Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Commend Sweden’s Efforts to Assist Immigrants with Integration, Raise Questions on New Restrictions on Obtaining Citizenship and the Protection of Sami Reindeer Herders
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today concluded its consideration of the combined twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth periodic report of Sweden, with Committee Experts commending efforts made by Sweden to help new immigrants integrate into the local society, while raising questions on new restrictions on obtaining Swedish citizenship, and measures taken to protect Sami reindeer herders.
Jian Guan, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, recognised the efforts and progress made by Sweden in helping new immigrants to integrate into the local society and providing them with development opportunities, including increasing the opportunity for children with a migration background to learn the Swedish language in pre-school, to facilitate their inclusion in mainstream education in primary school. These were good practices.
Mr. Guan said the Committee had received information that the Swedish Government had expressed its intention to impose significant restrictions on obtaining residence permits and access to citizenship. Recent policy proposals included heightened requirements for granting permanent residence permits, such as passing a Swedish language test as well as expanded grounds for denying and revoking both temporary and permanent residence permits. Could the delegation provide information about the residence permit policy and on the amendments to the national legislative framework governing citizenship?
Régine Esseneme, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked what was being done by the State to protect the environment, particularly the reindeer breeding zones? How was it ensured that the rights of the Sami were being taken into account? The targeting and killing of reindeers had been on the rise, as direct crimes against the Sami people. What measures were being taken by the State to protect reindeer herders and tackle these crimes? Why did the Sami people feel that they could not report crimes?
The delegation said the Government was making changes in the national citizenship framework. A proposal for stricter requirements for citizenship was being prepared, including longer residence in the country of eight years, compared to the current five years. It also included mandatory knowledge of the Swedish language. These changes were planned to take effect in 2026. Exemptions were continuously made for Nordic citizens under agreements with the Nordic countries. Stateless persons would be subject to these proposed stricter requirements, however, more generous rules were recommended for stateless persons born in Sweden, such as residence in Sweden for five years.
The delegation said the Sami people were an integral part of Sweden’s cultural identity. Dialogue with this group was crucial to strengthen the Government’s Sami policies. Recognition of the Sami’s right to use land, including the reindeer grounds, was protected within Swedish law. The Government was aware that the reindeer herding communities were exposed to great challenges which needed to be addressed, including climate change and coexistence with carnivores. Approximately 30 per cent of land in Sweden was allocated as land for environmental interests, such as reindeer husbandry, and as such, was under protection.
Introducing the report, Katarina Lundahl, State Secretary, Ministry of Employment of Sweden and head of the delegation, said while the overall situation for human rights in Sweden was relatively good, the country acknowledged that it faced several challenges where it was determined to make progress. In December 2024, the Government adopted a new national action plan to combat racism and hate crime, which aimed to highlight and combat specific forms of racism: anti-Black racism, anti-Muslim racism, antigypsyism, anti-Semitism and racism against Sami people. The Government was determined to secure the rights of the national minorities: the Jews, Roma, Sami, Sweden Finns and Tornedalians.
In concluding remarks, Ms. Esseneme said Sweden had taken numerous measures in recent years and planned to take additional measures to combat racism which had arisen from xenophobia. Sweden was encouraged to tackle the root of evil, placing emphasis on preschool and school education.
In her concluding remarks, Ms. Lundahl expressed Sweden’s sincere gratitude for the Committee’s questions and observations. Sweden was deeply concerned about the liquidity crisis of the United Nations, which undermined the work of the Committee and other treaty bodies to discharge their important mandates and weakened the international human rights system as a whole.
The delegation of Sweden consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Employment; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Culture; the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation; the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; the Ministry of Education and Research; the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention; the Swedish Police Authority; and the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue its concluding observations on the report of Sweden after the conclusion of its one hundred and sixteenth session on 5 December. The programme of work and other documents related to the session can be found here. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Monday, 24 November at 3 p.m. to consider the combined eleventh to nineteenth periodic report of Burundi (CERD/C/BDI/11-19).
Report
The Committee has before it the combined twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth periodic report of Sweden (CERD/C/SWE/24-25).
Presentation of Report
MAGNUS HELLGREN, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations Office in Geneva, said the sixtieth anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was an opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen the global commitment to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. Mr. Hellgren then introduced the Swedish delegation.
KATARINA LUNDAHL, State Secretary, Ministry of Employment of Sweden and head of the delegation, expressed Sweden’s appreciation for the work carried out by the Committee. While the overall situation for human rights in Sweden was relatively good, the country acknowledged that it faced several challenges where it was determined to make progress. One example of such progress was the establishment of the Swedish Institute for Human Rights in 2022, which played a key role in ensuring full compliance with Sweden’s international human rights obligations.
The fight against all forms of discrimination remained one of the key human rights objectives of the Swedish Government. The Equality Ombudsman played a central role in combatting discrimination. In December 2024, the Government adopted a new national action plan to combat racism and hate crime, which aimed to highlight and combat specific forms of racism: anti-Black racism, anti-Muslim racism, antigypsyism, anti-Semitism and racism against Sami people. The Government was determined to secure the rights of the national minorities: the Jews, Roma, Sami, Sweden Finns and Tornedalians.
The Sami people were recognised both as an indigenous people and a national minority. Their rights, including the exclusive right to practise reindeer husbandry in approximately one third of the Swedish territory, were protected both in the Swedish Constitution and under Swedish law. In March 2022, the act on consultation with Sami people entered into force, under which the Government, government agencies, regions and municipalities were obliged to consult the Sami Parliament, and in certain circumstances reindeer herding communities and Sami organizations, before making decisions on matters that could significantly affect the Sami people.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Tornedalians, Kvens and Lantalaiset delivered its final report in November 2023, marking an important first step in a reconciliation process. The Government acknowledged responsibility for the violations against individual Tornedalians, Kvens and Lantalaiset caused by the Swedish State’s assimilation policy, and that those violations had had negative consequences for the minority that continued to this day. The Government was committed to ensuring that the process proceeded in close dialogue with the minority.
In May, the Government decided on Sweden’s first strategy to strengthen Jewish life and combat anti-Semitism, which would provide a structure for national efforts in the period 2025–2034. The Government was also continuing its work on the long-term strategy for Roma inclusion, within the prioritised areas of employment, education and gender equality. A Roma reference group functioned as an advisory dialogue partner for the Government’s work on the strategy.
Ms. Lundahl concluded by stating that during the past year, the Government had strengthened the criminal law protection against racist hate speech. Individuals who were victims of the offence of agitation against a population group could now be granted injured party status and be entitled to damages.
Statement by the National Human Rights Institution
FREDRIK MALMBERG, Director of the Swedish Institute for Human Rights, said the Institute’s findings conveyed a strong message: racism had become a part of everyday life in Sweden and the situation was worse than during the previous review. This should be a wake-up call. However, there had been some positive steps, including the submission of the final report of Sweden’s first Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2023; the establishment of a Truth Commission for the Sami people; and the introduction of a national action plan against racism and hate crime, which were welcome efforts.
However, during its four years of operation, the national human rights institution had seen clear signs of a fading willingness to protect human rights when other priorities were at stake. Sweden needed to focus on improving the serious lack of effective legal redress for victims of racism and hate crime. Currently, more than half of all hate crimes reported were motivated by racism or xenophobia, and the most recent reports showed that only around six per cent of reported hate crime cases were solved.
The State also needed to ensure that the political rhetoric did not exacerbate the problem of polarisation and racism. Recent laws related to policing, surveillance and immigration risked disproportionately affecting minorities. Finally, it was important to increase efforts to stop racism affecting children and young people, in the face of repeated reports of children being subjected to racial slurs, bullying, and exclusion in schools. Mr. Malmberg concluded by stating that it was now time for Sweden to turn its commitments under the Convention into concrete, inclusive and accountable actions.
Questions by Committee Experts
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, said Sweden was to be commended for its close collaboration with the Committee through the regular submission of its periodic reports. In 2016, Sweden adopted a national action plan to combat racism and similar forms of hostility and hate crime, and in 2022 it adopted five specific action programmes. Could an update on the implementation of these strategic documents be provided? Could the delegation share further information on the monitoring mechanism, the consultation process, and the resources allocated to the implementation of the action plan to combat racism and hate crimes, adopted in December 2024?
What was the legal basis for the offence and the penalties for acts qualified as hate crimes? In Sweden, a Prosecutor was specially trained and charged with prosecuting hate crime cases, and a legal guide to the handling of hate crimes had been developed by the Public Prosecutor's Office's development centre. Did this guide give a definition of hate crime within the Convention? What was the assessment of the 2015-2023 police capacity building programme on combatting hate crime? How many police officers were trained? What were the results of the assessment of the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention? How many prosecutions and verdicts had been handed down for hate crimes during the review period?
What measures had been taken by the State as a result of the Government survey on the implementation of the national action plan to improve its system for collecting data on structural racial discrimination? As Swedish criminal law did not specifically regulate racist hate crimes, it appeared that most of the offences considered as hate crimes consisted of other categories of offences such as murder, unlawful threat, or harassment, among others.
Did agitation against a population group constitute a criminal offence? What were the penalties one would be liable for? What measures had the State party taken to bolster the capacity of the judicial police to detect racist motives for offences during investigations, and to increase judges’ capacities to identify such motivations and apply an increased sentence?
The report stated that a new method of compiling statistics would make it possible to publish statistics reported to the police as hate crimes. Could the statistics produced through this new methodology be shared?
In 2020, out of 2,031 offences considered as hate crimes recorded in 1,994 reports, 28 per cent of offences motivated by racist and xenophobic hatred and characterised by physical attacks were committed against Africans and 3 per cent against Gypsies, specifically Roma. What measures had been taken since 2020 to protect the target groups and prosecute the perpetrators? The Swedish Defence Research Agency had established that people from the Middle East, North Africa and Muslims were most likely to be victims of prejudice and racist stereotypes on the internet and in digital spaces. What measures had been taken to address this?
The Committee would like to have up-to-date information, disaggregated by ethnic origin, regarding the complainant victims of racial discrimination? What judicial follow-up had been reserved for these complaints? Could the Committee be provided with the ethnicity of complainants? The report stated that through public subsidies to anti-discrimination services, victims of discrimination had been compensated. What was the number of beneficiaries and the nature of the reparations awarded? What measures were being taken by the State to eradicate discrimination and provide effective health care to all populations on an equal basis? The State observed that three per cent of employees were victims of discrimination in the workplace because of their ethnicity, and racist hate speech motivated by ethnicity was being used in schools in the form of verbal attacks. What were the concrete actions taken to protect the employees and students targeted by these acts and to punish the perpetrators?
What was the status of the implementation of the two recommendations by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions to the Swedish Institute for Human Rights? What had the Swedish Institute for Human Rights done since its inception to improve the living conditions of racialised persons and groups of people? What recommendations had it made to address the problems identified in its report and what was the level of implementation of these recommendations, if any?
What method had been used to incorporate the Convention into Sweden’s domestic law? What actions had the State taken to ensure that the Convention was well known and effectively invoked and applied before the courts? Could the State comment on the case where a Muslim woman was dismissed for wearing the hijab?
The 2021 report of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children stated that children were victims of racism by other children and adults. What measures were being taken to prevent racial discrimination in schools and protect students from racialised communities? What measures were being taken to punish racist teachers who harassed students? What was the number of complaints received by the Ombudsman for Children concerning acts of discrimination and the follow-up to these complaints? Who was entitled to file a complaint and seek redress when a child was a victim of racial discrimination? How were cases of racial discrimination observed or denounced within a school managed by educational officials?
What were the scope and the conditions for receiving legal aid? According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, the perpetrators and victims of Afrophobic hate crimes were young people. What measures had been taken to inculcate in young people the culture of human dignity, equality and non-discrimination of human beings? Was there a specialised juvenile delinquency justice system that prosecuted and tried the perpetrators of minor racist crimes? What mechanism could victims use to obtain redress when the perpetrator of an act of racial discrimination was a minor? How many victims of racist hate crimes had been compensated through the Victims Compensation and Support Authority?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said a new action plan was adopted last December to combat racism and hate crime, which made efforts to make areas more targeted and easier to evaluate. Incitement against a population group or individual in the group had been expressly criminalised. Swedish society was built on a high degree of trust and a strong sense of responsibility within the population. The Government had taken initiatives to support victims of hate crimes. Police authorities took the issue of cyber hate crimes seriously and were committed to bringing them to justice. However, online hate was a growing problem, and it was difficult to address these issues. The police continued to train staff in investigating hate crime motives. There were specialised hate crime investigators in almost all regions of Sweden, and Prosecutors had been specifically appointed to handle these cases.
The action programmes of the national action plan had been significant for actors directly affected by the plan’s initiatives, including authorities and civil society organizations. The need for awareness raising to combat racism remained. The new national action plan to combat hate crime placed focus on several areas, including schools, the judicial system, welfare and working life. The Living History Forum was tasked with monitoring the implementation of the action plan, and reporting annually to the Government. The Government had announced an increased budget for the implementation of the action plan.
Measures had been taken to strengthen the work within the police and the Swedish Prosecution Office to combat hate crimes. Legislation combatting hate crimes had also been strengthened. Hate crimes statistics were based on police support; however, while they were awful acts, not all acts were unlawful. To mitigate the effects of all hateful acts, the police authority worked with victims’ organizations to ensure support for victims. Aggravating circumstances applied to all crimes where a hate motive was evident.
For many years, a complex project had been underway involving all judicial agencies to track reported crime throughout the judicial system. It was hoped developments would be finalised in 2028. Many hate crimes which occurred were not reported to the police. Over 2,800 hate crime motives were identified in 2022, with xenophobic hate crimes being the most common, followed by hate crimes against religious groups, under which Islamophobic hate crimes were the most common. In 2024, 996 offences were reported, and 428 cases were investigated, with seven per cent cleared.
The Swedish Crime Victim Authority had been tasked by the Government to disseminate information for those at risk of being subjected to hate crimes. The police were working to increase resilience among vulnerable communities through dialogue and support.
Questions by Committee Experts
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked for one concrete example to implement the action plans? There were no rulings regarding racial discrimination and hate speech as aggravating circumstances. What was the State doing to allow racist motives to be detected and reported by police, and thereby prosecuted by judges? There was a rise in hate speech among people in political positions and public figures. The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen could initiate legal proceedings against public officials. How many prosecutions had been brought against public officials who incited racial hatred in Sweden? Individuals had reported discrimination based on religious beliefs or ethnicity during contacts with police and customs officials. The Committee was aware that the Government was considering drafting a law to strengthen the protection against discrimination in the public sector. What was the state of development of this bill?
A Committee Expert asked about the “awful yet not unlawful” acts described by the delegation? How did the State strike a balance between prosecuting hate crimes and racial profiling?
Another Committee Expert said the Committee was concerned about reports of the processes to develop the current national plan on racism, specifically concerning a lack of inclusion and consultation with civil society. How did the State plan to involve civil society and other rights holders in the implementation of this plan?
FAITH DIKELEDI PATSY TLAKULA, Committee Expert and Follow-Up Rapporteur, asked for further information on the national human rights institution and if it handled complaints?
A Committee Expert thanked Sweden for its continual engagement with the Committee. The fact that the State had established its national human rights institution in 2022 and that it had then received “A” status in 2024 was remarkable. In some countries, this took more than 20 years. This was an effort which should be commended. What was being done to allow the national human rights institution to receive individual complaints? What steps were being taken to provide appropriate compensation to victims for their moral damages? What measures would Sweden consider in order to stop racist chants at football matches?
Another Committee Expert congratulated the national human rights institution on the issues raised in its address. Could disaggregated data on Sweden’s minorities be shared?
One Expert asked how Sweden had come to join the ranks of countries which had a far-right policy on racial discrimination?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State viewed racism as a structural issue, evidenced by the four key areas under which the plan was designed. Sweden valued collaboration with civil society and would continue to hold consultations moving forward. The Swedish Government took the issues of human rights and combatting racism very seriously. However, the State was aware that there were growing trends towards globalisation in the public debate, and Sweden was not immune to these trends.
Violence, hate and extremism were widely spread online in digital environments. A lot of this material was not illegal but fell under the category of harmful material, such as through comments posted on social media. It was difficult to address harmful material in the blurred online environment. Racial and ethnic profiling was strictly forbidden in Sweden. Often what was criminalised was the worst kinds of hate speech, but there were still awful materials or messages which were allowed. This showed that everyone needed to take responsibility for the dialogue in society.
The discrimination act applied to education, health care and employment, among other sectors of society. A person could submit a complaint on behalf of themselves or another person to the Equality Ombudsman.
Schools should work to address issues of racism and anti-Semitism and ensure no one was subjected to discriminatory treatment. Under the 2024 national action plan, one of the goals was to ensure teachers and students could improve tools to combat racism. Materials had been developed for teachers and trainers, including on areas such as racism against Sami and anti-Semitism, among other topics.
The sports movement in Sweden was independent from the Government but received Government support. The movement had a zero-tolerance policy towards racism.
Training initiatives had been provided to social workers and those dealing with children, giving participants better skills to integrate combatting racism into their work.
The Equality Ombudsman could bring a court action on behalf of an individual. This was free of charge.
There were five national minorities in Sweden: the Jews, the Roma, the Sami, the Tornedalians and the Swedish Finns. The Sami had the status of both a national minority and indigenous peoples, with special rights. Sweden had extensive freedom of expression and editorial independence, which was strongly protected in fundamental laws. Media content in Sweden containing hate speech could be reviewed after publication by the Swedish Broadcasting Commission.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there were several reasons why it had been deemed inappropriate to designate the human rights institute to handle complaints, including duplication of duties, and that this would limit the institute’s resources, among other reasons.
Questions by Committee Experts
JIAN GUAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said Sweden was a country shaped by migration. Mr. Guan recognised the efforts and progress made by Sweden in helping new immigrants to integrate into local society and providing them with development opportunities, including increasing the opportunity for children with a migration background to learn the Swedish language in pre-school, to facilitate their inclusion in mainstream education in primary school. In employment, public subsidies were provided for employers to hire individuals, including newly arrived immigrants, who were disadvantaged in the labour market, due to labour market entry agreements. These were good practices.
However, information showed there were still problems with the survival of immigrants in Sweden, including that people with a non-European background had poorer socio-economic prospects than people with a Swedish background. What was the country’s migration policy? Did it encourage or restrict immigration into Sweden? From a policy perspective, it seemed to be an intention of restriction. What was the current institutional design of Sweden's immigration policy? Were there any measures to address concerns of a strict immigration policy?
Data indicated that non-European immigrants had an unemployment rate of 46 per cent, compared to 4.7 per cent for Swedish-born individuals. Sweden had made a lot of efforts aiming to change this situation, but why had the situation not fundamentally improved? Were there any further measures that the State party was willing to discuss, prepare or take? There was a gap in net income between employed immigrants and locals in Sweden. What had Sweden done to compensate these gaps and what effects did it have?
The Committee was very concerned about how the State party treated people such as asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons due to their vulnerable living conditions. There was information indicating that Swedish asylum law had changed the granting of permanent residence permits to temporary residence permits for asylum seekers and refugees, and that the Government intended to eliminate the possibility of granting them permanent residence permits. What measures had been implemented to protect the above-mentioned individuals in accordance with international standards?
The Committee had received information that the Swedish Government had expressed its intention to impose significant restrictions on obtaining residence permits and access to citizenship. Recent policy proposals included heightened requirements for granting permanent residence permits, such as passing a Swedish language test as well as expanded grounds for denying and revoking both temporary and permanent residence permits. Could the delegation provide information about the residence permit policy and on the amendments to the national legislative framework governing citizenship?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said immigration challenges in recent years had placed significant strain on Swedish society. In response, the Government was implementing a sustainable shift in migration policy and its immigration policy. Legislative reforms were being undertaken in two key areas, including citizenship, where requirements were being increased, as well as to improve the reception services for asylum seekers and safeguard official services. Asylum seeking children were entitled to education under the Swedish education act, as well as health care, maternal health care and contraceptive care. Some asylum seekers were also granted the right to work and were exempt from holding a work permit in the asylum process.
Foreign born women and men in Sweden should be self-sufficient, learn the language and become a part of society; they had the same rights as the rest of the population. In terms of the Government’s work to counter exclusion, the newly revised framework aimed to focus on schools, social services and the employment sector and was aimed at improving safety and reducing crime.
This year, Sweden received more than 39,000 first time asylum applications, with persons from Afghanistan and Albania making up some of the top applicants. Asylum seekers in Sweden had the right to support, including in the form of accommodation, daily allowance and a special grant. They could also be supplemented with special grants for urgent needs. Last year reflected a sharp decline in employment among the foreign-born population. In 2010, the Government implemented a major initiative which underscored labour market integration as an overarching goal. In 2024, the Equality Ombudsman received more than 500 complaints regarding racial discrimination in working life.
The Government was making changes in the national citizenship framework. A proposal for stricter requirements for citizenship was being prepared, including longer residence in the country of eight years, compared to the current five years. It also included mandatory knowledge of the Swedish language. These changes were planned to take effect in 2026. Exemptions were continuously made for Nordic citizens under agreements with the Nordic countries. Stateless persons would be subject to these proposed stricter requirements, however, more generous rules were recommended for stateless persons born in Sweden, such as residence in Sweden for five years.
When there were serious and violent crimes, a security zone could be imposed which could last no longer than two weeks. So far, the law had been used five times, but no zone had been used for more than two weeks. The State viewed this as a tool to only be used in exceptional circumstances and was aware of its potential negative outcomes.
Questions by Committee Experts
JIAN GUAN, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, asked how many undocumented immigrants were now residing in Sweden? What measures had been adopted by the Government to guarantee their fundamental rights? Did Sweden have a system for providing language translation services in the public sector? Which ones required payment? Would the State instigate a programme for free translation services?
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked what follow-up was given to reported complaints? What percentage of cases led to redress? The Committee was informed that the Government had established new methods of criminal tracing consisting of detecting criminals before they committed offences under the Tidö Accord, which allowed law enforcement agencies to carry out checks and unannounced visits accompanied by body searches, in certain residential areas, without suspicion of a prior crime. This had been criticised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Testimonies stated that this Accord had allowed racial profiling, through searching people of colour but not searching white people. What measures were being taken by the State to ensure that these methods did not undermine safety, privacy and freedom of movement?
A Committee Expert said there had been reports that the primary factor behind racial profiling in Sweden was the broad authority granted to police officers to stop and interrogate individuals freely without prior suspicion. How did the Government intend to prevent racial profiling amidst these reports?
Another Committee Expert asked how Sweden’s programmes were being evaluated?
One Expert asked what measures had been introduced to protect the measures of the Tidö Accord? A foreign national had a brain haemorrhage in Sweden and did not receive appropriate care from the ambulance or hospital staff. It was believed the ethnic background of the patient had played a role, which led to that person’s death. In light of this affair, had the State introduced any measures to address the issues for migrants in accessing healthcare? Was the victim’s family appropriately compensated?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said police were not allowed to search houses within the security zone. If police decided to search someone, they needed to have a concrete reason which must be documented.
Children under the age of 18 had the right to receive health care regardless of their migratory status, to the same level of Swedish citizens. Interpretation in health care was free. It was terrible to hear about someone who had died; this should not have happened.
Questions by a Committee Expert
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, said Sweden drew a distinction between ethnic groups and minorities when it came to the teaching of mother tongue languages in the school system. Could this be explained? Those who were Black or mixed race persons in Sweden faced disadvantages, with Black Africans being the largest group of unemployed or in jobs far below their qualifications. What was the State doing to address this gap, recognised by Sweden itself and through other sources of information?
Five zones in Sweden reflected the different socio-economic conditions. According to statistics, Africans and Roma lived in the most disadvantaged areas. What actions had been taken regarding recommendations aimed at reducing the segregation of housing? Studies found that men with names that sounded Swedish received twice as many invites to view social housing dwellings, compared with those whose names sounded Arabic. What measures were being taken by the State to ensure a social housing policy based on equality? Were there any special measures foreseen for the housing of young persons from disadvantaged minority groups?
What activities had been carried out to combat discriminatory stereotypes against the Roma and Sami peoples? Persons from these communities continued to suffer discrimination when it came to access to social services., as well as access to bank accounts. What measures was the State taking to overcome these issues? There had been reports that Muslims were subject to hate crimes, particularly women who wore the veil. What had been done to prosecute and provide reparations for Islamic hate crimes. What additional measures had been taken to protect women who wore the veil? What reparations had been granted to victims?
An action plan had been established to combat Afrophobia; what specific actions had been carried out? How many complaints had the Ombudsperson and police received on intersecting discrimination? The State party itself recognised the existence of racial segregation in Sweden. What measures were being taken to bridge this social divide? What was being done beyond one-off actions? Why was there such a low rate of vaccination among African people during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A study had found that people belonging to the Jewish community faced intolerance and that anti-Semitic hate crime occurred in schools, the workplace and online. However, Jews and Jewish institutions believed reporting these crimes had not changed anything. What measures were being taken to change this and reduce the trend? Would Sweden consider adopting a comprehensive approach for ensuring access by Jews, Roma, Sami, Sweden Finns and Tornedalians children to linguistic rights? What were the relevant results of the inclusion strategy for Roma? What measures were being taken to ensure the history of national minorities was taught in schools? What measures had been taken to improve the housing and health care situations for Roma people? How many Roma students were in universities and what courses were they taking?
The Committee noted that since 2011, Sweden was required to give the Sami people all they needed for developing their culture and ensuring their rights. In 2021, a Truth Commission was established to survey and review policies relating to Sami and their consequences. What were the conclusions of this report and what recommendations had been implemented? In 2022, the act on the mandatory consultation of the Sami people entered into force and was meant to be applied across all municipalities from 2024. Had this law been applied? What measures were being taken by the State party to ensure genuine and effective participation by the Sami Council on measures which risked having a negative impact on the lifestyle of the Sami people?
The Committee had been informed that the obligation to consult the Sami did not apply to courts and similar public authority bodies, including on the exploitation of resources within the reindeer breeding zones, which had a direct impact on the Sami livelihoods. What was being done by the State to protect the environment, particularly the reindeer breeding zones? How was it ensured that the rights of the Sami were taken into account? The targeting and killing of reindeers had been on the rise, as direct crimes against the Sami people. What measures were being taken by the State to protect reindeer herders and tackle these crimes? Why did the Sami people feel that they could not report crimes?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said in 2022, the Tidö Agreement was signed to address significant challenges identified within Swedish society, including in equal education, improved health care, integration of migrants, and reduction of criminality. The Swedish Government was fully committed to upholding its commitments. The State aimed to support ethnic minorities and their minority languages. The Government continued to work on its long-term plan for Roma inclusion, and had adopted measures in employment, health and society. The objective was that by age 20, a Roma person should have the same rights as anyone else.
The Sami people were an integral part of Sweden’s cultural identity. Dialogue with this group was crucial to strengthen the Government’s Sami policies. Recognition of the Sami’s right to use land, including the reindeer grounds, was protected within Swedish law. The Government was aware that the reindeer herding communities were exposed to great challenges which needed to be addressed, including climate change and coexistence with carnivores.
There were several efforts to combat racism in sectors such as employment and health care, including action plans in this regard. Sweden had a general housing policy, meaning the State did not have social housing; instead there was a common rental market for all households, with the municipalities holding responsibility for land use and housing provisions. Discrimination was a huge issue which needed to be combatted, and Sweden had legislation in place in this regard. It was expected that the municipalities would create the conditions for everyone to have good access to housing. Sweden had a national strategy to combat homelessness, adopted in 2022.
The discrimination act entered into force into 2009, and four ombudsman were merged into the Equality Ombudsman. This simplified the work for someone who had been discriminated against for multiple reasons. More than 6,200 complaints relating to ethnicity were made to the Ombudsman between 2020 and 2024, with many also being based on intersecting complaints.
Freedom of expression and freedom of religion were strongly protected in Sweden; however, freedom of expression did not extend to slander or threats against a national or ethnic group. The Swedish police authority believed statistics did not reflect the levels of hate crime faced by vulnerable groups. Work was ongoing in this regard. Prevention on hate crimes did not rest solely on the police but involved the participation of other actors.
Muslim faith communities had highlighted difficulties in gaining access to bank accounts; there was an obligation for banks to provide reasons for any rejection. Measures taken to combat anti-Black racism included a report on Afrophobia hate crimes, which formed an important basis in work to combat this scourge.
Mother tongue tuition followed a national course and curriculum. Those who belonged to one of the national minorities had a stronger right to mother tongue tuition than others. The knowledge grant was introduced in 2018 to strengthen resources in schools.
Questions by Committee Experts
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked to what degree the proposals from the Sami parliament were reflected in public policy? In Sweden, did discrimination based on ethnicity include all national minorities? Was there a mechanism within the Government which allowed for local oversight, including implementation of the law on housing? Did the State consider modifying its law to introduce religion as a possible source of discrimination?
A Committee Expert asked what could be done to ensure that all mining and environmental projects were required to obtain free, prior and informed consent by the Sami populations? Did the State party intend to monitor and combat high levels of violence against Sami women and establish support services for these women?
Another Committee Expert said it seemed as though Sweden had not progressed as much as hoped regarding people of African descent. Possibly education could be used as a tool in this regard. Could general recommendation 36 on racial profiling by law enforcement officials be used by the State party to address issues of racial profiling?
One Expert asked if the apology by the Swedish church to the Sami people was followed by reparations to these people? Sweden had a colonial past and history of slavery. Had the State considered presenting an apology? Was this chapter of Swedish history covered in schools?
An Expert noted that Swedish children had relayed their experiences of racism in Sweden to the Committee. Black or Muslim children often faced discrimination in Sweden, such as not being included at schools, or people not sitting beside them on the bus. This was a loss for the country.
A Committee Expert asked how Sweden ensured institutional Islamophobia could be identified and prevented? What safeguards were there to end the disproportionate surveillance of Muslim organizations?
An Expert said it was concerning that the State had no control over the media. Racism and xenophobia could be countered within the media. Sweden was almost too free in this regard. Sweden should address this challenge, and this responsibility lay with the judicial authorities.
Another Committee Expert thanked Sweden for being honest about issues such as Afrophobia. In 2025, a recommendation had been made for Sweden to review policies regarding the integration of foreigners in the country. Had such a strategy been established? What were the xenophobic political parties in Sweden?
One Expert asked if there were legal and policy measures regarding adopted people in Sweden?
A Committee Expert said the Committee appreciated the frank articulation regarding the existence between the large carnivores and the reindeer as a Sami indigenous right. Could an update be provided on the work of the Committee tasked to oversee reindeer lands. What was the result of the evaluation of the management tool designed to facilitate favourable conservation conditions? Were the strategies of a 2023 anti-Islamophobia project ever implemented?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Sweden had also listened to the testimonies of children and taken them to heart. This had made the Government even more committed to combat racism. This was done through action plans, measures and follow-up systems. Sweden believed this structured way of working was the best way forward. Schools and their staff were considered as the key arenas and an important focus. Sweden was not immune from the global trends of polarisation and the attacks on liberal values. The State was committed to defending the previous gains made.
The Swedish Government was continuing to work on the long-term strategy for Roma inclusion; it was allocating grants to Government municipalities with the purpose of promoting Roma inclusion. There were significant methodological challenges in monitoring Roma health. The Sami parliament played a crucial role in upholding the Sami’s right to self-determination. Sami interests and rights would be better highlighted and taken into account as a result of consultations. The act on consultation was introduced in 2022. As a new piece of legislation, knowledge of the act and its application was gradually spreading among authorities, who were increasingly requesting consultations with the Sami parliament.
The Truth Commission was appointed in 2021 to survey and examine the policies towards the Sami, which aimed to develop measures to propose redress and reconciliation. The Commission was an independent body with an allocated budget. The Government could not interfere in its internal proceedings. Its investigation had been extended until next year. In 2024, the Sami parliament presented a report on violence against women, which found that Sami women faced a higher exposure to violence than other women in Sweden. In 2025, the Sami parliament was given an extended mandate to work on issues of gender equality and violence against women.
At the end of August this year, the State-owned mining company found that within the next 10 years, an additional 2,700 homes and 6,000 people would need to be relocated, due to the impact of its work. The Government was coordinating with relevant actors, including Sami people and reindeer herders. When decisions were made, consultations would be held with concerned Sami representatives.
Approximately 30 per cent of land in Sweden was allocated as land for environmental interests, such as reindeer husbandry, and as such, was under protection. Sami representatives were also involved in land management in these northern counties. Any mining procedures involved assessments in courts. Consultations were held where representatives of the reindeer husbandry could submit special requests and appeal any decisions made. Plans of operation were required to be provided in Sami languages and submitted to Sami parliament. Several measures had been taken to address the high levels of large carnivores in the reindeer husbandry area.
Questions by a Committee Expert
JIAN GUAN, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, appreciated the progress Sweden had made in data statistics. However, there was still a lack of disaggregated data on ethnic groups. Statistical data was an important basis to help the Government make decisions. It was recommended that the Government provide data to the Committee, including updated statistics on the population based on self-identification, as well as updated social and economic indicators on living in Sweden, all disaggregated by ethnic origin, with a focus on Roma and indigenous groups.
Mr. Guan appreciated the work done by the State party in relation to human rights education. However, racial discrimination was increasing in schools. How were anti-discrimination courses entrenched in middle schools and universities? How many class hours were allocated to these topics? Were there guidelines to teachers for teaching these courses? Were teachers punished for making inappropriate remarks in the classroom? Was there a mandatory requirement for training frequency? Did the Government have educational plans to influence the public amidst other occasions, besides school education and vocational training?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the collection of data, particularly in the fight against racism, was a complex issue. There were reasons to be restrictive when it came to collecting data relating to racism and ethnicity. Several statistics shed light on the situation and studies had been carried out to determine how racism affected the population. Efforts had also been made to increase awareness of the living conditions of the minorities.
The national and regional measures to address the consequences and damage levels of large carnivores, such as wolves, brown bears and eagles, aimed to increase compensation to reindeer herding communities. The Swedish Environmental Agency had been involved in this process.
Equal treatment applied within social services. The national board of health and welfare had been tasked by the Government to combat racism in health care and the provision of social services. The Government grants to civil society organizations were crucial support for these organizations and would continue to be provided. Adoption to Sweden had been going on since the mid-twentieth century; some 58,560 people who were born abroad had at some point, been adopted to Sweden.
Educational material on Sweden’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade had been developed for students and teachers. There were no plans for the Government to increase the protection of religion within the Constitution. There had been verdicts connected to the Quran burnings. Work to combat violent extremism must be compatible with the rule of law, and ensure fundamental freedoms were respected in all actions.
Questions by Committee Experts
JIAN GUAN, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, said many questions remained unanswered. How did Sweden conduct statistical work on data? Which institutions were responsible for data statistics in Sweden? Which Government part was responsible for coordinating all data collection issues?
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, said she had heard the Quran was burnt before a mosque and this had been deemed as an aggravation against the Muslim population. What had happened with the Commission to address organised racism? Was there a draft law covering its operation?
A Committee Expert said the Swedish authorities had always been candid in their challenges and had come up with creative programmes and policies to combat these challenges. However, there had not been much improvement in Sweden in recent years, except for the creation of the national human rights institution, which had been very useful to the work of the Committee. Did Sweden have instruments to make an evaluation of all the State party’s efforts, to determine their success?
Another Committee Expert thanked Sweden for efforts made to inform of measures taken to change the curriculum regarding the transatlantic slave trade.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Swedish Statistics Agency provided statistics for research and compiled population statistics which were published every month. These covered sex, birth rates, death rates and country of birth, but did not cover ethnic minorities.
Discrimination was prohibited in schools and universities, including by teachers.
The Government was conducting work to make it a criminal offense to participate in an organization which was racist.
Employers in public administration were provided with training in human rights, to understand their meanings and implications. Initiatives had been carried out to increase knowledge and awareness of human rights.
Closing Remarks
FAITH DIKELEDI PATSY TLAKULA; Committee Expert and Follow-Up Rapporteur, said the concluding observations would include a paragraph on follow-up requesting recommendations to be implemented in one year.
RÉGINE ESSENEME, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Rapporteur, said Sweden had taken numerous measures in recent years and planned to take additional measures to combat racism which had arisen from xenophobia. Sweden was encouraged to tackle the root of evil, placing emphasis on preschool and school education. Ms. Esseneme thanked all those who had made the dialogue possible.
KATARINA LUNDAHL, State Secretary, Ministry of Employment of Sweden and head of the delegation, expressed Sweden’s sincere gratitude for the Committee’s questions and observations. Sweden was a strong defender of a global, rule-based order, prioritising freedom and human rights for everyone. Sweden was deeply concerned about the liquidity crisis of the United Nations, which undermined the work of the Committee and other treaty bodies to discharge their important mandates and weakened the international human rights system as a whole. Sweden’s engagement to eliminate racism and hate crime remained resolute. Ms. Lundahl thanked all those who had made the dialogue possible, including civil society and the Swedish Institute for Human Rights.
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