Muslims in Sweden 'particularly at risk of discrimination': report
Discrimination in Sweden is a "widespread issue affecting all areas of Swedish society", according to a new report by the country's Discrimination Ombudsman, with Muslims and people with 'visible' ethnicity particularly vulnerable.
The report, written in English, is titled 'The state of discrimination 2023' and is the first yearly report published by the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) on discrimination in Sweden.
Although discrimination can affect everyone, the report shows that the risk of experiencing discrimination is larger for some individuals and some groups of individuals depending on their individual situation and their role in society.
It states, for example, that many children with neurological disabilities experience discrimination in school, through not being offered the support and accommodations necessary for them to achieve their academic potential.
"People who, based on their appearance, can be presumed to belong to a certain ethnicity or religion are subjected to harassment, mistrust and aggression in various contexts, such as people that wear visible signs of a certain ethnicity or religion," it reads.
Hijabi women are more likely to experience discrimination, and job applicants with names that sound "Arabic or Muslim" are more likely to be discriminated against in recruitment, with men with Arabic or Muslim-sounding names more likely to be discriminated against on the labour market than women with similar names.
In terms of sexual harassment, the report shows that women and young people more often report sexual harassment in the workplace, with almost one in four women aged 16-29 stating that they have received sexual harassment in the workplace in the last year.
DO warns that there is likely a large number of hidden cases of discrimination in Sweden, as not everyone who experiences discrimination reports it. In its report, DO writes that representative questionnaires from agencies such as the Public Health Agency, the Work Environment Authority and MUCF, the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, indicate that at least half a million people experience discrimination each year, although this is not an absolute figure.
It also noted that many students experience sexual harassment and harassment related to ethnicity or religion during their time at school.
"The fact that so many people live with the vulnerability experiencing discrimination entails is a problem which society should take very seriously," the Discrimination Ombudsman, Lars Arrhenius, said in a statement. "I hope that, with this report, we can help to identify and shed light on the situation. Knowledge of discrimination is necessary in order to be able to prevent it."
How could discrimination in Swedish society be reduced?
The report also suggests some ways in which the prevalence of discrimination in society could be reduced, such as extending the prohibitions in the Swedish Discrimination Act to include areas which are not currently included, strengthen protection against discrimination in the public sector, such as discrimination aimed at organisations, as well as a "uniform and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination for all public activities".
It adds that public organisations are currently only subject to a prohibition against discrimination applying to how employees treat members of the public when they offer information, guidance or similar, but new legislation could extend this to cover how organisations handle cases or intervene against individuals.
DO also suggest that employers be made more responsible to combat harassment and sexual harassment by third parties - not colleagues or managers - updating their guidelines and procedures to include discrimination from this group.
It also states that the public should be made more aware of the possibility of filing a complaint with DO, in order to strengthen their access to justice in cases where they have experienced discrimination.
Finally, it states that equality data may be useful in raising awareness of discrimination, while ensuring that such data complies with GDPR and would not be used in a way that could itself contribute to discrimination or reinforce stereotypes.
"There needs to be a clear purpose for what the data will be used for, and this purpose must be anchored in the groups of individuals who are most affected," it states.
"Self-identification, voluntariness and anonymity are important principles that should be applied as far as possible. The information of interest for equality data is in many cases sensitive personal data and must therefore be handled correctly and carefully," it reads.
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The report, written in English, is titled 'The state of discrimination 2023' and is the first yearly report published by the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) on discrimination in Sweden.
Although discrimination can affect everyone, the report shows that the risk of experiencing discrimination is larger for some individuals and some groups of individuals depending on their individual situation and their role in society.
It states, for example, that many children with neurological disabilities experience discrimination in school, through not being offered the support and accommodations necessary for them to achieve their academic potential.
"People who, based on their appearance, can be presumed to belong to a certain ethnicity or religion are subjected to harassment, mistrust and aggression in various contexts, such as people that wear visible signs of a certain ethnicity or religion," it reads.
Hijabi women are more likely to experience discrimination, and job applicants with names that sound "Arabic or Muslim" are more likely to be discriminated against in recruitment, with men with Arabic or Muslim-sounding names more likely to be discriminated against on the labour market than women with similar names.
In terms of sexual harassment, the report shows that women and young people more often report sexual harassment in the workplace, with almost one in four women aged 16-29 stating that they have received sexual harassment in the workplace in the last year.
DO warns that there is likely a large number of hidden cases of discrimination in Sweden, as not everyone who experiences discrimination reports it. In its report, DO writes that representative questionnaires from agencies such as the Public Health Agency, the Work Environment Authority and MUCF, the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, indicate that at least half a million people experience discrimination each year, although this is not an absolute figure.
It also noted that many students experience sexual harassment and harassment related to ethnicity or religion during their time at school.
"The fact that so many people live with the vulnerability experiencing discrimination entails is a problem which society should take very seriously," the Discrimination Ombudsman, Lars Arrhenius, said in a statement. "I hope that, with this report, we can help to identify and shed light on the situation. Knowledge of discrimination is necessary in order to be able to prevent it."
How could discrimination in Swedish society be reduced?
The report also suggests some ways in which the prevalence of discrimination in society could be reduced, such as extending the prohibitions in the Swedish Discrimination Act to include areas which are not currently included, strengthen protection against discrimination in the public sector, such as discrimination aimed at organisations, as well as a "uniform and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination for all public activities".
It adds that public organisations are currently only subject to a prohibition against discrimination applying to how employees treat members of the public when they offer information, guidance or similar, but new legislation could extend this to cover how organisations handle cases or intervene against individuals.
DO also suggest that employers be made more responsible to combat harassment and sexual harassment by third parties - not colleagues or managers - updating their guidelines and procedures to include discrimination from this group.
It also states that the public should be made more aware of the possibility of filing a complaint with DO, in order to strengthen their access to justice in cases where they have experienced discrimination.
Finally, it states that equality data may be useful in raising awareness of discrimination, while ensuring that such data complies with GDPR and would not be used in a way that could itself contribute to discrimination or reinforce stereotypes.
"There needs to be a clear purpose for what the data will be used for, and this purpose must be anchored in the groups of individuals who are most affected," it states.
"Self-identification, voluntariness and anonymity are important principles that should be applied as far as possible. The information of interest for equality data is in many cases sensitive personal data and must therefore be handled correctly and carefully," it reads.
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