sou · GZB329 · 2011-04-11 00:00:00 — With the help of the for Higher Education, the Government should monitor and further develop existing measures to secure that relevant higher education programmes provide students with the necessary knowledge of and skills in human rights. The task of () is linked to human rights issues, insofar as it includes how new public administration employees can receive training to make them acquainted with the core values of a public ethos. As far as I have been able to ascertain, this task how54 SOU 2011:29 Summary ever does not include any coordinated programme for the training of civil servants on different levels of government administration regarding international human rights obligations. Such knowledge and skills are necessary in order to safeguard respect for human rights. In the report I recommend the Government to instruct the agency to design a long-term programme on how to systematically give staff on different levels of government administration customised training in human rights. The judiciary has a crucial role in the realisation of human rights. Judges must therefore be sufficiently knowledgeable about international human rights obligations in order to be able to ensure that Swedish law is interpreted and applied in accordance with these obligations. I propose that the Government consult with the and consider further measures to ensure a high level of knowledge and awareness within the judiciary in these respects. The measures to be implemented should include an inventory and analysis of the current level of knowledge and the need for training among judges. It should for example be considered whether it is possible to introduce compulsory minimum requirements for in-service professional training also for permanently employed judges. Greater general knowledge about international human rights obligations is also important to increase what the Government in some specific policy areas has chosen to call citizens empowerment . Citizens who do not know their rights and do not understand the context within which they can demand them are not very likely to try to do so. Human rights information and awareness-raising directed towards the general public should therefore also be a fundamental and integrated part of the Governments future systematic work on human rights. Certain specific areas Investigating allegations of excessive violence by officers The way alleged criminal offences and other forms of misconduct by employees are investigated, and particularly whether it is appropriate for officers to investigate officers has been a recurring subject of public debate in . Summary SOU 2011:29 has also been highlighted by a number of international bodies who monitor compliance with its international obligations regarding the protection of human rights. On several occasions, these bodies have recommended the of an office that is independent of the authorities, which should be given the task to investigate alleged offenses by employees. The issue has been the subject of several public inquiries. So far, however, the Government has elected to reform the management of internal inquiries within the framework of the current system. A revised system has recently come into force on 1 January 2011. The new system differentiates more clearly between internal inquiries and other activities. Organisationally speaking, internal inquiries are performed at instead of, as previously, under the auspices of local authorities. They will also be housed in separate premises. This is without doubt an improvement compared to the previous system. I propose in the report that the Government carry out an evaluation of the effects of this reform after a certain period of time. This evaluation should be primarily based on an empirical study, i.e. a closer scrutiny of how internal inquiries are actually conducted in practice. I also recommend that the Government take measures to create a system whereby all cases where a person has died or been seriously injured in connection with an intervention by the , be the subject of a compulsory independent and prompt inquiry procedure, regardless of whether there are grounds for believing that a criminal offense has been committed or not. Restrictions imposed on remand prisoners The situation for persons who have been detained on remand has been repeatedly criticised by international monitoring bodies, primarily with respect to the restrictions imposed upon them as regards their contact with other detainees and the outside world in general. Some improvements have been made as a result of the introduction of a new Treatment of Persons Arrested or Remanded in Custody Act (2010:611). In this report I recommend that the Government plan for a thorough evaluation of the effects of this Act with regard to the use of restrictions imposed on remand prisoners. SOU 2011:29 Summary Depending on the results of the evaluation, the Government should consider whether further legislative or other measures should be taken. Such measures may include obliging the public prosecutor to specify any intended restrictions to be imposed and, as a main rule, also the reasons for these at the time of requesting the Courts permission to impose restrictions on a detainee. Other such measures could be to introduce rules obliging the courts to specify their reasons for granting a prosecutors request in these respects. The Government should furthermore take measures to ensure that reliable statistics are regularly compiled on the number of persons detained, and how often permissions to impose restrictions are granted by the courts. These statistics should also include disaggregated data on the actual use of such restrictions, e.g. with respect to different parts of the country, specific types of restrictions and how long they are in force. In addition, the statistics should be the subject of regular and thorough analysis, in order to give effect to the Governments expressed ambition that restrictions on remand prisoners be used as restrictively as possible. Persons detained under aliens legislation The detention of aliens, e.g. awaiting the implementation of a decision on refusal of entry or deportation, has also been criticised by international human rights monitoring bodies. The same is true for the placing of such persons in remand centres, prisons or cells. I propose in the report that the Government initiate an amendment to the provisions governing detention decisions in accordance with the Aliens Act (2005:716) so that it becomes clear that such decisions may be taken only when absolutely necessary. The Government should also promptly initiate amendments to the Aliens Act to the effect that detention decisions must always be subject to judicial examination. In connection with such an amendment, it should also be considered whether an absolute timelimit can be introduced on how long someone can be detained under these circumstances. Furthermore, I propose that the Government take prompt measures to ensure that persons detained under the Aliens Act are not placed in prisons, remand centres or in cells on the grounds that they may constitute a danger to either 57 Summary SOU 2011:29 themselves or others and therefore cannot be allowed to stay in a detention centre specially created for detained persons awaiting deportation. Threats and violence against prisoners from other inmates The responsibility rests heavily on the prison authorities to protect prisoners against abuse from other inmates. An incarcerated person has chance of defending himself or herself against threats and violence. Effective protection against such abuse must therefore be provided by the Swedish Prison and . I have come to the conclusion that the work of the Prison and to safeguard these rights of prison inmates does not live up to what must be expected. I recommend the Government to commission the Prison and to develop a clear safety and security strategy, including defined goals when it comes to incidences of threatening behaviour and violence against detained persons from other inmates. One fundamental principle governing such a strategy must be that measures to tackle violence or threatening behaviour among inmates must be primarily aimed at the perpetrator and not at the victim of such abuse. Access to legal representation and information on rights The right of access to a defence counsel or other legal representation constitutes a fundamental legal right that can be of crucial importance for the safeguarding of the right to freedom and personal safety and of the right to a fair trial. This right, in addition to other procedural rights afforded to a detained person, can only be asserted effectively, if the person in question knows these rights exist. This is not always the case and Swedish conditions have been the subject of attention by international monitoring bodies also in this regard. I have come to the conclusion that the Government should initiate a legislative amendment to clarify that a person who is to be questioned or asked to provide information as part of a preliminary investigation, but who is not a named suspect in the case, also has a the right to legal representation. Within the framework of such a legislative initiative, it should be considered whether the 58 SOU 2011:29 Summary scope for appointing a public defence counsel should also be extended in a similar way. The Government should also reconsider whether there is a need for statutory amendments in order to clarify that persons arrested or remanded in custody, as well as persons being questioned during a investigation, must always be immediately informed of certain fundamental legal rights, including the right to remain silent and the possible legal consequences at a subsequent trial of a decision to either speak or to remain silent during questioning. I also recommend that the Government consider the issue of inserting an explicit provision into the Legal Aid Act (1996:1619) stating that legal aid must always be granted if that is necessary in order to comply with obligations under Convention on Human Rights. A strengthened regular supervision of the treatment of detained persons It is my recommendation that the Government take measures to ensure that there are relevant public authorities responsible for a regular, continuous, independent and rights-based supervision within certain key areas of society. When assessing which areas should be included in the remit of one or more of these supervisory bodies, the Government should in general consider areas in which the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Chancellor of receive a particularly high number of complaints, or in which these bodies have highlighted especially frequent or serious problems. In particular, there must be an efficient such supervision of the authorities, the prosecution service and the prison and probation service. There must also be effective supervision of the use of decisions to detain persons under the aliens legislation, of compulsory psychiatric care interventions, and of the institutions run by . The Governments review should also include the possible of a Childrens Rights Representative within , with the responsibility for supervising the institutions run by , modelled on the Children and School Pupils Representative at the Swedish Schools Inspectorate. This representative should have the legal authority to represent individual children 59 Summary SOU 2011:29 who have been taken into custody at these institutions and who claim that their rights have been violated. Discrimination The Discrimination Act (2008:567) prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age. This list of grounds is exhaustive. The Act has a wide, but not , scope of application that covers primarily employment and occupation, education, the provision of goods and services, labour exchange services, public unemployment services, membership of certain types of organisations, health care and social services, as well as military service. Protocol 12 to Convention on Human Rights, to which is not a party, on the other hand contains a prohibition of discrimination which is in the sense that it prohibits discrimination in relation to any right prescribed by law, and also discrimination in general by any public authority. It is my recommendation that the Government should initiate a process with the objective that should ratify Protocol 12 of Convention on Human Rights as soon as possible. I also recommend that the Discrimination Act be amended to include a non-exhaustive list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the same way as Article 14 of Convention. I further recommend that the Government, after a period of time, evaluate how the Swedish courts are applying the Discrimination Acts provision on financial compensation to victims of discrimination, which was introduced to ensure that the compensation levels in cases of discrimination are clearly higher than the damages awarded under the general . A broad provision should also be included in the Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination in the form of failure to take reasonable measures of accommodation to ensure access for persons with disabilities. SOU 2011:29 Summary The situation for in An important element of any systematic human rights work must be to put focus on measures to protect and promote the human rights of persons belonging to particularly vulnerable groups. There can be no doubt that the minority constitutes such a group in . have been subject to serious and systematic abuse by society throughout history. Even today, are probably more subjected to prejudice, discrimination and other forms of social exclusion than any other group in Swedish society. The Delegation for Issues published a comprehensive report in the summer of 2010 on the situation of in . This report, Rights – a strategy for in (SOU 2010:55), contains a wide range of proposals to achieve the objective of full and equal participation of in the Swedish society. Regardless of how the Government chooses to act on these individual proposals, I recommend that the report be the startingpoint for coordinated, long-term and rights-based government efforts to enable women and men, girls and boys to participate on equal terms with other people in all areas of Swedish society. These efforts must be planned and implemented in close and continuous consultation with and with the participation of the themselves. The Governments future systematic work on human rights as regards the situation for in must contain clear impact targets in a number of different areas and thus specify the improvements the Government undertakes to try to achieve in those areas within a certain time-frame. The agreement that I propose the Government should seek to establish with the Authorities and Regions (SALAR) on cooperation between central government and the local and regional level as regards systematic work on human rights, should include a particular focus on measures to safeguard right to education. Summary SOU 2011:29 62 The – indigenous people The are only indigenous people. That the in this capacity also have the right to a special status has been publicly recognized by representatives of the Swedish nation state for at least 35 years. In the report I recommend the Government to make renewed and more concerted efforts to include a coherent, clear and rightsbased indigenous peoples policy as an important component of its future systematic work on human rights in . Such a policy should be developed in close consultation with and with the participation of representatives of the people, and should take into account the comments and recommendations submitted to the Government by international human rights monitoring bodies, including in particular the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, such a policy must also include an agreement with representatives of the people on a formal system of consultation with the on all issues affecting their life conditions. As part of such a policy, the Government should also present a clear plan for how any obstacles to a ratification of the Convention No. 169 on the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples can be overcome. Furthermore, the Government should make particular efforts to ensure that the negotiations on a Nordic convention include real and effective participation and influence for the themselves and that the established five-year time-frame is respected. 1 Utredningens uppdrag och arbete 1.1 Bakgrund överlämnade regeringen till en nationell handlingsplan för de mänskliga rättigheterna 2006–2009 (skr. 2005/06:95). Denna handlingsplan, som var den andra i ordningen, bestod av två separata delar: en kartläggning av situationen för de mänskliga rättigheterna i (handlingsplanens del II) och en egentlig handlingsplansdel bestående av 135 åtgärder avsedda att stärka skyddet för de mänskliga rättigheterna på nationell nivå i (handlingsplanens del I). Arbetet med handlingsplanen bedrevs inom med som huvudansvarigt och samordnande departement. Som en väsentlig del av detta arbete genomfördes ett omfattande samråd där möjlighet att delta gavs till företrädare för bl.a. myndigheter, kommuner och landsting, de politiska partierna och det civila samhället, dvs. icke-statliga aktörer i form av bl.a. arbetsmarknadens parter, organisationer, föreningar, trossamfund och andra grupper. Totalt inbjöds omkring 400 olika aktörer, indelade i ett antal informella referensgrupper, att inkomma med synpunkter och förslag på såväl kartläggningen som själva handlingsplanen. Handlingsplanens åtgärd 132 innebar att den särskilda interdepartementala arbetsgrupp för mänskliga rättigheter som finns i skulle få i uppdrag att följa upp planens genomförande. Sedan tidsperioden för handlingsplanens genomförande löpt ut har en sådan uppföljning också genomförts. Denna uppföljning har haft karaktären av en faktaredovisning och har inte innehållit någon värdering av handlingsplanens åtgärder eller av hur dessa genomförts. Utredningens uppdrag och arbete SOU 2011:29 I handlingsplanen konstaterade regeringen att den utvärdering av den första nationella handlingsplanen för de mänskliga rättigheterna1 som utfördes av dåvarande generalsekreteraren för , , utgjort ett mycket värdefullt material vid den nu aktuella handlingsplanens utarbetande. Som en ytterligare åtgärd åtog sig regeringen därför att senast låta utvärdera handlingsplanens genomförande (åtgärd 134). 1.2 Utredningsuppdraget Regeringen beslutade att tillkalla en särskild utredare för att genomföra en utvärdering av den nationella handlingsplanen för de mänskliga rättigheterna.2 Chefen för och jämställdhetsdepartementet, statsrådet , utsåg dåvarande generaldirektören i , , att vara särskild utredare. beslutade regeringen om tilläggsdirektiv till utredningen, varigenom utredningstiden förlängdes så att uppdraget skulle redovisas senast den 31 mars 2011.3 Mitt uppdrag har enligt direktiven varit att utvärdera handlingsplanens genomförande och resultat, samt att med utgångspunkt i utvärderingen lämna rekommendationer inför det fortsatta systematiska arbetet med mänskliga rättigheter på nationell nivå. Direktiven finns i sin helhet i bilaga 1 och 2. Regeringen angav i direktiven att även själva processen med att formulera handlingsplanen är viktig eftersom en väl genomförd probleminventering och prioriteringsdiskussion kan bidra till ett intensifierat offentligt samtal om mänskliga rättigheter, mobilisera olika aktörer kring prioriteringarna på området samt bidra till bättre samordning av arbetet för att uppnå det långsiktiga målet om full respekt för de mänskliga rättigheterna i . I utvärderingen har därför ingått även att göra en bedömning av metod och process i samband med handlingsplanens tillkomst, utformning och innehåll. Utvärderingens primära syfte har varit att ge ett bra underlag för regeringens fortsatta systematiska arbete med frågor om mänskliga rättigheter i . 1 och : Bra början, men bara en början, En utvärderande kommentar om den nationella handlingsplanen för de mänskliga rättigheterna - , (JU2004/6673/D). 2 Dir. 2009:118. 3 Dir. 2010:122. SOU 2011:29 Utredningens uppdrag och arbete I mitt uppdrag har närmare ingått: att utvärdera hur åtgärderna i handlingsplanen genomförts med fokus på vilka metoder som använts samt val av aktörer, att utvärdera handlingsplanens såväl långsiktiga som kortsiktiga resultat, att undersöka hur bl.a. myndigheter lagt upp arbetet med de olika uppdragen som följer av handlingsplanen och om dessa uppdrag påverkat deras arbete med frågorna, samt att bedöma vilka styrformer som får mest genomslag när det gäller att långsiktigt utveckla arbetet med dessa frågor. Relevans, resurseffektivitet, ägandeskap, delaktighet, hållbarhet, inverkan, räckvidd samt samordning har varit bedömningskriterier som jag haft att beakta i mitt arbete. I mina direktiv har också framhållits att goda exempel på samarbetsmekanismer mellan den statliga, regionala och lokala nivån från andra länder eller internationella organisationer kan vara av intresse. Det har ingått i mitt uppdrag att samverka med relevanta aktörer inom de referensgrupper som deltagit vid utarbetandet av handlingsplanen, med Kommuner och Landsting samt med dem som insatserna riktat sig mot. I mina direktiv har även angivits att jag i mitt arbete ska ha kontakt med Delegationen för mänskliga rättigheter i . Enligt direktiven ska jag även behandla vilka finansiella konsekvenser eventuella förslag kan ge och lämna förslag till finansiering. 1.3 Hur arbetet bedrivits I handlingsplanen angav regeringen som en utgångspunkt i arbetet med planen att den borde utarbetas genom en öppen process för konsultation med olika delar av samhället. Med hänvisning till () handbok om nationella handlingsplaner4 betonades att sådana handlingsplaner är betydelsefulla både som resultat och process och att båda dessa aspekter skulle ses som lika viktiga. På detta sätt menade regeringen att olika delar av samhället 4 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Handbook on National Human Rights Plans of Action, Professional Training Series No. 10, United Nations, (). Utredningens uppdrag och arbete SOU 2011:29 skulle kunna mobiliseras i arbetet för de mänskliga rättigheterna och kännedom spridas om den kommande handlingsplanen. Konsultation och dialog framhölls som viktiga också för att öka förtroendet, legitimiteten och effektiviteten i arbetet med att uppnå full respekt för de mänskliga rättigheterna i Sverige.5 Inte minst mot denna bakgrund har det varit naturligt att en väsentlig del av mitt arbete med utvärderingen av handlingsplanen och de förslag inför regeringens fortsatta systematiska arbete med mänskliga rättigheter som jag lämnar i detta betänkande, har utgjorts av omfattande konsultationskontakter med berörda organisationer och myndigheter. Dessa samråd har genomförts både skriftligen och vid sammanlagt ett 60-tal olika möten med företrädare för , statliga myndigheter, länsstyrelser, kommuner, landsting samt enskilda organisationer. För att inhämta skriftliga synpunkter på de frågor som aktualiseras i mina direktiv har jag till en bred krets av mottagare översänt en enkät angående bl.a. handlingsplanens tillkomst och genomförande. Enkäten har skickats till samtliga aktörer inom de referensgrupper som deltagit i handlingsplanens utarbetande, liksom till ett antal ytterligare intressenter vilkas erfarenheter och synpunkter bedömts vara av betydelse för mitt uppdrag. En förteckning över mottagarna av enkäten finns bifogad som bilaga 3. Med utgångspunkt bl.a. från inkomna enkätsvar har jag därefter genomfört samrådsmöten med ett antal relevanta aktörer.