exploitation of children, and the abolition of the requirement of double criminality for prosecution of the offences related to the sexual exploitation of children, were adopted on 1 July 2013. Accordingly, the minimum sentence for sexual exploitation of children has been increased from six months to one year, while more serious instances of sexual exploitation shall be deemed to be aggravated offences.

The Committee also notes the Government’s information that, since 2009, the National Criminal Police has taken specific measures to investigate sexual offences against children committed by Swedes abroad. These investigations are carried out by a group of dedicated police officers and an IT forensic specialist within the National Criminal Police. The Committee notes with interest that the investigations conducted by this group have led to several convictions in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines. In April 2013, a Swedish national who was involved in instigating serious sexual offences against children in the Philippines via the Internet was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment. The Committee further notes the Government’s information that, in 2013, Sweden entered into bilateral police cooperation agreements with two countries in South-East Asia as a step to fight against child sex tourism. Moreover, several bilateral meetings have been held by the Swedish Prosecution Authority and the prosecution authorities in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam on matters pertaining to sexual offences against children and trafficking in human beings. Furthermore, judicial authorities conduct regular training to improve the process of detecting, investigating and prosecuting persons guilty of the sexual exploitation of children. In this regard, the prosecution development centre in Gothenburg designed a support mechanism for child sex tourism cases and developed handbooks in order to provide guidance to prosecutors in dealing with sex crime tourism cases. The Committee finally notes the Government’s information that the international public prosecution office in Stockholm is currently carrying out a local project for enhanced prosecution in cases concerning travellers committing sexual offences against children. The project is intended to develop national and international cooperation with the police and other relevant law enforcement bodies to ensure that persons who commit sexual offences against children abroad are prosecuted in Sweden if legal proceedings cannot be instituted where the offence was committed. The Committee encourages the Government to continue its international cooperation efforts to combat the phenomenon of child sex tourism, as well as to take measures to prosecute offenders of these crimes upon their return to Sweden, and to increase cooperation with actors in the tourist industry. It requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken in this regard and on the results achieved.

Part V of the report form. Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee previously noted the information on the number of reported offences involving children provided by the Government in its written replies to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC on the OPSC) (CRC/C/OPSC/SWE/Q/1/Add.2, 14 September 2011). According to this data, during the year 2010: 29 cases of trafficking in children were reported and 14 persons were prosecuted; 233 cases of purchase of sexual acts from children were reported, for which 73 persons were prosecuted and 31 persons were convicted; 91 cases of child pornography were reported, for which 23 persons were prosecuted; and 299 cases of internet-related child pornography were reported, for which 96 persons were prosecuted. The Committee requests the Government to strengthen the capacity of the law enforcement agencies so as to ensure that thorough investigations and robust prosecutions of perpetrators of the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including internet-related child pornography, are carried out. It also requests the Government to continue providing information on the number and nature of infringements reported related to the worst forms of child labour, and investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions applied. To the extent possible, the information provided should be disaggregated by age and sex.