Guidance

Sweden: information for victims of rape and sexual assault

Published 26 October 2022

First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you in coming to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• contact the international emergency number on 112
• contact your tour operator if you are travelling with one
• contact the British Embassy in Stockholm Tel: 0046 (0)8-671 3000. Embassy staff will be empathetic, and non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell them will be treated in the strictest confidence. They can contact your family or friends for you if you wish

If you want to report the incident to the police in Sweden

If you have a tour operator, they should be able to arrange for someone to support you. If you are in an area where the British embassy is located, they will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allows. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

If you approach the police directly, you can also ask them to inform the nearest British embassy on 0046 (0)8-671 3000 and they can offer you consular support.

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained.

Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, bedding, toothbrushes, text messages or social media messages.

Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

Insist you get a police report, and request a translation in English if applicable.

It might not always be possible to see a female officer, but you can request one.

Most police officers in Sweden speak good English, but if necessary, an interpreter will be provided at no additional cost.

If you report an incident by phone, the police might come and meet you where you are, or ask you to come to the police station. You will not be expected to surrender your passport at any time.

At the police station, you will be asked to provide a statement and describe the attacker, and the police might ask you to provide them with evidence. This may include items of clothing, contact details for the attacker or text message conversations. Results from any medical examination may also serve as evidence.

The police will also ask you to undergo a forensic examination and will take you to a hospital, with your consent.

As a victim, you are in most cases entitled to have a lawyer (målsägandebiträde) assigned to you. You can ask for a specific lawyer (male or female) if you want, or one will be appointed for you, at no cost to you.

If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Sweden

The British embassy or consulate will be able to help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company, your family (if you so wish), with making arrangements to travel back to the UK and/or provide you with information on local support in the UK. If you wish, and depending on location and timing, a member of consular staff may be able to accompany you to the hospital. They can also provide you with information on how to contact medical facilities, lawyers and translators.

You can receive any medical attention you need regardless of whether you report the attack to the police or not.

It is your choice on whether to report the crime. If you choose not to report it, your case may not be investigated, and this may impact your eligibility for compensation in the future.

Reporting the incident after leaving Sweden

You can report a crime if you have left Sweden by calling the police on +46 77 114 14 00.

If you do not report the crime in the country where it happened and you return to the UK, you can still report the matter to your local UK police. The UK police should send the information you provide to the country where the crime happened. However, it is for foreign police forces to decide whether to investigate a crime in their jurisdiction and they may not take action.

You can report the crime to the UK police even if you are not seeking an investigation abroad. The UK police can offer you access to victim support in the UK. They may still send some details of the crime to police in the country where it happened. This might be necessary in order to protect vulnerable people, or to stop more crimes being committed.

Reporting the crime in Sweden - what happens next?

You will be asked to make a statement about the incident including a description of the attacker(s) and the police might keep articles of clothing and may take photos of for example text messages or phone conversations which may serve as evidence.

Once you have made your statement to the police, you will be taken for a medical examination (if you consent to do so).

The medical examination – what to expect

All regional and university hospitals should have the resources to treat victims of rape and sexual assault.

Stockholm

Akutmottagning för våldtagna (emergency clinic for rape victims) in Stockholm provides care for all persons regardless of sexually identity within 1 month of the assault. The clinic is free of charge and is open all hours.

In regions outside of Stockholm

Women should seek help from a hospital equipped with gynecological ER. Men should seek help from a general ER.

Health professionals in Sweden have the right to breach confidentiality and report cases of rape to the police. However, this is rarely practiced. Focus is on providing medical and psychological support following an assault.

When seeking medical attention after rape you will be offered a sexual assault forensic examination, or ‘rape kit’. This is performed within 7 days after the assault and includes:

• swabs to collect DNA from hands, the oral region and other areas of the skin that may be soiled
• medical assessment of injuries including photo documentation
• a gynaecological exam for assessment of vulvovaginal injury. The gynaecological exam includes swabs to collect DNA from the vulva, vagina, and anal opening if applicable. For men, swabs for DNA are collected from the penis, scrotum, and anal opening if applicable.
• blood and urine samples
• testing for sexually transmitted diseases

The medical examination is performed by a gynaecologist or ER physician, possibly assisted by a forensic nurse. Swabs from the skin and oral region may be performed by a forensic nurse.

You may be asked to leave articles of clothing.

If you have chosen to report the assault, the police will collect the ‘rape kit’ and its contents from the clinic. In some cases, the police with also collect the results of the medical assessment and documentation of injuries.

When seeking help more than 7 days after the assault you will be offered:

• medical assessment of injuries including photo documentation
• a genital exam for assessment of injury
• testing for sexually transmitted diseases

Treatment

In Sweden, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis can be offered within 36 hours of the assault. The time duration is related to evidence showing no effect of treatment after this time period. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis within 36 hours of rape is offered at the Emergency clinic for rape victims in Stockholm. In other clinics, physicians may contact a consultant from department of Infectious disease in order to offer prophylaxis.

Emergency contraception can be purchased over the counter at most pharmacies. Gynaecological emergency departments provide emergency contraception after an assault, if necessary. Emergency contraception needs to be taken within 5 days of the incident for it to be effective.

Treatment and tests are free of charge at the emergency clinic for rape victims in Stockholm. At other clinics patients might be charged for the outpatient visit.

If you have had medication administered overseas, you should keep the label or make a note of the name of the medication, so that you let your local health provider know when you return home.

Police investigations in Sweden – what to expect

The police might, with your permission, escort you to the spot where the incident took place, if for example you cannot remember the exact location of the attack.

You might be asked to identify the attacker by looking at photographs. Police identification parades are not used in Sweden.

If the police make an arrest, the suspect will be taken before the public prosecutor at a remand hearing (häktningsförhandling) within 96 hours of the arrest. After that hearing the suspect will be either released or remanded until the investigation is complete. This can take several months, sometimes longer.

Court procedures – what to expect

If the suspect is ordered to trial you might be asked to testify in court. If you have returned to the UK, the Swedish authorities will pay for the travel and accommodation to Sweden. In some circumstances it might be possible to give evidence via video link (but this will have to be applied for at least 2 months in advance).

The judge may decide to hold the trial behind closed doors, without an audience. You may ask for the suspect to leave the court room while you are giving evidence, he/she will then follow the trial via video link from a different room.

It’s not possible to drop charges once they are filed, but the investigation will be closed automatically if there is not enough evidence.

The alleged assailant can press counter charges claiming false accusations (falsk angivelse).

The courts can order the offender to pay compensation for any injuries or losses. The compensation is usually around 100 000 SEK (approximately 7800GBPs). The minimum punishment for rape is 3 years imprisonment, or 8 months for ‘negligent rape’ (oaktsam våldtäkt).

When you return home to the UK

You may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice where you live

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you. You should do this even if you have been tested in the country that the assault took place in.

England

NHS Choices or search the internet for ‘NHS SARC’

Scotland

Archway SARC: phone 0141 211 8175

Wales

New Pathways SARC: phone 01685 379 310

Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Northern Ireland

Rowan SARC Northern Ireland: phone 0800 389 4424

Support organisations in Sweden

It is your choice to let people know. If you are ready to talk about it, these organisations may be able to help you.

Victim Support Sweden (Brottsofferjouren)	Tel: 0046 (0)8-644 8800	Email: info@brottsofferjouren.se
Sweden’s national women’s helpline (Kvinnofridslinjen)	Tel: 0046 (0)20-50 50 500	Email: info@nck.uu.se
Storasyster		Email: kontakt@storasyster.org

Disclaimer

This information has been prepared by HMG officials who are not legally or medically trained. It should therefore never be used as a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. It is intended to help British nationals overseas make their own informed decisions. Neither HMG nor any official of the Consulate accept liability for any loss or damage which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied.

Medical information has been provided by The Havens Sexual Assault Referral Centres of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and was accurate at the time of production (02/02/2022).