Several other countries have introduced femicide as a separate crime category, including Italy, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta within the EU.
Party colleague and Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer says that the phenomenon is a "social problem that is constant over time" and a "constant failure" that society cannot accept.
By clarifying the background to the crime in the categorization, we can make visible the violence, motives and destructive patterns in our society that lead to this crime, Strömmer tells TT.
He also believes that this gives society better conditions for preventive work.
“Not enough”
The starting point for the punishment for the crime should be life imprisonment, the party proposes.
Crimes committed with the motive of offending a person because of their gender were already made more severe last summer - which means that if you commit a crime against a woman because she is a woman, the punishment can be made more severe.
Why is a specific crime classification also needed?
We don't think it's enough, says Malmer Stenergard.
"There are about the same number of women who are murdered every year. That's why we really want to distinguish this so that it gets more attention, so that victims and their relatives can get justice," she continues.
Clear and legally secure
In countries where the classification has been introduced, critics have pointed out that the definition of femicide is too vague and may be difficult to apply.
We have a strong interest in designing this in a clear and legally secure way and so that it can be used in practice, otherwise it will not fulfill its purpose, says Strömmer.
If the Moderates are allowed to continue leading Sweden after the election, they want, according to Strömmer, to appoint an inquiry to develop a basis for the bill.
