Sweden is usually not the first country that comes to mind when one thinks of racism or racial discrimination. Yet, as in the United States and many European countries, it has been part of its history and it is still an issue today. We sat down with Paul Lappalainen, American lawyer and member of the European Network of experts in gender equality and non-discrimination to discuss the Swedish legal framework and how it could be used by anti-discrimination organisations and civil society to become an effective drive for change.

Racial Discrimination in Sweden : Driving Change Through the Use of Law

Podcast by The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

News

Anna Bruce, Senior Researcher at RWI, shares insights from her participation in the review of Sweden by the CRPD Committee and her work on Sweden's current implementation of the CRPD. 

-Work in progress version of book chapter in Swedish: Bruce, A, Funktionsrättskonventionen: Fördragskonform tolkning i norm(dis)harmoni, Lind, A-S, Thorburn Stern, R. & Österdahl, I. (red.) (2024). Folkrätten i svensk rätt. Ett nytt decennium. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

-Reports by the students in the Lund Disability Human Rights Clinic on Access to Justice: https://rwi.lu.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/From-comittment-to-reality_Acess-to-justice-in-Sweden-for-persons-with-disabilities.pdf

-The recorded dialogue between the CRPD Committee and the Swedish delegation: 
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1d/k1df2kmul9 
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1vc0oy5na 

-Closing statement from the CRPD Committee after the dialogue between the CRPD Committee and the Swedish delegation:
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2FCRPD%2FOCR%2FSWE%2F30th%2F36586&Lang=en 

-Concluding observation by the CRPD Committee after the dialogue between the CRPD Committee and the Swedish delegation:
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD%2FC%2FSWE%2FCO%2F2-3&Lang=en

Anna Bruce on systemic challenges to the implementation of the CRPD in Sweden

Ehsan Qaane was a Research Fellow for the Afghanistan Programme in 2023. Prior to this, he worked with Afghanistan Analysts Network, a policy researcher organisation, as a political and legal affairs researcher (2012-2022) and as the country director (2017-2020). He is a member of and adviser to several human rights networks in Afghanistan, including the Afghanistan Forensics Science Organisation (AFSO) and Transitional Justice Coordination Group (TJCG). He has published a vast amount of research on the conflict in Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court’s engagement in Afghanistan, human rights and international humanitarian law. He worked as a visiting professional at the International Criminal Court.

Ehsan Qaane on the ICC's Afghanistan Investigation

David Cingranelli is a Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University of the State University of New York. He also is the Co-director of the Binghamton University Human Rights Institute. He has written widely on human rights, democracy, governance, and labor rights. He is a champion of the quantitative, scientific study of human rights. He is a former President of the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association. He, Skip Mark of the University of Rhode Island, and Mikhail Filippov of Binghamton University co-direct the “CIRIGHTS” data project, which is the most comprehensive and widely used human rights data set in the world. The 2023 Global Rights Report uses those data to show that worker rights are among the least protected of all internationally recognized human rights. 
You can see David discussing on producing indicators of national human rights practices: https://youtu.be/20QAIi1BVI4
And argue that we need national human rights report cards: 
https://academicminute.org/2023/05/david-cingranelli-binghamton-university-the-need-for-national-human-rights-report-cards/
More on CIRIGHTS: https://web.uri.edu/artsci/wp-content/uploads/sites/1132/2023-Human-Rights-report-PDF-Final.pdf

David Cingranelli on Labour Rights and Accountability

Mr. Vishal Prasad is the Campaign Director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, a youth-led organization campaigning for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change and human rights. He is from Suva, Fiji, and has studied international politics and law at the University of the South Pacific. He has been part of the ICJ advisory opinion movement since 2019 and is also part of the global ICJ advisory opinion movement under the World’s Youth for Climate Justice. As part of the ICJ advisory opinion campaign, he has a strong focus on securing the Pacific youth demands on the protection of the rights of current and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change.

"Jump on Board the Vaka" Vishal Prasad on climate justice and the ICJ advisory opinion

She is a Pakistani activist, entrepreneur, writer, and disability rights advocate, known for her efforts to promote inclusivity and equality for people with disabilities in Pakistan. Tanzila Khan has been actively involved in raising awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and working towards creating a more accessible and inclusive society. She has also gained recognition for her writing, using her platform to address social issues and advocate for positive change.
 
She founded Girlythings.pk for menstrual kits in Pakistan. At 16, she wrote 'A Story of Mexico,' funding community projects. Through Creative Alley and "Iwish," she supports SDGs. Recognized with awards, she made the film "FruitChaat" and launched "Brain Masala," Pakistan's first accessible podcast. In May 2022, she won the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award in London.

Racial Discrimination in Sweden : Driving Change Through the Use of Law

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