Ministry of Employment

All government policy must redistribute power and resources for a more gender-equal society. The goal is to ensure that women and men have the same power to shape society and their own lives.

The Government has decided to appoint a commission for gender-equal lifetime earnings. The commission has been instructed to present proposals that aim to increase economic equality between women and men in Sweden in the long term.

The Government has decided to refer a proposal to the Council on Legislation for Sweden to implement the EU’s revised Posting of Workers Directive. In its referral to the Council on Legislation, the Government proposes legislative amendments that will create more equal conditions for posted workers and domestic workers. The Government also proposes tighter regulations on the notification obligation in connection with the posting of workers and an extension of the right of access for regional safety representatives.

A government assignment to eight government agencies has yielded positive results from efforts to stop fraud, regulatory infringements and criminal activity in working life. The Government now wants to use the experience gained from the assignment to help government agencies work effectively to stop criminal activity in working life.

In a proposal referred to the Council on Legislation for consideration, the Government proposes that a new child marriage offence be introduced that can result in imprisonment for up to four years. The Government also proposes new grounds for tougher penalties for ‘honour’ crimes and a new instrument, a travel ban, to further strengthen protection against honour-related crime.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day January 27 several representatives from the Swedish Government participated in memorial services to honour the victims of the Holocaust and to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Geneva, January 27, 2020 Check against delivery

Sweden’s human rights compliance will be reviewed within the framework of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Monday 27 January in Geneva. Sweden’s delegation at the review before the UN Human Rights Council will for the first time be led by a government minister – Åsa Lindhagen, Minister for Gender Equality with responsibility for anti-discrimination and anti-segregation.

On 1st of January 2020 The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Act (2018:1197) entered into force.

This information material contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2019 or some time thereafter.