Time to step up efforts to combat violence and promote gender equality

“Women and men must have equal power to shape society and their own lives. International Women’s Day is a reminder of how important gender equality is around the world, and even though we have come far in Sweden, we can do much more. The Government is therefore stepping up its efforts to stop men’s violence against women and increase women’s economic empowerment,” says Minister for Gender Equality, Paulina Brandberg and continues: 

“Efforts to combat honour-based violence and oppression are a priority for the Government. These efforts include many challenges, but our mind is made up – honour-based violence and oppression have no place in our society.”

"Knowledge needs to increase among professionals, since honour-based violence and oppression may require other types of efforts than cases without honour-related motives. This particularly applies where someone is suspected of or prosecuted for an offence. The Swedish Gender Equality Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Police Authority have ongoing assignments that will make a difference as regards knowledge and contact, access to protection and support and increased detection of exposure to violence,” says Ms Brandberg.

New action plan

The next step in the Government’s work to ensure coordinated, long-term and effective efforts to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, other types of intimate partner violence, and honour-based violence and oppression is to develop a new action plan for 2024–2026. Honour-based violence and oppression will consistently have high priority in the plan. 

Inquiry on interim objectives

In August 2023, the Government appointed an inquiry to help strengthen long-term governance of efforts to combat men’s violence against women, other types of intimate partner violence and honour-related violence and oppression. The inquiry chair will determine whether a specific gender equality policy interim target should be introduced to prevent and combat honour-based violence and oppression. The aim is to propose how honour-based violence and oppression can be given increased focus in gender equality policy and in society. The interim report has been submitted on 7 March 2024, and the final report will be submitted on 28 February 2025.

Knowledge about strangulation must increase

Strangulation is a common form of violence when lethal violence is used against a partner, particularly in cases where the victim is a young woman. The National Board of Forensic Medicine has been tasked with surveying and compiling existing knowledge on strangulation, including when it occurs in sexual contexts. The National Board of Forensic Medicine must also improve its internal knowledge building regarding strangulation and spread this knowledge to authorities in the judicial system. It is important that law enforcement authorities have access to the latest knowledge about strangulation. 

Improved opportunities to receive support at night

The Government has approved an additional SEK 3 million in funding to the National Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence against Women, which is based at Uppsala University, for 2024. The aim is to increase the staffing of the helplines for people subjected to violence, especially at night, to enable more callers to get through and receive support. 

National reporting and follow-up system for abductions abroad

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been tasked with presenting proposals on the design of a national reporting and follow-up system for cases where a child or adult has been abducted abroad. The assignment is given since there is no system for reporting and following up on how many children and adults are abducted each year. A clearer picture of the scope of the problem is required to implement the right measures. Moreover, follow-up needs to be more structured and systematic to enable relevant actors to take the right measures to prevent abductions and to provide vulnerable people with the right support and protection.

Status report on the vulnerability of national minorities 

The Government has tasked the Swedish Gender Equality Agency with compiling a status report on vulnerability among this group and promoting efforts to combat men’s violence against women, other types of intimate partner violence, and honour-based violence and oppression among children and young people who belong to national minorities. Vulnerability to honour-based violence and oppression will be particularly highlighted, as will the vulnerability of LGBTIQ people.

The Government considers that there is a need for measures to increase knowledge about vulnerability relating to men’s violence against women, other types of intimate partner violence, and honour-based violence and oppression among children and young people who belong to national minorities. This particularly applies to honour-based violence and the vulnerability of LGBTIQ people. The Government also considers that there is a need for knowledge about currently available preventive and supportive measures, and about knowledge-enhancing efforts that take account of the specific needs that may exist among each national minority. 

The assignment is based on the international recommendations that Sweden received in the review of compliance with the Istanbul Convention. 

Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship and ownership

A gender-equal country utilises all the skills, innovation and entrepreneurship required to achieve sustainable economic growth, which makes it possible to tackle major societal challenges. In an international context, Sweden is a very gender-equal country, but economic inequality between women and men still exists. On average, women currently have lower employment rates, shorter working hours, higher levels of absence, and lower wages and capital incomes than men. Naturally, their lower lifetime earnings also have an impact later in life, in the form of lower pensions. The Government is therefore taking new steps to enhance women’s economic empowerment.

The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and the Swedish Gender Equality Agency have been tasked with promoting women’s entrepreneurship and ownership. This includes an extensive and long-term assignment that aims to strengthen the position of women as entrepreneurs and their roles in the business sector. At the same time, the remit contributes to increased investments in Swedish businesses, which in turn strengthens Sweden’s economy and competitiveness. 

In its appropriation directions for 2024, the Swedish Gender Equality Agency was tasked with analysing the housing market from a gender-equality perspective, including the possibilities for young people to establish themselves in the housing market. In its appropriation directions for 2024, the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise was tasked with analysing how remote work has affected gender equality. Both the analysis of gender equality in the housing market and the effect of remote work on gender equality will provide important supplementary information on the status of economic empowerment and what can be done to improve it. 

A strong voice in the world

In a world where women’s and girls’ rights are questioned in several countries and regions, Sweden must be a strong voice and defender of gender equality. This year, the Government will strategically promote gender equality in multilateral cooperation within the EU, the UN, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

During the session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women on 11–22 March, Sweden and the other Nordic countries will especially highlight issues on economic empowerment and economic violence. Sweden is still active in a coalition on economic empowerment within the framework of the UN Generation Equality Forum together with other progressive Member States, civil society organisations, multilateral organisations, businesses and philanthropic organisations. The focus of the coalition is on women and men having the same opportunities and conditions with regard to paid work that provides financial independence throughout life.

The 2024 Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers is focusing on two themes in the area of gender equality – efforts to combat honour-based violence and oppression and economic empowerment. The Presidency has initiated a major Nordic study on how the region is combating honour-based violence and oppression. Furthermore, a seminar will be organised, called ‘Paths to equal integration – foreign-born women’s access to the labour market in the Nordic Region’. It will emphasise lessons learned from the Nordic countries’ efforts to increase the participation of foreign-born women in the labour market.

The Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers will also contribute to the implementation of the Nordic roadmap to promote gender equality, women’s and girls’ rights and LGBTIQ equality.