“WHAT OTHER LAW?” – CHILDX CHALLENGES POLITICIANS DURING ALMEDALEN WEEK

During Almedalen Week, the children’s rights organisation ChildX is launching the campaign “Which Other Law?” to encourage politicians and the public to address a serious gap in Swedish legislation. Today, children who have gone through puberty may not be protected under Sweden’s child sexual abuse material legislation, regardless of whether they are 13 or 17 years old.

Outside seminars and networking events, ChildX will confront Almedalen visitors with provocative campaign signs carrying messages such as:

“BRA SIZE OVER ID.”

and

“WE SERVE ALCOHOL TO ANYONE WITH ENOUGH PUBIC HAIR.”

The aim is to expose the absurdity of a legal framework in which a child’s protection can depend on visual assessments of their stage of puberty.

“If the person being sexually exploited in an image or video is under 18, why should the size of their breasts, the amount of pubic hair, or the development of their genitals determine the level of legal protection they receive? That’s the question we want politicians to answer,” says Ida Östensson, Secretary General of ChildX.

Visit ChildX’s “Polling Booth”

As part of the campaign, ChildX will also set up a symbolic polling booth where visitors can learn more about the shortcomings of the current legislation. Posters carrying messages such as “VOTING RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE WITH LARGE BREASTS!” highlight how unreasonable it would be to let physical development determine people’s rights in any other area of society.

The campaign is based on the fact that, in certain circumstances, Sweden’s current legislation on child sexual abuse material does not cover sexualised images of children under 18 who have completed puberty, if their age cannot be determined from the image itself or its context. This applies whether the child is 13 or 17 years old.

Through the campaign, ChildX calls on both the public and policymakers to sign its petition for legislation that protects all children, regardless of their stage of pubertal development.

“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is clear: every person under the age of 18 is a child. A child’s legal protection should never depend on what their body looks like. Every child has the right to equal protection from sexual exploitation,” says Sara Hugosson, Head of Innovation and Development at ChildX.

ChildX’s demands for modern legislation

Sexual abuse of children is a highly underreported crime, making it impossible to determine exactly how many additional children would be protected by strengthening the legislation. However, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), reported offences involving child sexual abuse material have increased significantly in recent years, including a 76% increase in 2025 compared with the previous year. There is no indication that this trend will slow.

Behind every image depicting the sexual exploitation of a child who has gone through puberty is a victim whose rights are violated every time that image is shared, and who is entitled to protection, support, and justice.

ChildX calls for:

• Equal legal protection for all children under 18, regardless of their stage of pubertal development.
• A perpetrator’s knowledge that the person depicted is under 18 to be considered when determining criminal liability.
• Modernised, technology-neutral legislation.
• The term “child pornography” to be replaced with “documented child sexual abuse.”

The campaign launches during Almedalen Week and will continue throughout Sweden’s 2026 election year, targeting politicians, opinion leaders, and the general public.