Laws, rights and obligations
The law has specific rules about discrimination. Not all unfair treatment is covered by those rules.
Goal: understand the basics and find the right official help route.
Translated from Swedish. Always rely on the Swedish text and the official source.
Show the original Swedish text
Lagar, rättigheter och skyldigheter
Diskriminering enligt lagen har särskilda villkor. All orättvis behandling är inte samma rättsliga fråga.
- Sju grunder skyddas: kön, könsöverskridande identitet eller uttryck, etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller annan trosuppfattning, funktionsnedsättning, sexuell läggning och ålder.
- Missgynnande eller kränkning behöver normalt ha samband med en grund; sexuella trakasserier är ett undantag.
- Lagen gäller inte alla samhällsområden eller generellt mellan privatpersoner.
- Du kan anmäla till DO. Fackmedlemmar hänvisas först till facket vid arbetsplatsärenden.
- Läs grunderna hos DO.
- Skriv vad som hände och i vilket sammanhang.
- Följ DO:s vägledning eller kontakta facket vid ett arbetsplatsärende.
Andra lagar kan gälla när diskrimineringslagen inte gör det. Integrera avgör inte enskilda lagbrott.
Good to know
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Seven grounds are protected: sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age.
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For this law to apply, unfair treatment usually has to be linked to one of these grounds. Sexual harassment is an exception.
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The law does not cover every part of society. It does not generally cover private people dealing with each other.
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You can report to the Equality Ombudsman (DO). Union members are first referred to their union in workplace cases.
Three steps to get started
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Read about the grounds at DO.
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Write down what happened and in what context.
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Follow DO’s guidance or contact your union in a workplace case.
A practical checklist to try. It does not add any legal requirements.
Important distinctions
Other laws may apply when the Discrimination Act does not. Integrera does not decide whether a law has been broken in individual cases.
Practice question
Show the right answer and explanation
A. No, the law does not cover every situation.
DO describes the limits of the law and that other laws may be relevant.
This question is practice, not a test. Answers are not saved.
Sources
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Diskrimineringsombudsmannen
Diskrimineringsgrunder (opens in a new tab)“Diskrimineringslagen gäller inte på alla samhällsområden.”
Checked . Check the source again before you act. Rules and contact routes can change.
In depth
Modules and guides
10 modules in this area. Everyone can read the modules marked Free. The rest are part of Premium.
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Laws, rights and duties
Who makes the laws in Sweden, where you can find them, and what they mean for you.
Laws, rights and duties. Who makes the laws in Sweden, where you can find them, and what they mean for you.Who makes the laws?
Only the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) can decide on laws. The laws apply to everyone who is in Sweden. Most law proposals come from the government, but members of the Riksdag can also make proposals.
- The government can decide some rules on its own. These are called ordinances (förordningar).
- New laws are published in the Swedish Statute Book (Svensk författningssamling, SFS). Everyone can read them there.
- Authorities such as the Police (Polisen), the Tax Agency (Skatteverket) and the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) make sure decisions are carried out in practice.
- Sweden is a member of the EU. Some EU rules apply directly in Sweden.
Your rights
- You have protection from discrimination under the Discrimination Act (diskrimineringslagen).
- The Barnkonventionen (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) has been Swedish law since 2020. It applies to all children in Sweden, whatever status they have.
- You have the right to an interpreter in court if you cannot speak Swedish. It does not cost you anything.
- You can often appeal decisions made by authorities.
Your duties
- You must follow the laws that apply in Sweden, even if the rules are different in your home country.
- If you are called as a witness in a court case, you must testify by law.
- Legal guardians must make sure children of school age go to school.
Tip: If you are not sure what applies, it is better to ask one time too many.
Sources
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Courts and legal cases
The different courts in Sweden, which cases they handle and how a case can go further.
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Courts and legal cases. The different courts in Sweden, which cases they handle and how a case can go further.Allmänna domstolar Locked
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Guide: Reporting a crime and contacting the police
How you make a police report, which number you call and what happens after that.
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Guide: Reporting a crime and contacting the police. How you make a police report, which number you call and what happens after that.Pågår brottet? Locked
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Crime victims, witnesses and support
What support you can get if you have been a victim of crime or will testify in court.
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Crime victims, witnesses and support. What support you can get if you have been a victim of crime or will testify in court.Brottsofferjouren Locked
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Om du har utsatts för brott Locked
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Protected grounds for discrimination and limits of the law
What discrimination means under the law and when other rules apply instead.
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Protected grounds for discrimination and limits of the law. What discrimination means under the law and when other rules apply instead.De sju diskrimineringsgrunderna Locked
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När gäller inte diskrimineringslagen? Locked
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Andra regler kan gälla Locked
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Sources
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DO, unions and other ways to complain
Where to go if you have been discriminated against or treated unfairly.
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DO, unions and other ways to complain. Where to go if you have been discriminated against or treated unfairly.Anmäl till DO Locked
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Diskriminering på jobbet Locked
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Contracts and everyday legal questions
Purchases, right of withdrawal [the right to cancel certain purchases], contracts in everyday life and where to go if you have problems.
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Contracts and everyday legal questions. Purchases, right of withdrawal [the right to cancel certain purchases], contracts in everyday life and where to go if you have problems.Tänk innan du skriver under Locked
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Legal aid and information about the law
What legal help you can get and what it can cost.
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Legal aid and information about the law. What legal help you can get and what it can cost.Juridisk rådgivning Locked
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Guide: Appeals and deadlines
How you appeal a decision from an authority and why time matters.
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Guide: Appeals and deadlines. How you appeal a decision from an authority and why time matters.Hur lång tid har du? Locked
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Bra att veta Locked
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The difference between rules, advice and local routines
How you tell the difference between what you must do, what you should do and what only applies in a certain place.
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The difference between rules, advice and local routines. How you tell the difference between what you must do, what you should do and what only applies in a certain place.Det du måste följa Locked
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Sources
General information, not individual legal, medical or financial advice.