Sweden - 2012
Are there mechanisms in place to collect data on racial discrimination in line with data protection legislation as an effective means of, monitoring and reviewing policies and practices to combat racial discrimination and promote racial equality?
- Code:
- RED8
- Key Area:
- Anti-discrimination Legislation & Implementation
- Strand(s):
- Discrimination, Equality
| Short Answer |
Yes, but as a main rule according to the Swedish Personal Data Act (1998:204), it is prohibited to process personal data that discloses race or ethnic origin. |
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| Qualitative Info |
The gathering of data on ethnic origin is still a controversial issue in Sweden. As a main rule according to the Swedish Personal Data Act (1998:204), it is prohibited to process personal data that discloses race or ethnic origin. No official statistics of people’s ethnic origins other than citizenship and country of birth are available. Statistics Sweden (SCB) gathers data on Country of birth, citizenship, foreign and Swedish background according to age and gender. These divisions make it difficult to gather data about the differences between different ethnic groups in Sweden.
In the recent report from the CERD (21 August 2008) concern was raised about Sweden's position regarding the collection of data on the ethnic composition of the population. The Committee reiterates its concern about the paucity of such data at its disposal for the monitoring of the Convention and regrets the lack of information on the criteria used for collecting data concerning the situation of migrants.
Sources: The Swedish Personal Data Act (1998:204) http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/dataprotection/national%20laws/SWEDEN_PDAct.pdf (Accessed 2012-03-10) CERD, CERD/C/SWE/CO/18, 21 August 2008, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/CERD-C-SWE-CO-18.pdf (Accessed 2012-03-10) Statistics Sweden (SCB), http://www.scb.se/ (Accessed 2012-03-10) |
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| Groups affected/interested | Migrants, Refugees, Roma & Travelers, Muslims, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities, Asylum seekers, Persons with disability, Africans/black people, National minorities | |
| Type (R/D) | Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, Arabophobia, Anti-roma/zinghanophobia, Religious intolerance, Intra-ethnic, On grounds of other belief, Anti-roma/ romaphobia, Xenophobia | |
| Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas | Anti-discrimination, Anti-racism, Integration - social cohesion, Daily life, Religion | |
| External Url | http://www.scb.se/ | |
| Situation(s) |
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