Criminal Justice Responses as Barriers to Reporting and Sustained Engagement in Intimate Partner Violence Cases in Nordic Countries : A Systematic Scoping Review

Sammanfattning

Background. The gap between experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and formally reported crime reflects intersecting barriers, including those produced by criminal justice institutions themselves. Nordic countries offer a critical context: formal commitments to victim protection do not prevent criminal justice responses from discouraging engagement in practice. Aim and Research Questions. This thesis examines how criminal justice processes function as barriers to IPV reporting and sustained engagement in Nordic countries through three questions: (1) What mechanisms discourage or interrupt victims' engagement? (2) What do these mechanisms reveal about how victim-protective frameworks function in practice? (3) What does the evidence distribution reveal about the state of Nordic research? Method. A systematic scoping review following JBI guidance and PRISMA-ScR standards searched Scopus, PsycINFO, and ProQuest (March 2026), yielding 21 empirical studies from Sweden (n = 14), Norway (n = 6), and Denmark (n = 1). Fifty-seven extracted barriers were synthesised thematically through secondary victimisation, procedural justice, and attrition/disengagement as analytical lenses. Results. Six thematic clusters were identified: (1) anticipated consequences and loss of control; (2) access and navigation barriers; (3) procedural burden and delays; (4) attitudinal barriers and perceived dismissal; (5) credibility and evidentiary thresholds; and (6) limitations of protective measures and downstream legal decisions. Barriers were concentrated at the police and investigation stages, where a participation paradox emerged: formally victim-protective frameworks remained dependent on victim engagement. Evidence is concentrated in Sweden and at early criminal justice stages, with later stages under-researched. Conclusion. Criminal justice processes in Nordic countries produce recurring, multi-stage barriers to IPV reporting and sustained engagement. Victim disengagement reflects rational responses to institutional conditions rather than individual non-cooperation, and reform must target structural, procedural, and inter-agency conditions.