In the event of a separation, the risk of serious violence or murder of women is greatest.

In many cases, children are involved and have themselves been exposed or witnessed violence, according to the Gender Equality Authority.

- There is a lack of knowledge about exposure to violence and its consequences for both adults and children.

It does not take into account that there are unequal power relations in these cases when one is a perpetrator and another is exposed to violence, says Mikael Thörn, unit manager at the Gender Equality Authority.

In May last year, the authority was commissioned to map out how information about violence or other abuse by one parent against the other parent is taken into account in cases concerning custody, residence or contact.

Since then, judgments and investigative documents from Sweden's 48 district courts have been reviewed and a total of 814 judgments have been reviewed.

All judgments have been announced after the Convention on the Rights of the Child became law in Sweden.

"High and worrying figure"

The judgments revealed information about violence or other abuse by one parent against the other parent, a partner or a child in 518 cases, corresponding to 64 percent of the cases.

A figure that Mia Edwall Insulander, Secretary General of the Swedish Bar Association, considers high and worrying.

- It is very unfortunate from a child perspective.

Whenever violence is alleged, it is children who get hurt in a conflict between parents, she says.

In 61 percent of the 814 cases, the court had established agreements between parents.

In the remaining cases, 198, the court instead had to decide what would apply.

Also in a majority of these cases, information emerged about violence or abuse against children or by a man against a woman.

In 13 percent, there was information about violence or abuse of a woman against a man.

The extent to which this is highlighted in the cases differs between the courts.

In a large proportion of the judgments, the scope does not appear, or the information contained in the attached investigations into violence and abuse does not appear in the judgment itself.

It is therefore not possible to deduce from the decision whether the court has actually taken the information into account or not.

Courts must pay special attention to two things in custody disputes, says Mia Edwall Insulander.

One is the risk of a child getting sick and the other is the child's need to have contact with both his parents.

- My experience as a lawyer is that there is a tendency to place more emphasis on the child's need for contact with both his parents than the risks for a child, says Mia Edwall Insulander.