[All children must be protected from abuse]

Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce a corporal punishment ban in 1979. Corporal punishment was looked upon as a normal part of upbringing in the 1960s, but today more than 90 % of all Swedish parents regard this as a deviant behavior. While the diagnostic tools for establishing of intentional injuries are continuously refined, neglect of children has been more difficult to define and describe. In later years, however, it has been obvious that neglect for many children is chronic and with long-term effects that are just as devastating as corporal punishment and sexual abuse. All over the world a more ecological view on family violence is developing, also taking into account countries' social, cultural and political conditions.