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Is racial discrimination defined in national law?

Code:
RED1
Key Area:
Anti-discrimination Legislation & Implementation
Strand(s):
Racism, Discrimination
17/11/2011 - 22:53
Short Answer

Yes. The Race Directive has been transposed into national law through  the Discrimination Act (2008:567), but the concept of race is not used in Government official documents. Instead, the term 'ethnic discrimination' is used. 

Qualitative Info

The Swedish Government Official Report about unlawful discrimination" (SOU 2001:39), suggeted that the concept of race should instead be subsituted with the concept of ethnic origin or skin colour.  In the Discrimination Act (2008:567), the term 'ethnicity' rather than 'race' is used. Ethnicity is an umbrella term that includes: "national or ethnic origin, skin colour or other similar circumstance."

The definition of discrimination is found in section 4 of the Discrimination Act as follows:

1. Direct discrimination: Less favourable treatment of a disadvantaged person than the treatment afforded to another person in a comparable situation, where such disadvantageous treatment is associated, inter alia, with ethnicity, religion or other belief.
2. Indirect discrimination: Less favourable treatment of a disadvantaged by the application of a provision, a criterion or a procedure that appears neutral but that may put people of, inter alia, a certain ethnicity, a certain religion or other belief at a particular disadvantage, unless the provision, criterion or procedure has a legitimate purpose and the means that are used are appropriate and necessary to achieve that purpose.  
3. Harassment: conduct that violates a person’s dignity and that is associated with one of the grounds of discrimination including  ethnicity, religion or other  belief.  
4. Sexual harassment: conduct of a sexual nature that violates someone’s dignity.  
5. Instructions to discriminate: orders or instructions to discriminate against someone in a manner referred to in points 1–4 that are given to someone who is in a subordinate or dependent position to the person who gives the orders or instructions or someone 
who has committed herself or himself to performing an assignment for that person.  

 

Source: 

The Discrimination Act (2008:567), http://www.do.se/Documents/pdf/new_discrimination_law.pdf

The Swedish Government Official Report about unlawful discrimination, (SOU 2001:39) http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c4/05/99/dca41dd6.pdf

The Equality Ombudsman: http://www.do.se

 

Groups affected/interested Refugees, Ethnic minorities, Asylum seekers
Type (R/D) Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Afrophobia, Inter-ethnic
Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas Anti-discrimination
External Url www.do.se
Situation(s)
Library
The Swedish Discrimination Act SFS 2008:567
The Swedish Government Official Report about unlawful discrimination
04/03/2012 - 16:44
Short Answer

Yes, except that the concept of ethnicity is used instead of race.

Qualitative Info

The concept of ethnicity in the Discrimination Act (2008:567) is defined as “national or ethnic origin, skin colour or similar circumstance” (Ch. 1 Sec. 5 p. 3).  The definitions of racial, ethnic origin or religion are in conformity with the Race Directive except that the concept of ethnicity is used instead of race.


Source: Discrimination Act (2008:567) , http://www.do.se/Documents/pdf/new_discrimination_law.pdf (accessed 03.03.2012).

Groups affected/interested Migrants, Refugees, Roma & Travelers, Ethnic minorities, Asylum seekers, Africans/black people
Type (R/D) Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Afrophobia
Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas Anti-discrimination
External Url http://www.do.se/Documents/pdf/new_discrimination_law.pdf
Situation(s)
Library
The Swedish Discrimination Act SFS 2008:567