Gender equality

Gender-based violence and honour-based violence and oppression were central themes as Nordic and Baltic gender equality ministers met in Stockholm on 27 November. The meeting took place in connection with a meeting in the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality and LGBTI earlier in the day.

In its 2025 Budget Bill, the Government is presenting a range of initiatives to tackle men’s violence against women. The Government intends to propose strengthening support to victims of prostitution, and to allocate SEK 10 million for this purpose in 2025. The Government also intends to propose reinforcements to national telephone help lines for victims of violence, with the aim of preventing and combating men’s violence against women, intimate partner violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking. It is therefore proposed that the National Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence Against Women (NCK) at Uppsala University receive an additional SEK 7 million in 2025. The aim is to increase the national help lines’ response rate.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard delivered an address during the UN Federation’s seminar on UN Day on 24 October 2024. The seminar was held at the Stockholm Concert Hall. Check against delivery.

National Statement at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) delivered by Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard on behalf of Sweden. New York, September 2024. Check against delivery.

The text of the following joint statement was released by the Governments of Australia, Chile, Denmark, France, Iceland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America

The Government’s new action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking, for the period 2024–2026, contatins over 130 initiatives and measures. This is a short version of the action programme.

The Government is working tirelessly to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking. The Government´s new action programme for the period 2024–2026 helps reinforce these efforts.

The Government is now presenting an action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking for the period 2024–2026. The programme contains over 130 initiatives and measures to be undertaken on a broad front at national, regional and local level. The efforts will also be strengthened in four special priority areas for development.

National Statement delivered by Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg, at the 68th Session of the Commission on Status of Women, New York, 12 March 2024. Check against delivery.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been tasked with sharing knowledge about honour-based violence and oppression in connection with stays abroad. The Government has now also tasked the Agency with analyzing and presenting proposals for a national reporting and follow-up system for cases where a child or adult has been taken abroad. This involves determining the scope of the problem and establishing an approach to systematic follow-up.

On 10–16 March, Minister for Gender Equality Paulina Brandberg is taking part in the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), also known as the UN women’s commission, in New York. The theme of this year’s session is combating poverty and how institutions and financing can be strengthened from a gender equality perspective. Ms Brandberg is also hosting the activities arranged by the Nordic Council of Ministers, of which Sweden is holding the Presidency in 2024. Ms Brandberg will hold two policy speeches: Sweden’s policy speech and a policy speech for an LGBTI Core Group that includes Sweden.

Statement by Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg, at the 68th Session of the Commission on Status of Women, New York, 11 March 2024. Check against delivery.

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

Preventing and combating men’s violence against women, other types of intimate partner violence, and honour-based violence and oppression is a high priority for the Government. More than SEK 600 million will be invested in gender equality in 2024 and government agencies have been assigned several new assignments. The Government is now further strengthening the work towards gender equality and presents investment in women’s economic empowerment and to increase knowledge about national minorities’ exposure to violence.

This material provides an overview of main areas of the Government policy on gender equality. It describes current political goals and strategies and gives a brief historical background to important reforms. It also identifies further remaining challenges and explains how the Government is addressing these and what measures are taken in order to initiate change.

Preventing and combating men’s violence against women and honour-based violence and oppression is a highly prioritised issue in action for gender equality. Through its gender equality policy, the Government is investing over SEK 600 million in this area in 2024. The appropriation directions given to several government agencies have given them important mandates to strengthen these efforts, which require long-term sustainability and persistence.

The action plan applies to the period 2024-2028 and focuses on the role of women and girls in conflicts and peace processes.

On 26 October, the Government submitted its thematic report to the Council of Europe on how Sweden is implementing the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). Civil society organisations can submit shadow reports on their view of Sweden’s implementation of the Convention.

The Government’s Budget Bill for 2024 proposes initiatives to combat and prevent honour-based violence and oppression, and racism and discrimination. The Government also intends to take measures to combat wage guarantee abuse. The proposals are based on an agreement between the Government and the Sweden Democrats. On 20 September, the Government presented the Budget Bill for 2024 to the Riksdag.

Members of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse gave a statement on women’s and girls’ rights to participate in public life.