Human Rights

Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

In Sweden this is very important to follow. Much effort is made, and regulations set up so that women are to be treated as equals to men. One of the first issues the UN established, and among the most important was that the human rights are to apply equal to men and women, girls and body. In 1979 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations against Women (CEDAW) was held by the UN. (Regeringskansliet, Women's Rights) The main point was that governments, in the most common forms were obliged to prohibit discrimination of women with legal measures appropriate. Nevertheless some nation States and their parties are skeptical towards the Convention, undermining the purpose; to set a conventional standard giving women and men the same chance to benefit from the human rights.

In Sweden the government have people working with the issues of human rights; Ombudsmen working for the government are often in charge of these questions, as the Office of the Equal Opportunities works to ensure the following of the Equal Opportunity act from 1991(Regeringskansliet, Women's Rights), with the purpose of equality within work and employment. The Ombudsman from the office also spreads information and elevates the human right throughout schools and Universities, with focus on gender inequality in labour and market (Regeringskansliet, Women's Rights).

However in June 2008 the act of Equal Opportunities was replaced with a new Anti-Discrimination Act, which will combat all discrimination on all grounds, such as age, religion, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation and more. On the governments human-rights website it's stated that "The act will apply to most areas of society, such as working life, education, goods, services and housing, social services, the social insurance system, health care, national military and civilian service and regarding public appointments." (Regeringskansliet, Act)

This new act will come in place instead of six previous discrimination laws, and furthermore two newly appointed basis of discrimination are mentioned in this act, trans-gender identity or expression and discrimination due to age (Regeringskansliet, Act). Moreover, in Sweden's attempts to remove discrimination with modernization and replacing of the old and not up-to-date acts and what used to be accepted, there is also a new agency put in place; the Office of the Ombudsman against Discrimination, with the task to make certain the new act is followed.

Although this new act affects the Office of Children's Ombudsman, they will continue as before. The Child policy in Sweden is rather straightforward. It is for the child's rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are followed (Regeringskansliet, Child Policy). The Swedish policy is with emphasis on the children's right to express their views and let those thoughts and opinions be sources of knowledge as far as possible.

Every child should be able to grow up in a place where they feel secure, where their needs can be seen to and they may develop at their own rate. All children have right to protection against all forms of abuse and/or violence, even if it comes from the parents, who have primary responsibility for the raising of the child and caring throughout childhood. These policies count for biological as well as adopted children, which means boys or girls under the age of 18.

Much of this is based on the CRC -the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was held by the international Committee, to which Sweden as well as most European countries report to every five years, measuring and reporting that the governments have implied the initiatives of the Convention. The report also contains information about other child rights actions within the nation, the work of NGO's, county councils and foundations, basically everyone who works with the rights of children. The Children's Ombudsman the National Board for Inter-country Adoptions are working together to ensure the policies and laws are kept.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is a governmental organization within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; their mission is to create better living-conditions for people living in poverty (SIDA, About Sida). However the counsel of SIDA does also consist with people from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and NGO's (SIDA, About Sida).

By reducing injustice and poverty, generating peace there will come better opportunities and conditions for the people in the world, with focus on those living in least developed countries. Although SIDA channels much of Sweden's ODA (Official Development Aid) they do not alone handle everything. However, the large amount they control is 15.4 billion SEK, which is 53% of the total development cooperation budget (SIDA, About Sida).

The guidelines and directives that SIDA is given come from the Swedish Parliament. The overall goal, states within the directives is Global Development and the reduction of poverty, since they defy poverty as being a situation where people, whatever cause or reason, have their freedom limited in deciding and creating their lives (SIDA, Directives). SIDA work with the notion that lack of choice, food and resources (materialistic) lies in the heart of poverty.

In its work SIDA is not alone, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are only two of the major partners. However since Sweden joined the EC in 1995 (today the EU) SIDA has gotten the chance to work with like thinking or "like-minded" organizations with the same goals as SIDA has. Through the EU, SIDA has developed internationally and gotten better ways to organize their work (SIDA, Sida at work).

In summary Sweden is a country that is active in the field of Human rights. They create laws and acts following the guidelines of the UN, set act in place and are active at the conventions held to ensure and protect human rights. In Sweden there are organizations, which are created to help globally with human rights, as many organizations tend to be in Sweden some are governmental with their founding's from the government and directives directly from the Swedish Parliament. One of these is SIDA that works on a global scale having as its overall goal to help with global development and stop poverty, poverty that is said to be a violation of the Human rights, due to the fact that poverty limits the freedom of choice and right to and ability to decide over ones life.

Works Cited List:

(SIDA, Sida at work). Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Edita Comminication AB. Sida at work: A guide to Principles, Procedures and Working Methods.2005.

(SIDA, Directives). SIDA. 19 May 2009. "The Government's guidelines and Sida's directives" 18 Dec 2008. <http://www.sida.se/sida/jsp/sida.jsp?d=107&a=1837&language=en_US>

(SIDA, Development). SIDA. 19 May 2009. "How Sweden and Sida work with international development cooperation"

<http://www.sida.se/sida/jsp/sida.jsp?d=105&a=3816&language=en_US >

(SIDA, About Sida). SIDA. 19 May 2009. "About Sida". 01 okt 2008. -

<http://www.sida.se/sida/jsp/sida.jsp?d=115&a=709&language=en_US>