Response to interpellation 2025/26:162 on the seventh gender equality sub-goal
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the seventh gender equality sub-goal regarding honor-related violence and oppression. L argues that the sub-goals are not binding on the Riksdag, but that the government intends to return with a communication regarding the new sub-goal 1. L emphasizes that the clarity regarding men's violence against women in the sixth sub-goal remains unchanged 1 and presents the new wording for sub-goals six and seven 2. S criticizes the lack of clarity regarding governance and when decisions are made 3. S argues that the sub-goals are indivisible and that economic equality is crucial to achieving the goals 4. S demands clear answers on when communications should be submitted 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Sofia Amloh has asked me what reasons lay to ground for why I did not submit the new sub-objective for a decision by the Riksdag in the same way as the other six objectives. I would like to begin by thanking Sofia Amloh for her commitment to issues of gender equality.
The overall goal of the gender equality policy is that women and men shall have the same power to shape society and their own lives. The goal has been decided by the Riksdag (prop. 2008/09:1, bet. 2008/09:AU1, rskr. 2008/09:115).
Furthermore, the government has established sub-targets for the gender equality policy. Through the government's communication Power, Goals and Authority – feminist policy for an equal future (skr. 2016/17:10), the then-government presented a new sub-target structure for the gender equality policy.
In the budget bill for 2026 (prop. 2025/26:1), the government has decided on a new wording for the sixth gender equality sub-goal regarding the cessation of men's violence against women and on the introduction of a new gender equality sub-goal on honor-related violence and oppression. The government has simultaneously proposed that additional funds be allocated for an action plan against honor-related violence and oppression, in order to consolidate efforts around the new sub-goal.
It also appears from the budget bill that the government intends to return to the Riksdag in a letter to provide a more detailed account of the new and revised sub-targets. I look forward to doing so and then, as signaled, presenting a new national strategy to ensure a sustainable and coordinated effort against men's violence against women, violence in close relationships, honor-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
There have been some different versions regarding this, first and foremost the seventh sub-objective. The government has decided on this, and then there are to be communications back to the Riksdag. It is a bit unclear, and it actually has been even from the minister himself in the chamber, during question periods and during other interpellation debates.
I thought, therefore, that we should perhaps once and for all make this clear for everyone. There are quite a few who are engaged in this issue, not least civil society organizations and many others. This lack of clarity has not, I believe, been good for that work.
Will the Swedish Riksdag be given the opportunity to decide on a seventh sub-objective, what it should contain, and in what way it should steer towards achieving progress in these issues? I read and see that a plan of action is being developed, and I think that is good. It is an answer that has been given in other contexts, especially when it comes to a number of other issues in the field of equality.
But it needs to be clarified how it is intended regarding the seventh sub-objective. Where are the decisions made? What position does it have compared to the other sub-objectives? How is it to be governed? When will we see it? If something is to come to the Riksdag, when is it intended to happen? One should be able to answer that. If one works purposefully with a strategy or to produce an action plan, I think that one works according to some type of timeline and not just completely aimlessly until one is eventually finished. I think that the Minister can probably answer this, and then it will become much clearer for everyone concerned.
The second thing I thought of was that the Minister answers that there should be a new wording for the already existing sixth sub-objective regarding men's violence against women. Then I wonder: What does it read? I have not seen that anywhere.
It may be that I have missed it, and in that case, I must apologize most sincerely. But we must be clearly informed of what the new wording is.
When the investigation was commissioned, a number of facts emerged, and there has been a lot of back and forth. I am curious about the new wording precisely because it has been discussed quite a bit back and forth. If the intention is to make it less clear that it concerns violence against women, which we have national commitments regarding, it is important that it appears, so that we do not get a weakened sub-objective when the wording is changed.
Let me summarize for the sake of clarity: Where and when do we decide on the seventh sub-objective, and what shall it contain? I also want to know what the new wording for the sixth sub-objective is. These are quite a few questions, and it is quite scattered. I see this as quite serious, because it concerns governance and where we want to go. It must be done strategically, long-term, and with determination. This lack of clarity does not favor progress in these matters. It is very unfortunate.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Sofia Amloh, for the question on governance! There are few subjects that engage me as much as governance issues, so I am truly pleased with the question and will try to bring clarity to these parts.
Member of the Board Sofia Amloh asked me a question about this during an oral question period. At that time, the time limit was very short. I will therefore attempt to deepen the answer regarding those parts.
Since December 2008, the sub-targets, unlike the overall goal, are not bound by the Riksdag. It is therefore the government's intention that, when it comes to the sub-targets, not to depart from the practice we have had since 2008. They are thus not subject to a Riksdag decision, even though the budget bill in large is.
We intend to return with a communication clarifying the work with the new, seventh sub-goal. The sub-goal reads: "Honor-related violence and oppression shall cease. Everyone, regardless of gender, shall throughout life have the same right and opportunity to live their life without being restricted by collectively based honor norms."
The portal paragraph in sub-objective 6 is that men's violence against women shall cease. However, I do not have the new formulation of the sixth sub-objective in my head. I therefore cannot reproduce it exactly. However, based on Member Sofia Amloh's question, I can assure that it is in no way something that is being eroded. The clarity regarding men's violence against women is unchanged. We use gendered language to highlight that that is where the main problem lies. But we also mention violence in close relationships in addition to this. The main portal introduction is therefore about men's violence against women, and that remains fixed.
In terms of governance, we have both the strategy and the action plans. I have mentioned the action plan regarding honor-related violence and oppression, and we will also present an additional action plan regarding prostitution and human trafficking. They are extremely important for governance when it comes to the overall gender equality policy goal and our seven sub-goals, as well as for the various measures, interventions, and assignments that we include with these action plans, so that they follow the Riksdag's and the Government's objectives in these matters.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Now the Minister is speaking in the response regarding a new wording for the sixth equality sub-goal, but we cannot find out what it reads. That makes it a bit difficult to handle an entire sub-goal, one of the highest priorities. Now, the seventh one is coming.
I see and hear what the Minister says. A referral to the Riksdag is to be issued regarding how they intend to work with this based on the action plan. Will we in the Riksdag receive it during this parliamentary term? The question requires a yes or a no answer – nothing more than that.
We are talking about the action plans. I say the same thing here: They are very good. It is great with action plans, especially if they become long-term, if there is governance, if there is a broad consensus, and if you include many parts of society who feel involved in this and notice that you are working on it. Then you can achieve governance in these issues.
I know that many feel a bit uncertain about what role one has in civil society or within authorities based on these action plans. It is a matter of achieving great participation, so that everyone knows what it is about and which direction to go in to achieve progression.
Let me return to this regarding the action plans. All sub-goals – we have to practice saying "all seven sub-goals" – are indivisible from one another. They are completely dependent on each other. The economic equality policy, which is also one of the sub-goals, is absolutely crucial if one is to succeed with the sixth sub-goal, regarding men's violence against women, or the seventh, regarding honor-related violence and oppression. For a woman who does not have a job but is relegated to being at home – it can be for many reasons, but she therefore has no other context, a job, to go to – and does not have her own means of support, it is extremely difficult to escape the oppression, regardless of where it comes from or what it looks like.
My question is: Are there ambitions to have other action plans to achieve progression in sub-goals 1–5? Is there a plan to also make submissions to the Swedish Riksdag on how to achieve results even regarding these sub-goals? The sub-goals are not divisible from one another but are dependent on one another. Will we receive such a report?
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, Sofia Amloh, for a very interesting debate! Yes, I will return to the issue during this parliamentary term. And yes, we can have a specific review of all the government's action plans regarding these issues and look at the management and how it fits together.
Politics is often a collective assessment. One must approach the issues from different angles, just as Member Sofia Amloh is pointing out. One needs a holistic understanding of the gender equality policy objective for all the different sub-goals. But one also needs to address the issues specifically. That is one of the reasons why the government chooses to create a specific sub-goal for honor-related violence and oppression.
At the same time as one needs a holistic understanding and, just as the member says, cannot separate the goals from one another, it is precisely this that one needs to do to access specific parts within certain types of issues. Then one can make certain things visible and put special force behind other parts. That is how we can progressively and with force increase the work on equality.
When it comes to the sixth sub-objective, it has the following wording: ”Violence against women, violence in close relationships and exploitation in prostitution and human trafficking shall cease. Everyone, regardless of gender, shall have the same right and opportunity to bodily and mental integrity throughout life.”
The new seventh sub-objective reads: ”Honor-related violence and oppression shall cease. Everyone, regardless of gender, shall throughout their lives have the same right and opportunity to live their lives without being restricted by collectively based honor norms.”
I look forward to returning to Member Sofia Amloh and the Riksdag with both action plans and letters.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! It has become clear from these two debates that we in the Committee on Employment will have much more to do when we return in January. A number of things that are to be placed on our table have been announced here in the chamber today. I look forward to it. It has been sought for a long time. That it is coming now, at the end of the mandate period, is well better late than never. I really look forward to it and hope that it holds, because it is a task that we will need to debate and take a stand on in this chamber. It is not just about documents and action plans. It is about important governing documents that are to have a strong impact in order to pull many in this society in the right direction, and such things take time.
We need to consolidate strength against violence. Regardless of where the oppression comes from and what it looks like, there must be a concerted effort where we also stop, catch up, evaluate, and have an approach where we hold this line without inventing new things all the time and where we also notice that something is happening. Obviously, the spring should be about that, and we thank you for that.
I want to conclude by saying that I will continue to point out the economic policy in this. Even though I do not think that ambition exists in the Minister, it would require one, two, and perhaps even three approaches from the government's side to achieve better results under that sub-goal, which assumes that one reaches the other results. There, we Social Democrats will have a small extra thumb in the eye of this government.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! I look forward to discussing these issues as soon as just a few days or a week in the debate linked to the expenditure areas and the budget where these sub-goals are also mentioned. We will therefore soon have an occasion to debate these issues further.
I also look forward to returning with a communication to the Speaker of the Riksdag. I can assure you that we will not slow down the pace from the government's side regarding strategies and action plans. We will have to return on the majority of these issues.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.