The swedish “special representatives for children” and their role in barnahus

Abstract

According to Swedish law, a ‘Special Representative for Children’ is to be appointed for a child victim, where a crime against the child is suspected which may carry a prison sentence, and where the child’s guardian (i.e. normally the parent) is the suspect, or where a guardian may, as a result of his or her relationship to the suspect, not protect the rights of the child. In this chapter, I analyse the act and the role(s) of the special representative for children in the context of Swedish Barnahus. The “child focus” in Barnahus is explored from a rights-based perspective. The potential of the child’s independent legal representative is highlighted, inter alia in having a close and thorough view of the child’s needs and wishes.