Sweden: father confesses to the murder of 8-year-old Tintin

One child dead in Sweden, three infant children alive by sheer luck in Greece

Alexander Rad, 46, has confessed to the murder of his 8-year-old son, Tintin (Constantin Rad). The child was killed by his father on January 8, 2023, at his home in Luleå, Sweden, during unsupervised contact ordered by the court.

The authorities — police, prosecutorial, and judicial — knew that little Tintin's father was dangerous. The child's mother had been in a seven-year legal battle with the father, who subjected both her and the child to psychological violence, and she had been fighting to convince the authorities that, due to his dangerous behavior, contact should be suspended or at least supervised. Little Tintin was afraid of his father, and had expressed this fear to his wider family and friends and at school. He did not want to leave school, fearing his father would take him and hurt him.

The judicial authority ignored the mother's pleas, ignored the child's testimony and fear, and in the name of "contact at any cost," granted the father unsupervised contact. A decision that cost 8-year-old Tintin his life. Although the father initially pleaded not guilty and had even self-harmed to support his claim, he ultimately confessed to the heinous murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment, after the court ruled that it had been committed in a calm state of mind and was premeditated.

Distrust toward victims of domestic violence — overwhelmingly mothers and children — is the greatest obstacle that the authorities themselves place in the way of protecting them. In Greece, just one month earlier, on 20/03/2023, a father attempted to murder his 2.5-year-old twin children. The murder was averted literally at the last moment following the mother's intervention. In this case too, as in the case in Sweden, the judicial authorities had granted the father unsupervised contact, ignoring the mother's reports of domestic violence and ongoing abuse.

On 24/04/2023, a father put his estranged wife and their 2-year-old child in the car and attempted to drive it off a cliff. Another child and mother were saved by sheer luck, though the mother had managed to alert the police in time.

There are many reasons for the authorities' negligence in protecting victims — a negligence that costs lives. Foremost among them are gender stereotypes toward women and vulnerable people. A systemic misogyny, documented by official bodies, reinforced by the intense mobilization on social media of reactionary far-right men's rights groups aiming to preserve paternal power. There is a lack of knowledge among the competent authorities dealing with issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse. There is an absence of political will.

In Sweden, a wave of protest has arisen under the slogan "No more children murdered," against judicial decisions that promote "contact at any cost" in custody disputes. Sweden's Children's Ombudsman, Elisabeth Dahlin, expressed concern that immediate measures must be taken to protect the safety and best interest of the child. The Green Party made an appeal in Parliament, asking Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to implement LEX Tintin (Tintin's Law, named after the boy) to protect children.

In Canada, just the day before yesterday, Keira's Law passed the Senate (named after a 4-year-old girl murdered in 2020 by her father during supervised contact, even though the mother had warned the authorities about his violent behavior). Keira's Law will require judges to take very seriously incidents of domestic violence, including coercive control and psychological violence, before issuing any contact decision in custody disputes. Judges will also be required to be fully informed about domestic violence issues. In the USA, a similar effort is underway to pass Piqui's Law.

In Greece, feminist and women's organizations are struggling to be heard, while victims of domestic violence are increasing exponentially.

We join our voice with those fighting in Sweden, and in every other country, against contact at any cost, against mandatory joint custody, and against the use of the unscientific "parental alienation" syndrome. We demand the withdrawal of the Tsiaras law and the opening of a genuine social dialogue for a new child-centered model, guided solely by the protection of the child and the vulnerable parent.

No child in the hands of an abuser. Children have a voice.