The Instrument of Government
Article 2
Public power shall be exercised with respect for the equal worth of all and the liberty and dignity of the individual. The personal, economic and cultural welfare of the individual shall be fundamental aims of public activity. In particular, the public institutions shall secure the right to employment, housing and education, and shall promote social care and social security, as well as favourable conditions for good health.
Chapter 2. Fundamental rights and freedoms
Article 8
Everyone shall be protected in their relations with the public institutions against deprivations of personal liberty. All Swedish citizens shall also in other respects be guaranteed freedom of movement within the Realm and freedom to depart the Realm.
Constitution 1974 (revised 2012) (PDF)
Chapter 4
Section 2 A person who, in cases other than those stated in
Section 1, kidnaps or confines someone or in some other way deprives him or her of liberty, shall be sentenced for unlawful deprivation of liberty to imprisonment for at least one and at most ten years. If the crime is of a less serious nature, a fine or imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)Chapter 4
Section 3 A person who otherwise than as stated in
Section 1 or 2, by unlawful coercion or deceit, causes the entry of someone into military or work service or other similar condition of restraint or induces someone to go or remain in a place abroad where he or she may be in danger of being exposed to persecution or exploited for casual sexual relations or otherwise fall into distress, shall be sentenced for placing a person in a distressful situation to imprisonment for at least one and at most ten years. If the crime is of a less serious nature, a fine or imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393) Chapter 4
Section 10 Attempt, preparation or conspiracy to commit kidnapping, unlawful deprivation of liberty or placing a person in a distressful situation, and any failure to reveal such crimes, shall be adjudged in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 23. The same shall apply to an attempt or preparation to commit unlawful coercion of a serious nature or breach of data secrecy, which if it had been completed, could not be considered petty. (Law 1998:206)
Chapter 4 Crimes against liberty and peace
Section 1
A person who seizes and carries off or confines a child or some other person with intent to injure him or her in body or health or to force him or her into service, or to practise extortion, shall be sentenced for kidnapping to imprisonment for a fixed period of at least four and at most ten years, or for life. If the crime is of a less serious nature, imprisonment for at most six years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)
Section 1A.
Anyone who, in cases other than those referred to in § 1, through coercion, deception, exploitation of anyone's vulnerable situation or other such improper means recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person in order that he or she will be exploited for sexual purposes, the removal of organs, military service, forced labor or other activities in a situation of distress for the victim, convicted of trafficking to imprisonment for between two and ten years. (Law 2009:396)
Section 2
A person who, in cases other than those stated in Section 1, kidnaps or confines someone or in some other way deprives him or her of liberty, shall be sentenced for unlawful deprivation of liberty to imprisonment for at least one and at most ten years. If the crime is of a less serious nature, a fine or imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)
Section 3
A person who otherwise than as stated in Section 1 or 2, by unlawful coercion or deceit, causes the entry of someone into military or work service or other similar condition of restraint or induces someone to go or remain in a place abroad where he or she may be in danger of being exposed to persecution or exploited for casual sexual relations or otherwise fall into distress, shall be sentenced for placing a person in a distressful situation to imprisonment for at least one and at most ten years. If the crime is of a less serious nature , a fine or imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)
Section 4
A person who, by assault or otherwise by force or by threat of a criminal act, compels another to do, submit to or omit to do something, shall be sentenced for unlawful coercion to a fine or imprisonment for at most two years. Anyone who to such effect exercises coercion by threatening to prosecute or report another for a crime or give detrimental information about another, shall also be sentenced for unlawful coercion, provided that the coercion is wrongful. If the crime referred to in the first, paragraph is gross, imprisonment for at least six months and at most six years shall be imposed. In assessing whether the crime is gross special consideration shall be given to whether the act included the infliction of pain to force a confession, or other torture.
Chapter 6. On sexual crimes
Section 8
A person who promotes or improperly financially exploits the casual sexual relations for payment of another person shall be sentenced for procuring to imprisonment for at most four years. A person who, holding the right to the use of premises, grants the right to use them to another in the knowledge that the premises are wholly or to a substantial extent used for casual sexual relations for payment and omits to do what can reasonably be expected to terminate the granted right, he or she shall, if the activity continues or is resumed at the premises, be considered to have promoted the activity and shall be sentenced in accordance with the first, paragraph. (Law 1998:393)
Penal Code (PDF)
Note: prohibits sex trafficking and forced labour and prescribes penalties of two to 10 years’ imprisonment
Chapter 4 – On offences against liberty and peace
Section 1
A person who seizes and carries off or confines a child or some other person with intent to injure him or her in body or health or to force him or her into service, or to practise extortion, shall be sentenced for kidnapping to imprisonment for a fixed period of at least four and at most ten years, or for life. If the crime is of a less serious nature, imprisonment for at most six years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)
Section 1a
A person who, in cases other than those referred to in Section 1, by:
- unlawful coercion;
- deception;
- exploitation of another person’s vulnerable situation that severely restricts that person’s alternatives; or
- other such improper means that severely restrict another person’s alternatives, recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a person in order for that person to be exploited for sexual purposes, the removal of organs, military service, forced labour or some other activity in a situation that involves distress for that personis guilty of trafficking in human beings and is sentenced to imprisonment for at least two and at most ten years. A person who commits an act referred to in the first paragraph against a person who has not attained eighteen years of age is guilty of trafficking in human beings even if none of the improper means described in that paragraph was used. This also applies if the person who commits such an act did not have intent but was negligent regarding the circumstance that the other person had not attained eighteen years of age. If an offence referred to in the first or second paragraph is less serious, the sentence is imprisonment for at least six months and at most four years. Act 2018:601.
Section 1b
A person who, in cases other than those referred to in Section 1 or 1a, by unlawful coercion, deception or exploitation of another person’s position of dependence, defencelessness or difficult situation, exploits another person in forced labour, labour under clearly unreasonable conditions or begging is guilty of human exploitation and is sentenced to imprisonment for at most four years.
A person who commits an act referred to in the first paragraph against a person who has not attained eighteen years of age is held responsible even if no unlawful coercion, deception or exploitation of another person’s position of dependence, defencelessness or difficult situation took place. This also applies if the person who commits such an act did not have intent but was negligent regarding the circumstance that the other person had not attained eighteen years of age.
If an offence referred to in the first or second paragraph is considered gross, the person is guilty of gross human exploitation and is sentenced to imprisonment for at least two and at most ten years. When assessing whether the offence is gross, particular consideration is given to whether the act concerned large-scale activities, resulted in considerable gain, or involved particularly ruthless exploitation of another person. Act 2018:601.
Section 2
A person who, in cases other than those stated in Section 1, kidnaps or confines someone or in some other way deprives him or her of liberty, shall be sentenced for unlawful deprivation of liberty to imprisonment for at least one and at most ten years. If the crime is of a less serious nature, a fine or imprisonment for at most two years shall be imposed. (Law 1998:393)
Section 8
A person who unlawfully obtains access to a communication being conveyed by a postal or telecommunications company as an item of post or in an electronic communications network is guilty of breach of postal or telecommunications secrecy and is sentenced to a fine or imprisonment for at most two years. Act 2012:280
CRIMINAL CODE 2020 (PDF)
