Sweden is a country with high levels of trust in both state and the criminal justice system and also the most prominent country in the EU in regard to gender equality. This essay aims to examine the paradox of high female trust in the Swedish criminal justice system in contrast to the low propensity to report domestic violence and crimes of which women are the majority of victims. This is done by answering three main frames of questions; What factors can explain and therefore influence trust towards the justice system? What factors can explain and therefore influence the propensity to report domestic crime and how do these factors pertain to trust? How can factors that affect trust and propensity to report crimes in close relationships be affected and remedied by the state? To answer these questions, we utilise established theories of trust, feminist political theory, research about propensity to report and models of agency and a historical account of the Swedish government's policy in regard to the safety of women and domestic violence. This is utilised to examine 10 official documents regarding different aspects of propensity to report domestic violence and trust. The high levels of trust could be explained by a combination of high levels of basic trust owed to Sweden's universalistic welfare model, high conceptions of police availability and good treatment and also a symbolic value of the justice system as bearer of societal norms and of being good willed in nature. The low propensity to report crimes could in part be explained by the conflict of interests between the women and the government. The government's responsibility and governing works through their definition of women's encapsulated interests. These are shown to differ from a majority of the affected women's definition of their own interests which could invite a feminist critique.

Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka hur intervjudeltagare verksamma inom för studien relevanta organisationer och myndigheter resonerade angående barriärer för polisanmälan som kvinnor kan uppleva vid våld i nära relation. Vidare var syftet att diskutera hur intervjudeltagarna såg på sin roll att öka anmälningsbenägenheten genom att underlätta för kvinnorna att överkomma dessa barriärer. Teorin utgick från normalisering, victim blaming och sekundär viktimisering samt det ideala offret. Metoden som användes var kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Uppsatsens resultat visade att deltagarna var medvetna om dessa barriärer och att de hade utvecklat förhållningssätt och strategier för att bemöta dessa, exempelvis genom att avnormalisera våldet. Vidare konstaterades att även om ingen av intervjudeltagarna ansåg att bidra till ökad anmälningsbenägenhet var deras huvuduppgift kan deras bemötande av barriärerna indirekt öka denna. / The aim of the study was to examine how the interviewees from different organizations and authorities relevant to our study reasoned on the barriers women might experience when it comes to reporting intimate partner abuse to the police. The aim was also to examine how the interviewees viewed their role in increasing the propensity to report by encouraging the women to overcome these barriers. Our theory was based on the theories of the normalization process, victim blaming and secondary victimization and the ideal victim. The method used was qualitative, semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the interviewees were aware of these barriers and that they had developed different approaches and strategies to meet these barriers, for example by de-normalizing the violence. Another finding was that although none of the interviewees regarded increasing the women’s propensity to report as their first priority, their work in helping the women to overcome the barriers indirectly can contribute to increase the propensity to report to the police.

Denna studie undersöker vilka faktorer som påverkar yrkesprofessioners anmälningsbenägenhet vid misstanke om att ett barn far illa. Studien undersöker även hur statistiken ser ut gällande barnmisshandel samt i vilken utsträckning orosanmälningar leder till åtal och påföljder för förövaren. Studiens empiri sträcker sig från år 1990 till 2021 och utgår endast utifrån Brottsförebyggande rådets publicerade rapporter. En kvalitativ textanalys har använts vid bearbetningen av studiens empiriska material. Vid analysen av det empiriska materialet har Michael Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrati och alienation används som ett teoretiskt ramverk för att skapa en djupare förståelse och förklaring av de sociala fenomen som Brottsförebyggande rådets publikationer presenterade. Syftet med studien var att belysa vilka faktorer som påverkar yrkesprofessioner i valet att anmäla barnmisshandel eller inte. Med hjälp av Lipskys teori framgick det hur yrkesprofessioners anmälningsbenägenhet i vårt land påverkas av de faktorer som enligt Lipsky kännetecknar gräsrotsbyråkratens arbetssituation. Utifrån Lipskys teori går det att urskilja att valet att anmäla barnmisshandel eller inte görs utifrån flera faktorer såsom tidsbrist, kunskapsbrist och bristande vägledning från chef och verksamhet. Med hjälp av Lipskys begrepp alienation blev konsekvenserna av yrkesprofessioners alienerade arbete synliga, där bland annat åsikter och fördomar om andra myndigheter resulterade i informationshinder och en minskad anmälningsbenägenhet. / This study examines the factors that affect professionals propensity to report suspected child abuse. The study also examines what the statistics look like regarding child abuse and the extent to which reports of regarding child abuse lead to prosecution and sanctions for the perpetrator. This empirical study extends from year 1990 to 2021 and is based solely on the Swedish crime prevention council's published reports. A qualitative text analysis has been used in the processing of the study's empirical material. In the analysis of the empirical material, Michael Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy and alienation has been used as a theoretical framework to create a deeper understanding and explanation of the social phenomena presented by the Swedish crime prevention council's publications. The purpose of the study was to shed light on the factors that affect professions in the choice to report child abuse or not. With the help of Lipsky's theory, it became clear how the propensity of professionals in our country to report is affected by the factors that, according to Lipsky, characterize the street-level bureaucrat's work situation. Based on Lipsky's theory, it is possible to distinguish that the choice to report child abuse or not is made on the basis of several factors such as lack of time, lack of knowledge and lack of guidance from the manager and operations. With the help of Lipsky's concept of alienation, the consequences of the professionals alienated work became visible, where, among other things, opinions and prejudices about other authorities resulted in information barriers and a reduced propensity to report.Keywords: alienation, barriers to information, child abuse, propensity to report, reports of unrest, street-level bureaucra