Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Combined twenty-fifth to twenty-seventh periodic reports submitted by Norway under article 9 of the Convention, due in 2023 * , **
[Date received: 1 November 2023]
I.Introduction
1.The dialogue meeting with the CERD Committee about Norway’s twenty-third and twenty-fourth periodic reports was held in Geneva in December 2018. In January 2019, the Norwegian Government received the CERD Committee’s concluding remarks on Norway’s twenty-third and twenty-fourth reports. Norway submitted the mid-term report to the CERD Committee in November 2019. The mid-term report was Norway’s response to the CERD Committee’s recommendations in paragraphs 18 b and 28 c.
2.This report responds to the CERD Committee’s other remarks of January 2019 and Articles 1–7 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
3.The twenty-fifth to twenty-seventh reports of Norway to the CERD Committee are available in English and Norwegian.
II.Response to the Committee’s recommendations of January 2019 following Norway’s twenty-third and twenty-fourth periodic reports
Recommendation 6: Statistics
4.Statistics Norway does not produce statistics on ethnic background. Norway’s official guidelines have long been that information about citizens’ ethnicities should not be registered. Since much of the Norwegian personal statistics are register-based, it follows that there is no general data basis for compiling individual-based statistics on people with Sami ethnicity, i.e., various types of thematic statistics on the Sami as a group or on groups of Sami people.
5.On a general basis, Statistics Norway demonstrates great diligence when producing statistics based on personal data that may be perceived as sensitive, or that may contribute to stigmatising vulnerable groups in society, cf. The General Data Protection Regulation Art. 9 (1). Both the Norwegian population statistics and the periodic population and housing censuses are based on register information. The most important source is the National Population Register. Everyone who resides in Norway for more than six months or who intends to reside in Norway for at least six months is included in this register. People from all ethnic groups who meet these conditions are registered in the National Population Register, but it is not possible to identify them as members of individual groups beyond their country of birth.
6.To the extent that any form of quantification of ethnic background or other special categories of personal data is produced, this is either based on self-reporting, including in the Sámediggi’s (the Sami Parliament) register of voters or registration of Sami language users in the National Population Register, or it is based on geography and language use.
7.There is more research on discrimination, attitudes, health, education, working life and other aspects that can provide a picture of the equality situation for people from migrant backgrounds than for the Sami and national minorities.
8.In 2020, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) launched a knowledge portal on equality and living conditions among Sami, national minorities and people from migrant backgrounds. Bufdir disseminates statistics and research‑based knowledge from various sources on the portal about how these groups experience living in Norway, and what barriers they face that can prevent equal participation in society. This contribution is intended to increase knowledge and awareness of racism and discrimination for politicians, decision-makers and professionals in various sectors and agencies, user and special interest organisations and the general population.
9.The Directorate of Integration and Diversity has over the past four years worked on preparing the report ‘Indikatorer for integrering. Status og utviklingstrekk’ (Indicators for integration. Status and developments). The purpose of the report is to give sector authorities and the general public a picture of how integration is progressing in Norway, including developments in the areas of education and qualification, employment, finances and living conditions, political integration and social inclusion.
10.The report deals with immigrants and their Norwegian-born children. It looks in particular at differences between people with a migrant background and the rest of the population, and how these develop over time.
11.The Centre for Sami Health Research was established by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Health and Care Services) in 2001. It has been an important institution in the development of knowledge about the health and living conditions of the Sami population in Norway. The SAMINOR study on health and living conditions in regions with Sami and Norwegian populations is conducted approximately every ten years. SAMINOR 3 is currently in progress. The study includes self-identification questions for Sami respondents, making it possible to divide the data on the basis of Sami ethnicity.
12.Reference is otherwise made to the discussion of, among other things, statistics on ethnic background, the publications ‘Sami statistics’ and ‘Sami Statistics Speak’ and the national minorities’ views on registration in Norway’s previous report in the section ‘The Committee’s recommendation paragraph 8’.
13.The tables on statistics listed hereabove may be accessed from the web page of the Committee:
Table 1: Immigrants and people born in Norway with immigrant parents. Based on country background;
Table 2: Proportion of employed persons aged 20–66 among immigrants and the rest of the population. By migrant background and gender. 2012–2022;
Table 3: Proportion of employed persons aged 20–66 among immigrants. By country background and gender;
Table 4: Temporary employees among immigrants and the rest of the population. By country background;
Table 5: Students in higher education aged 19–34. 2017–2021;
Table 6: Activity status and occupational affiliation among young people from a non‑migrant background, people born in Norway with immigrant parents and immigrants. Fourth quarter 2019;
Table 7: Satisfaction with life among immigrants and the rest of the population 2022.
Table 8: Satisfaction with life among people born in Norway with immigrant parens 2021;
Table 9: The Anti-discrimination Tribunal’s cases on ethnicity in the period 2018 – 2012;
Table 10: Legally enforceable decisions on hate speech and discrimination, by type of penal sanction;
Table 11: Immigrants’ pay as proportion of the population otherwise by occupation in 2022;
Table 12: Voter turnout in election to the Storting;
Table 13: Voter turnout in municipal and country council elections;
Table 14: Voter turnout in municipal and county council elections.
Recommendation 8: Anti-discrimination legal framework
Incorporation of CERD into the Human Rights Act
14.The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is incorporated into Section 5 of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act and thus applies as Norwegian law. During the preparation of Act no. 80 of 19 June 2009 on the incorporation of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women into the Human Rights Act, it was discussed whether to incorporate other human rights conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, into the Act. The Government chose not to propose this to the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, in 2009. The reason set out in the preparatory works to the act was that only human rights conventions of a more general nature, rather than more specific conventions, should be included in the Human Rights Act. The authorities have taken note of the recommendation of the Committee. The Government has not carried out a new assessment of the incorporation of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
15.The Government has appointed a committee of legal experts to investigate how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is to be incorporated into Norwegian law. The committee has, among other things, been tasked with assessing the extent to which the incorporation of the CRPD into the Human Rights Act is compatible with the criteria previously used for incorporating conventions into the Act, and the potential consequences of including the CRPD in the Act for the implementation of other human rights obligations.
Race as grounds for discrimination
16.The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, religion and beliefs. The meaning of ethnicity in the Act includes i.a. national origin, descent, skin colour and language. The authorities have previously considered whether the term ‘race’ should be included in the wording of the Act, but have concluded that it is unnecessary to amend the wording to include race or to specify that it alludes to perceptions or notions of race. To combat racism, it is important to eliminate the notion that people can be divided into races. Using the term race in the wording of the Act could contribute to reinforcing notions that there are different races. In the preparatory works to the previous Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act on ethnicity, (Prop. 88 L (2012–2013)), the Ministry stated that discrimination based on perceptions or notions of a person’s race must clearly be regarded as ethnic discrimination. The Storting endorsed this assessment. Therefore, instances of discrimination that the Committee believes should be covered by the prohibition against discrimination do not fall outside of the Act.
Coordinated follow-up
17.Responsibility for following up the Committee’s recommendations is divided between the various ministries, which then consider the best course of follow-up. The Ministry of Culture and Equality has responsibility for coordinating policy in this field, including follow‑up of recommendations, and it has been responsible for coordinating the preparation of previous action plans against racism and discrimination. The Government is now preparing a new action plan against racism and discrimination, which will be coordinated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion. The Ministry of Culture and Equality has had a good dialogue with the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution (NIM) about how we can improve the information concerning how the ministries should follow up the UN treaty bodies’ recommendations between the periodic reports. NIM works closely with the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO) and civil society in this context, and NIM and LDO together function as a secretariat for strengthening this dialogue. Two meetings have been held between the political leadership in the relevant ministries and NIM, LDO and civil society on the follow-up of specific recommendations made by UN committees.
Recommendation 10: Complaints of racial discrimination
Public information about how to file a complaint
18.The Government wishes to strengthen the information that is available about the discrimination legislation, its enforcement and where people who are subjected to racism and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion can turn to for assistance in individual cases. Initiatives that, among other things, help to spread information about people’s rights if they are subjected to discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, religion or belief are prioritised under a dedicated grant scheme on racism, discrimination and hate speech. The KUN Centre for Equality and Diversity, for example, has developed a racism guide in collaboration with other institutions, where people who have experienced racism and discrimination can find help and information. More information about the grant scheme can be found under Recommendation no. 14 b.
19.LDO has provided information about rights to various groups who are exposed to racism and ethnic discrimination; see also the description of LDO’s work under Article 2.
20.On behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Equality, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) has also carried out an official study of an information campaign on how to file complaints about discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion. The Ministry of Culture and Equality will consider how the study should be followed up.
21.Furthermore, a review of the framework for and tools available to the enforcement system will be initiated to assess whether it provides adequate guidance and an accessible low-threshold system for filing complaints relating to discrimination. Guidance on rights, from both the Ombud (LDO) and the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, will be a central topic in this review. The Tribunal’s practice considering the merits of the cases will also be reviewed. The review will look at whether the Tribunal dismisses too many cases without substantive discussion. It will also assess whether the Tribunal’s expertise is good enough in relation to all grounds for discrimination, especially ethnicity.
22.With regard to the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, we would initially like to say a few words about the Tribunal’s consideration of cases in general. If there are shortcomings in the complaint, the Tribunal will always request the necessary information before accepting the case for consideration. This is to ensure that the case is sufficiently elucidated. The Tribunal may close a case without issuing a decision. This applies to cases where the Tribunal does not receive the necessary information from the complainant to be able to consider the complaint, and cases where the complainant withdraws the complaint while it is under consideration. In practice, cases that are closed because the Tribunal does not receive sufficient information to be able to consider the complaint are cases where the complaint received is incomplete and the Tribunal’s secretariat does not receive the information necessary to consider the case after having contacted the complainant. Examples of such cases may be where a complaint does not contain information about the person complained against or that circumstances surrounding the complaint are not sufficiently described to allow the person complained against to state their views on the matter. The Tribunal’s secretariat will then attempt to obtain this information from the complainant. If the complainant does not provide any feedback, the case is considered for ‘closure without a decision’. If a case is closed without a decision, the complainant may resubmit the complaint at a later date. If the complainant responds to the secretariat’s request – either in writing or verbally – the case will not be closed. This applies even if the information provided is not sufficient. The secretariat will then continue the dialogue with the complainant, so that the necessary information is obtained for further consideration of the case.
23.Furthermore, the Tribunal shall dismiss a case if special statutory conditions are met. The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal may also dismiss a case if it is ‘obvious’ that the subject matter of the complaint is not in violation of the anti-discrimination regulations, it is a trivial matter, or the case, after the presentation of evidence, is not sufficiently elucidated. If the case is not closed, rejected or dismissed, the Tribunal shall either issue a statement that there is no violation of the discrimination regulations or decide that there is a violation of the discrimination regulations.
24.An overview of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal’s cases on ethnicity in the period 2018–2022 is provided in the enclosed table 9.
25.In 2018, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal considered 44 complaints where ethnicity was the basis for discrimination (41 cases of discrimination, 8 cases of harassment, 2 cases of retaliation and 2 cases where attempts were made to prevent harassment). The cases were divided between the following areas of society: 27 cases in working life, 5 cases in the public administration, 8 cases in goods and services, 3 cases in education and 1case in housing.
26.The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal did not award damages for non-economic loss or compensation in any cases concerning ethnicity in 2018.
27.In 2019, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal considered 62 complaints where ethnicity was the basis for discrimination (59 cases of discrimination, 17 cases of harassment, 3 cases of retaliation, 1 case where attempts were made to prevent harassment, 1 case where someone was instructed to discriminate/harass and 1 case where someone aided and abetted discrimination/harassment). The cases were divided between the following areas of society: 24 cases in working life, 15 cases in the public administration, 12 cases in goods and services, 5 cases in education, 3 cases in housing, 1 case in society in general, 1 case in the police, the judicial system etc., and 1 case concerning other matters.
28.The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal did not award damages for non-economic loss or compensation in any cases concerning ethnicity in 2019.
29.In 2020, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal considered 98 complaints where ethnicity was the basis for discrimination (90 cases of discrimination, 26 cases of harassment, 4 cases of retaliation, 3 cases where attempts were made to prevent harassment, 3 cases where someone was instructed to discriminate/harass and 5 cases where someone aided and abetted discrimination/harassment). The cases were divided between the following areas of society: 34 cases in working life, 21 cases in the public administration, 11 cases in goods and services, 9 cases in education, 4 cases in housing, 6 cases in society in general, 10 cases in the police, the judicial system etc., 2 cases in a combination of areas of society and 1 case concerning other matters.
30.The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal did not award damages for non-economic loss or compensation in any cases concerning ethnicity in 2020.
31.In 2021, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal considered 96 complaints where ethnicity was the basis for discrimination (83 cases of discrimination, 39 cases of harassment, 14 cases of retaliation, 5 cases where attempts were made to prevent harassment, 2 cases where someone was instructed to discriminate/harass and 4 cases where someone aided and abetted discrimination/harassment). The cases were divided between the following areas of society: 37 cases in working life, 16 cases in the public administration, 18 cases in goods and services, 7 cases in education, 4 cases in housing, 3 cases in society in general, 5 cases in the police, the judicial system etc., 4 cases in a combination of areas of society and 2 cases concerning other matters.
32.The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal did not award damages for non-economic loss or compensation in any cases concerning ethnicity in 2021.
33.In 2022, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal considered 96 complaints where ethnicity was the basis for discrimination (94 cases of discrimination, 26 cases of harassment, 6 cases of retaliation, 4 cases where attempts were made to prevent harassment, 2 cases where someone was instructed to discriminate/harass and 2 cases where someone aided and abetted discrimination/harassment). The cases were divided between the following areas of society: 50 cases in working life, 11 cases in the public administration, 15 cases in goods and services, 4 cases in education, 7 cases in housing, 3 cases in society in general, 4 cases in the police, the judicial system etc., and 2 cases concerning other matters.
34.Damages for non-economic loss of NOK 30,000 were awarded in one case in 2022. No compensation was awarded in any cases in 2022.
35.A number of public services have been established relating to hate speech and hate crime. Through these services, people can report hate speech/harassment and hate crime that they have experienced or observed and obtain information and guidance on criminal proceedings and help systems.
36.A support centre for crime victims has been established in all police districts. The support centres for crime victims are a nationwide service that provides information, guidance and support to people subjected to acts of violence, threats, blackmail, hate crimes, sexual assault, abuse or other forms of harassment. The support centres provide information and guidance on how to report a crime and provide support throughout the process from the police report to the case being decided, witness support before, during and after a trial, and help to seek criminal injury compensation.
37.A police net patrol has been established in all police districts. The police’s net patrols are present and available on websites and social media platforms to receive information and tip-offs about criminal acts online. They also provide advice and guidance on crime that is committed on the internet and how to prevent it, and answer questions.
38.The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) has established the website hatytringer.no where you can find help, advice and information about hate speech. It provides pointers to a number of agencies and services that can help victims.
39.Hate crime is defined as criminal acts that are wholly or partly motivated by or based on another person’s skin colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, functional impairment, gender identity or gender expression. In 2022, 923 crimes with a hate motive were reported. That is an increase of just over 13 per cent from the previous year. Compared to the average number of reports over the past five years, this is an increase of almost 32 per cent. Oslo Police District investigated about a third of the reports.
40.In 2022, prosecution decisions were made in 891 of the cases. The clear-up rate in 2022 was 52 per cent. This rate has remained stable at around 50 per cent for the past five years.
41.Hate speech accounted for 42 per cent of reported cases with a hate motive in 2022. Violent offences account for 30 per cent of cases. The 923 reports of hate crime are distributed between the following protected grounds: 55 per cent on skin colour, national or ethnic origin, 20 per cent on sexual orientation, 10 per cent on religion, 7 per cent on gender identity and gender expression, 2 per cent on functional impairment, 2 per cent of cases are coded as antisemitism and 3 per cent are coded as ‘other’ hate motives.
42.In 2021, 99 legally enforceable penal sanctionswere imposed for violations of Sections 185–186 of the Penal Code. Of these, 54 were convictions, of which 24 were unconditional sentences (7 of them combined with a suspended prison sentence). A total of 28 of the legally enforceable decisions were accepted penalty notices, while 9 were acquittals.
43.It is unfortunately not possible to retrieve the data at the level of detail requested as regards legally enforceable judgments. Among other things, it is not possible to produce searchable, structured data related to the age, gender or ethnic/national origin of the victims in the cases registered, nor what penalties have been imposed in the cases in question.
44.See also enclosed table 10: Legally enforceable decisions on hate speech and discrimination, by type of penal sanction. 2017–2012.
Recommendation 12 (a): Hate crimes
45.The police’s efforts against hate crime encompass different aspects of the police’s work – prevention, intelligence, investigation and prosecution, and dialogue and trust‑building work. This is part of the mandate of the National Competence Centre on Hate Crime (NKH), also including prosecution work (investigation and prosecution).
46.Below are examples of preventive measures of relevance to hate crime: The National Police Directorate has prepared national information material that can be used when the police give lectures in schools or in other arenas where children and young people meet. In this context, a separate module has been created that includes a guide to hate crimes and hate speech. The National Police Directorate collaborates with the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) on the preparation of a guide to preventing the harassment of Sami people.
47.The police have an online presence through their online patrols, which have been established in all police districts in Norway. The police’s net patrols are intended to have a preventive effect across different types of crime. Experience shows that the net patrols reach a large number of people, especially children and young people (on different platforms), and that they are well positioned to make targeted prevention efforts for relevant target groups. One effect has been that citizens feel that they can contact the police online in a safe and easy way, and they take a positive view of the police’s online presence. The police net patrols receive many enquiries concerning people’s experience of hate crimes and hate speech. They also provide advice and guidance on crime that takes place on the internet and how to prevent it, and answer questions.
48.A tip-off function has been established on the police’s website, so that the police can be notified of criminal acts that have occurred or may occur. Hate crime is mentioned in that context. ‘Hate speech’ has been given a dedicated page on the website www.politiet.no. The page explains what hate crime (including hate speech) is and states that the police take it seriously.
49.A support centre for crime victims was established in every police district in 2017/2018, and this is a nationwide service. The support centres provide services for people who are victims of crimes that violate their integrity, such as violence, abuse and hate crime, and they provide psychosocial support, information and guidance to victims throughout the criminal proceedings, based on what help the individual needs. They also help to establish contact with other services, such as the healthcare and the child welfare services when needed. Hate crime is mentioned in the support centres’ information material. The support centres are experiencing a large increase in the number of enquiries and cases from year to year. In addition, Oslo Police District has a safety programme (Trygghetsprogram) specifically aimed at taking care of people subjected to hate crime.
50.It is within the National Competence Centre on Hate Crime’s remit to help raise competence in all areas related to hate crime, including investigation and prosecution. Hate crime is also one of the types of crime that the national prosecuting authority has asked the police to prioritise. There has been a slight increase in the number of positive prosecution decisions (charges proposing a judgment on a plea of guilty, indictment, fixed penalty notice, transfer to a mediation board or waiver of prosecution). In 2022, this applied to 38 per cent of cases.
Recommendation 12 (b)
51.The increase in reported hate crime may, among other things, be related to competence-raising measures in the police and increased attention to this issue in general. The police carries out an annual Citizens Survey that includes questions about hate crime and feelings of insecurity, and gives an indication of people’s experience of fear. They do not indicate that people’s experience of fear has increased in recent years.
52.Attempts will be made to further develop the annual Citizens Survey of the police so that it provides more information about individual population groups. It is also a goal to gain more knowledge about vulnerable groups through the development of police statistics and analyses.
53.The police’s action plan ‘Mangfold, dialog og tillit: Handlingsplan for politiets arbeid 2022–2025’ (Diversity, dialogue and trust: Action plan for the work of the police 2022–2025 – available in English and Northern Sami), was presented in 2022. The National Police Directorate held input and experience exchange meetings with a number of organisations and representatives of various minority communities as part of the work on the plan. Several meetings have also been held after the plan was presented, both at the initiative of the National Police Directorate and at the request of various minority organisations. Meetings of this kind increase the Directorate’s knowledge about experiences of hate crime, hate speech and the level of safety and security, and about underlying causes of fear. Listening more to the experiences of minority groups can lead to measures being better targeted.
54.The diversity plan includes several measures aimed at increasing the police’s knowledge of minority groups, strengthening dialogue and trust-building in the police districts. The police districts are otherwise requested to hold regular dialogue meetings with minority communities. In connection with specific events or holidays (including Pride and Eid), or in cases where there is cause for particular concern, the police districts are encouraged to initiate dialogue with vulnerable minority groups.
Recommendation 12 (c)
55.In 2021, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security allocated NOK 7 million to establishing a National Competence Centre on Hate Crime. Oslo Police District was assigned tasks and has been allocated permanent funding for this measure, which involves competence-raising measures in the police districts. Dedicated teams will receive training in each district.
Recommendation 12 (d)
56.Work on the identification, registration and prosecution of hate crime in the individual police districts is an important part of the competence-raising measures that are being implemented under the auspices of the National Competence Centre on Hate Crime. The prosecuting authorities are also responsible for ensuring that cases of this type are prioritised and prosecuted. The Norwegian Police University College’s study programme on hate crime is now offered on a permanent basis and it has participants from the police districts every year. Facilitating the registration of cases in the police’s prosecution system and the incorporation of new minority groups that have special legal protection are an ongoing focus area on which the National Competence Centre on Hate Crime and National Police Directorate work together to find solutions.
Recommendation 12 (e)
57.Reference is made to paragraph a) above as regards information material for schools and information on the Norwegian police’s website, as well as information material for the support centres and the net patrols. The National Police Directorate has also collaborated with the Sámediggi (Sami Parliament) on preparing a guide to preventing the harassment of Sami people. The above-mentioned measures are not awareness campaigns as such, but it is an aim that they will help to increase knowledge and change attitudes.
Recommendation 12 (f)
58.The National Competence Centre on Hate Crime was established in 2021. It is organised as a separate entity in Oslo Police District. Its purpose is to build competence in hate crime in all police districts. All police districts will carry out training in 2023 under the auspices of the competence centre. Each district has identified dedicated teams that will take the training. The competence centre has already organised national theme days with broad participation from the police districts. The centre also provides guidance to the districts in individual cases. One of the centre’s tasks is to develop statistics and analyses of hate crimes.
Recommendation 14 (a): Hate speech
59.Reference is made here (under Recommendations 14 (a)–(d) to the response to Recommendation 12. Hate speech has a separate provision in the Penal Code and it is considered to be a hate crime if the speech is covered by the provision. As such, the same work methods and approach apply under Recommendations 14 (a)–(d), as for hate crime otherwise (described above). Reference is also made to the response to Recommendation 14 (e).
Recommendation 14 (b): see paragraph 14 (a)
60.The vast majority of the measures in the strategy against hate speech (2016–2020) have been implemented. During the strategy period, 13 new measures were also added, including the appointment of a freedom of expression commission (discussed under Article 5), a research forum on hate speech, a report on far-right extremism and conspiracy theories, and a guide to preventing and dealing with hate speech and threats against local politicians (discussed under paragraph 14 (e)).
61.The strategy was evaluated in 2021. The evaluation points out that the strategy and the work on it may have helped to ensure continuity in the work on hate speech over time. It has contributed to important knowledge development, which, in turn, has helped to raise awareness of hate speech. In addition to knowledge development, efforts made in the police and judicial system are also highlighted as being particularly positive.
62.The efforts initiated through the strategy against hate speech will be continued. A number of examples of measures in the area of hate speech are mentioned below. Several of them are also relevant to racism and ethnic discrimination more generally.
63.The Government has increased its operational support for the movement Stopp hatprat (stop hate speech) since its inception. Stopp hatprat has built up a broad national network of young people, voluntary organisations, municipalities, youth workers and other professionals who are in contact with young people on a daily basis. It holds workshops, seminars and courses, and has developed a separate system of stop hate speech ambassadors who help spread knowledge about hate speech online.
64.Bufdir has established the website www.hatytringer.no, which contains relevant information about the work against hate speech andwhat to do if you are subjected to it. Three national conferences on hate speech have been held since 2016.
65.For several years, the regional equality and diversity centres have held dialogue meetings around the country on racism and discrimination.
66.In 2021, the Government established a national grant scheme for measures to combat racism, discrimination and hate speech. NOK 19.6 million will be allocated under the scheme in 2023. The aim of the grant scheme is to facilitate local, regional and national initiatives and activities aimed at countering racism, discrimination and hate speech on the grounds of ethnicity, religion and beliefs. The scheme will help to promote anti-racism, diversity and dialogue, as well as contributing to knowledge and awareness among the majority population of racism, discrimination and hate speech.
67.The scheme has attracted a great amount of interest. Priorities in the scheme are measures that facilitate knowledge and raise competence, including through meeting places, measures to prevent racism, discrimination and hate speech on the internet, measures that help to spread information about rights, and measures that help to map racism, discrimination and hate speech in local communities.
68.Funding is provided for advisory services and information about rights, as well as for the prevention of negative attitudes towards different ethnic and religious minorities. During the few years that have elapsed since the scheme was established, several municipalities have put racism, discrimination and hate speech on their agenda. The measures have a good geographical spread. The grant scheme contributes to more actors cooperating and taking a systematic and long-term approach in various arenas in the local community.
69.The Ministry of Culture and Equality has also provided funds for an exhibition on everyday racism at the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies. On behalf of Bufdir, Minotenk has created a video exhibition that highlights the diversity of the Muslim population. Launched in 2021, the exhibition helps prevent hatred and discrimination against Muslims.
70.The Government has implemented several projects to develop knowledge about hate speech. This knowledge will help the Government to develop measures that reach the target group. Among other things, a report has been presented that, using big data analysis, maps the content and extent of hateful and discriminatory utterances against Muslims on Norwegian social media. This shows an increase in hate speech in the last ten years, but that there is only a small group behind most of the utterances. A survey has also been carried out that turns the spotlight on participants in heated and aggressive online debates. R&D projects have also been initiated that explore the links between various events in society and hate speech. One of these studies examines how the coronavirus crisis affected the debate culture in the comments sections linked to editorial media’s Facebook pages. The Norwegian National Human Rights Institution has produced a report on attitudes towards the Sami and national minorities in Norway (Holdninger til samer og nasjonale minoriteter i Norge – in Norwegian only).
71.In order to give children and young people a safe digital upbringing, the Government presented the national strategy for safe digital upbringing ‘Rett på nett’ in autumn 2021. The strategy shows that digital activities can provide opportunities for positive experiences, but also expose children and young people to different kinds of risk, such as harmful content, violence, abuse, fake news, hate speech, body-image pressure and challenges relating to privacy. The strategy, which has been continued by the current Government, establishes important principles for the authorities’ work on children and young people’s digital lives.
72.In the further efforts against hate speech, the Government will especially emphasise measures that can help combat harassment and hate speech that takes place online.
Recommendation 14 (c) and (d): see paragraph 14 (a)
Recommendation 14 (e)
73.In November 2020, the ministers from the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Children and Families launched an appeal for a good debate climate. The appeal was aimed at politicians and candidates from all parties. It highlighted the importance of politicians themselves taking active responsibility for the debate climate since politicians help to set the standard for debates. The appeal also highlighted the importance of politicians supporting other politicians who experience unpleasant incidents.
74.In August 2019, the Minister for Local Government and Modernisation invited the Central Committee of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), which consists of representatives of the political parties, and the youth parties to engage in a dialogue about how to create a good and safe debate climate, also for future generations. Several different measures were discussed at the dialogue meeting, including that the topic should be a key element in the training of elected representatives and in schools, and the possibility of having a body to contact for advice and guidance.
75.In its follow-up of the dialogue meeting, the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation prepared a digital guide to preventing and dealing with hate speech, harassment and threats against politicians and candidates, which is available at www.hatogtrusler.no. It was published prior to the 2021 parliamentary elections and will be updated prior to the 2023 municipal and county council elections. Among other things, the guide contains advice on guidelines for debates in social media, and how politicians serve as role models for political debates through how they themselves behave towards each other. The core target group consists of individual politicians and candidates for political offices, but parties and municipalities will also benefit from the guide.
76.On assignment for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Telemark Research Institute and the Centre for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo (C-REX) have studied local politicians’ working conditions and local democracy, where hate speech and threats are a central topic. A key finding presented in the report on this research project is that, to prevent harassment and threats from having negative consequences for local democracy, it is important that those who are subjected to them do not feel that they stand alone, but that they have the party organisation and, in some cases, also the municipality behind them. The researchers also believe that, if local politicians know that procedures are in place, this may lower the threshold for reporting unpleasant experiences. The interviews conducted in connection with the survey also indicate that colleagues on municipal councils may be behind harassment and threats against other politicians, but the extent of hate speech and threats from elected representatives is based on studies conducted in four case municipalities and has not been studied for all municipalities. The study furthermore finds that, among the minority of local politicians who state that they do not enjoy being involved in politics, 26 per cent state that a poor climate for cooperation and debate in the municipal council is an important reason.
77.The report Lokale partilag og lister. Organisasjon, aktiviteter og økonomi (Local political parties and electoral lists. Organisation, activities and finances – in Norwegian only), written by the Institute for Social Research for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, questions whether the local parties and local electoral lists have procedures in place for dealing with hate speech or threats against their own elected representatives or officials. The survey shows that only a minority, 28 per cent of the parties/lists, have such procedures in place. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development’s organisation database 2020/2021 has found that just under half of the municipalities, 48.7 per cent, have ethical guidelines in place for how politicians should behave towards others in social media, while 14.6 per cent of the municipalities have procedures/guidelines aimed at safeguarding politicians who are subjected to threats, hate speech or harassment.
78.The municipalities provide training for local politicians on the role of elected representative. How the training of elected representatives is carried out varies between the municipalities, but the most widespread training is the programme KS Folkevalgtprogram. This is a comprehensive training programme that addresses various aspects of the role of elected representative, including how elected representatives can contribute to a good debate climate within and outside the municipal council hall and cooperation between colleagues.
Recommendation 16: Prohibition of organizations that promote racial discrimination
79.Formally banning racist organisations in Norwegian law has been assessed and rejected several times; see, among other things, Proposition to the Odelsting No 109 (2001‑2002) section 3.1 and Proposition to the Odelsting No 33 (2004–2005) section 13. The question of whether racist organisations should be banned under a separate provision was last assessed by Professor of Law Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen on behalf of the former Ministry of Children and Equality. The report, which was presented on 13 September 2016, pointed out that a ban on organisations entails a strong limitation on freedom of association, which is protected, among others, by the European Convention on Human Rights. It also stated that the groups in question are not formal organisations and will therefore not be affected by a ban on organisations, and, further, that a ban could lead to the persons ‘going underground’ and evading the control they would otherwise be subject to.
80.The criminalisation of organisations is in breach of Norway’s criminal law tradition that only specific acts or omissions that cause harm or damage are subject to penal sanctions. If participation in a group alone were to form the basis for penal sanctions, this could mean that persons can be held criminally liable regardless of whether they have participated in the group’s criminal activities; see also Norway’s twenty-third and twenty-fourth reports, where this issue is addressed.
81.The Penal Code contains a few examples of provisions that criminalise participation in organisations. One such provision is Section 199 of the Penal Code, which criminalises participation in a criminal association that is prohibited under Section 222 e of the Criminal Procedure Act. Pursuant to Section 222 e of the Criminal Procedure Act, the court may prohibit an organisation or association if participants in the organisation or association have committed repeated criminal acts against someone’s life, health or freedom, the criminal acts are likely to provoke fear in the population or the local community and a ban is necessary to prevent serious crime. Although the provision is not specifically aimed at racist organisations, it can, if necessary, be used to prohibit such organisations if they spread fear in the population or a local community through repeated violent crimes etc.
82.As pointed out in Norway’s twenty-third and twenty-fourth reports, the Norwegian provision on liability for complicity/aiding and abetting will significantly reduce the need to criminalise the formation of and participation in organisations that promote and encourage racial discrimination. A person who physically or mentally aids and abets hate crimes committed by others will be punishable for complicity.
83.In addition, the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act contains a provision imposing penal sanctions on persons who together with at least two other persons commit an aggravated violation of the prohibition on discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, religion or belief (Section 39 of the Act). There must be at least three persons involved in the offence for Section 39 to be applicable. No structured commonality is required between the offenders, and it is sufficient that they act in concert, or that several persons contribute to the criminal act. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to three years. The provision is a continuation of Section 26 of the Equality and Anti-discrimination Act on Ethnicity.
Recommendation 18 (a): Discrimination in accessing the labour market
84.The rules in the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act on employers’ activity and reporting duties were strengthened in 2020. Section 26 of the Act requires all employers, regardless of sector and size, to make active, targeted and systematic efforts to promote equality and prevent discrimination. All employers are also obliged to document their work on equality. Employers in large private undertakings and in all public undertakings are obliged to comply with a mandatory four-step work process. Employers’ reporting duties follow from Section 26a of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act and apply to all public employers and large private sector employers. The undertakings must issue a statement on the actual status of gender equality in the undertaking and what the undertaking is doing to comply with the activity duty pursuant to Section 26 with regard to all grounds for discrimination except age. The statement must be included in the annual report or another document available to the general public. The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO) has statutory responsibility for providing guidance and following up the activity and reporting obligations. The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal enforces employers’ reporting duties.
85.Immigrants from countries outside the EEA are overrepresented among those who have difficulties finding employment. Immigrants are therefore an important target group in the labour market policy context, and unemployed people from countries outside the EEA area are a priority group for participation in labour market schemes. Around 15 per cent of this group participated in labour market schemes in 2021, compared with 9.8 per cent among job seekers as a whole.
86.Immigrants from countries outside the EEA often face several barriers to participation in the labour market at the same time. These could be related to lack of qualifications and Norwegian skills, discrimination and/or health problems. The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) cooperates with the health and education sector to further develop services for people with complex challenges. There are also several qualification measures aimed at helping more immigrants to achieve a more permanent labour market attachment. The qualification measures are intended to fill the gap between what skills the individual possesses and what the labour market requires.
87.Recently arrived refugees have a right and a duty to participate in the introduction programme cf. the Integration Act. The purpose of the programme is to ensure that the participants are integrated at an early stage into Norwegian society and become financially independent. The introduction programme is an individually adapted full-time qualification programme, which must as a minimum include tuition in Norwegian language and social studies, work and education-oriented elements and courses in life management. Participants receive introductory financial support.
88.Another qualification measure is Job Opportunity (Jobbsjansen), which is intended to help increase employment among stay-at-home immigrant women who have no links with working life and who need qualifications to get a job or ordinary education. Through individually adapted programmes, Job Opportunity aims to provide stronger qualifications to help people achieve long-term attachment to the labour market and financial independence.
89.Over the past year, there has been a strong focus on the many displaced people from Ukraine and the possibilities of getting more people from this group into employment faster. In August 2023, a fast-working group provided input and proposals for measures that could help strengthen the Government’s efforts to get displaced people from Ukraine into work. The working group proposed measures targeting communication, cooperation, Norwegian language tuition and NAV to increase labour participation among displaced persons from Ukraine.
90.Employers are NAV’s most important partner in the work-oriented follow-up of displaced persons from Ukraine, and NAV cooperates with employers locally, regionally and nationally.
91.According to statistics from Statistics Norway, see enclosed table 11, immigrants from Asia and Africa earn between 79 and 85 per cent of the average pay of the rest of the population. However, the distribution of occupations between immigrants from these two continents is different. They are, for example, overrepresented in jobs in sales and services, cleaning, and process and machinery operators, where the overall pay level is relatively low.
92.If we compare salaries by main occupational group, the pay gap is smaller. Immigrants from Asia (with the exception of managers) have earnings that correspond to between 90 and 100 per cent of the pay of the rest of the population. As regards immigrants from Africa, the pay differences are somewhat larger, but there are also some exceptions, and immigrants in sales and service professions, for example, earn the same on average as the rest of the population. In general, there can be many reasons why there are differences in average wages between the majority population and immigrant groups within a given occupational group, such as differences in the distribution of employees by industry, sector and other business‑specific characteristics, and differences at the individual level, including in terms of experience and level of education. The social partners are responsible for stipulating wages in Norway.
Recommendation 18 (b)
93.Section 4b of the Civil Service Act Applicants with an immigrant background states that the employer must summon at least one qualified applicant who states that they have an immigrant background for an interview. An applicant with an immigrant background means an applicant who has immigrated from Europe excluding the EU/EFTA, Asia including Turkey, Africa, Latin America and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, or where both parents have immigrated from these countries. Practical advice and guidelines, with useful information, tips and links, can be found on various websites (Inclusive working life in the state (in Norwegian only) | State employer portal (dfo.no) and Diversity in the labour market | IMDi).
94.It is also very important to raise awareness of discrimination in order to ensure equal access to the labour market. In December 2022, the Norwegian Directorate of Labour and Welfare updated its guidelines for combating discrimination in recruitment processes. The purpose of the guidelines is to prevent persons being followed up by NAV from experiencing discrimination in connection with employment services. The guidelines are intended to raise awareness among NAV employees and to help increase users’ possibilities for participation in the labour market. Reference is also made to the work on a new action plan against racism and discrimination, which is scheduled for presentation in the autumn of 2023, and to the existing action plan in the same area, cf. further details under paragraphs 18 d and f.
Recommendation 18 (c)
95.The anonymous applications pilot project has now been concluded. The findings from the pilot are documented in the Government Agency for Financial Management’s (DFØ) report 2021 04 – Forsøk med anonyme søknader i staten – et egnet virkemiddel for integrering i arbeidslivet? (Pilot project on anonymous applications for jobs in the State – a suitable tool for labour market integration? – in Norwegian only). The main finding is that anonymisation does not improve the chances of applicants from a migrant background of being called in for an interview or hired.
96.Persons subjected to discrimination may bring the matter before the ordinary courts, or before the Norwegian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, which is a low-threshold service and an alternative to the courts. The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal enforces the statutory prohibitions against discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and retaliation.
97.The courts may impose damages for non-economic loss and compensation in cases where discrimination has taken place. The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal has the authority to impose damages for non-economic loss in cases concerning an employment relationship as well as a limited authority to impose compensation in simple cases.
Recommendation 18 (d)
98.The labour market is one of the focus areas of the Government’s Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion (2020–2023). The plan takes a broad approach and is based on the assumption that racism and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion affect many different groups in Norwegian society. Examples of measures relating to the labour market include the pilot project on anonymous applications for jobs in the State, the preparation of guidance material and templates for the activity and reporting duty and the Equal Employment certification scheme. For further information, see pages 29–31 of the English version of the action plan.
99.A new action plan to be presented in late autumn 2023 will focus, in particular, on racism and discrimination that occur on the way into and on the way up in the labour market. The other main focus of the plan is racism and discrimination that takes place in youth arenas. The target group for the plan will be all groups who are subjected to racism and ethnic and religious discrimination, including immigrants, descendants of immigrants, Sami people, national minorities and foreign adoptees.
Recommendation 18 (e)
100.The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud shall supervise the activity and reporting duty pursuant to Sections 24, 25, 26 and 26 a of the Equality and Anti‑Discrimination Act, as well as the reporting obligation pursuant to Section 3-3 c of the Accounting Act. The Ombud’s supervision may, among other things, entail that the Ombud and the employer agree on a joint approach to how the activity duty is followed up in the undertaking. The Ombud can also review the equality statements, analyse the findings and present proposals for improvement measures and for strengthening work on equality in the undertaking. The Ombud may also carry out follow-up visits of the undertakings. The Anti‑Discrimination Tribunal enforces employers’ reporting duty pursuant to Section 26 a of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act. The Tribunal may, with some exceptions, order the stoppage or remediation of an act or other measures necessary to secure the cessation of discrimination, harassment, instructions or retaliation, and to prevent repetition, cf. Section 11 of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud Act. The Tribunal may set a deadline for compliance with such orders. The Tribunal may make an administrative decision to impose a coercive fine to ensure implementation of an order issued pursuant to Section 11 if the deadline for complying with the order is breached. Section 26 on the employer’s duty of activity is exempt from the Tribunal’s enforcement competence.
Recommendation 18 (f)
101.The action plan against racism and discrimination, which will be presented in 2023, is likely to include measures aimed at employers and the combating of racism and discrimination in the workplace. In addition, the report on an information campaign, discussed in the response to Recommendation no. 10, specifically deals with the labour market. Hate speech in the workplace has also been a topic at meetings with the social partners.
102.The Government’s action plan against social dumping and work-related crime was presented on 1 October 2022. The plan describes measures the Government will implement to prevent and combat social dumping and work-related crime. It was drawn up following dialogue with the social partners and will be followed up in cooperation with these parties.
Recommendation 20: Situation of ethnic minorities
Education
103.People born in Norway with a migrant background are often overrepresented at both the positive and negative ends of the statistical scales. The proportion taking higher education is clearly higher than among peers with a majority background. Girls make up the majority of this share. However, there is also a higher proportion who drop out of upper secondary school, where boys are in the majority. There are thus major differences between the genders, and also between different country backgrounds .
104.Social background continues to have a major impact on how well children succeed at school and later in life. The coronavirus pandemic has made this more apparent. The results from PISA 2018 show that there is a smaller correlation between pupils’ home background and school performance in Norway than in most other countries. There is also little variation between schools compared with other countries. This indicates that Norwegian schools are to a large extent able to provide equal schooling and even out social differences.
105.However, drop-out is one of the challenges the Norwegian education authorities have the greatest focus on. Although we have seen a slight decline in recent years, drop-out rates from upper secondary education have remained stable at about 30 per cent over the past 20 years. There are major differences between genders, minority and majority groups and between the different education programmes. The proportion of pupils/apprentices who completed their education and achieved the Higher Education Entrance Qualification or professional qualification in the course of five or six years, by the category immigration, is 65 per cent.
106.The Government has now appointed an expert group to look at how kindergartens and schools can contribute more to evening out social disparities. The group will submit proposals for how social mobility can be increased and contribute to more people completing their educational pathway, and provide advice to help more people to receive a diploma or craft or journeyman’s certificate after completing their schooling. The expert group will deliver its report in early 2024.
107.The Government will present a white paper on years 5–10 of primary and lower secondary education. The main goal of the white paper will be to assess and describe how schools can better safeguard and promote students’ motivation, mastery, learning and development. Among other things, it will look at how schools can be made more practical and varied, to improve students’ learning and satisfaction.
108.All children and young people should have a safe and good school environment. Bullying, discrimination and harassment at school and in other arenas must be prevented and swiftly addressed (the Education Act, Section 9 A-3. Zero tolerance and systematic work). A new Education Act has been adopted in the Storting and is set to enter into force from August 2024. The term ‘inclusion’ has been included in the wording of the Act, and Section 12-2 now states the following: ‘All pupils have the right to a safe and good school environment that promotes health, inclusion, well-being and learning.’
109.There are several different national competence-building initiatives aimed at helping kindergartens, schools and school owners to build safe and good environments, and to prevent, detect and deal with bullying. The Government will strengthen its work on the prevention of bullying and learning environment challenges, including by implementing a broad skills development programme for school staff. In cooperation with key actors in the sector, the Government will also consider whether it is possible to further develop competence-raising measures in this area.
110.Dembra (Democratic preparedness against antisemitism and racism) is a national programme that provides competence-raising measures for school employees, especially qualified and student teachers, on a number of topics such as racism, prejudice, hate speech and negative attitudes towards specific groups. The aim of these competence-raising measures is to contribute to strengthening pupils’ ability to reflect, so that they, for example, gain a better understanding of how group thinking affects how we view ourselves and ‘the others’, and how the use of certain words and phrases can harm fellow pupils. Creating respect for the fact that people are different and teaching pupils to resolve conflicts in a peaceful way is an important part of the school’s mission to create a safe and satisfactory school environment and prevent bullying.
111.Dembra for teacher training (Dembra LU) was established in 2017 after the last periodic report was submitted. Dembra for primary schools was started in 2020. In 2021, Dembra in Northern Sami was launched, and Southern Sami and Lule Sami versions will be in place by autumn 2023. By the end of 2024, a separate resource on conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking will be completed and integrated into the other Dembra resources. In 2023, the Government has strengthened the courses offered by Dembra through a further NOK 2 million in funding, bringing the total to NOK 14.5 million.
Housing
112.A new act on municipalities’ responsibilities in the field of social housing entered into force on 1 July 2023. The purpose of the act is to prevent challenges relating to social housing and to help disadvantaged people in the housing market to receive assistance to obtain and retain suitable housing. When someone requests assistance from the municipality, the municipality must decide whether the person is disadvantaged in the housing market. If the municipality considers that the person is disadvantaged in the housing market, it must provide individually adapted assistance. By clarifying municipalities’ responsibilities in the field of social housing, the act can help prevent discrimination in the housing market and thereby ensure more equal access to housing.
113.Section 6 of the Property Unit Ownership Act, Section 1-5 of the Housing Cooperatives Act, Section 1‑4 of the House-Building Cooperatives Act and Section 1-8 of the Tenancy Act (collectively referred to as the ‘Housing Acts’) prohibit discrimination on a number of discriminatory grounds. Studies indicate that discrimination nonetheless occurs in the housing sector, especially in the rental market. However, discrimination is not always easy to prove or document. There is a need for more knowledge about discrimination. The Ministry has therefore issued a call for an R&D project to assess the extent of discrimination in the Norwegian rental market. The report is scheduled for submission on 10 September 2023.
114.By Royal Decree of 16 June 2023, the Government has appointed a committee to review the Tenancy Act. The committee will assess and propose changes that will strengthen tenants’ rights, ensure basic housing security and make it possible to adapt the act to the current situation in the rental market. The committee will also consider amendments to ensure that the act better safeguards the interests of the different actors in the rental market in a good and socially beneficial manner. Among other things, the committee will discuss measures that ensure compliance with the law, including monitoring and guidance, and measures that will make it possible to reduce discrimination in the housing market. The committee will submit an interim report by 31 January 2024 and a final report by 15 October 2024.
Health services
115.Municipal health and care services and state specialist health services are based on the principle of equality, which means that everyone who has permanent and legal residence in Norway has an equal right to services adapted to their needs. Persons who do not have permanent and legal residence in Norway have more limited rights, but everyone is entitled to acute help and healthcare that cannot wait. This is stated in Chapter 2 of the Patient’s and User’s Rights Act and Regulations issued pursuant to the Act. Guidelines applicable from the academic year 2021/2022 pertaining to all basic education programmes in health and social sciences state that candidates must have knowledge of inclusion, equality, anti‑discrimination, etc. that enables them to contribute to ensuring equal services for all groups in society.
Recommendation 22 (a): Situation of the Sami
116.The current action plan on the prevention and combating of domestic violence (2021–2024) ‘Frihet fra vold’ (Freedom from violence – in Norwegian only) was launched in autumn 2021. The plan facilitates targeted prevention, more equitable and coherent services for victims of violence and effective protection and prosecution procedures. For the first time, the action plan includes a separate focus area comprising 20 measures for improving the prevention and combating of violence and abuse in Sami communities. This part of the plan was drawn up in close cooperation with the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament).
117.The measures include the establishment of a national Sami competence centre for family welfare, child welfare and crisis centre services, strengthening of the crisis centre services for the Sami community and the establishment of a separate centre for children (‘Statens barnehus’) subjected to violence and abuse that is specifically adapted for children in the core Sami area in Finnmark. Such centres ensure that a comprehensive approach is taken to children subjected to violence or sexual abuse. This includes conducting interviews and providing follow-up and treatment adapted to the individual child’s needs.
118.The support centres for crime victims provide services for people who are victims of crimes that violate their integrity, such as violence and abuse, and provide psychosocial support, information and guidance to the victim throughout the criminal proceedings, based on the individual’s need for help. They can also help to establish contact with other services, such as the healthcare and child welfare services. The support centres are experiencing a large increase in the number of enquiries and cases from year to year.
119.Cooperation and networking can have a major impact on the development of good services for victims of violence and effective preventive measures. As part of the action plan, a cooperation forum has been established on violence and abuse in Sami communities that includes representatives of public agencies and voluntary organisations. Representatives of the police are from the National Police Directorate, police districts in the Sami languages administrative area and from the Statens barnehus centres for children.
120.The National Police Directorate has prepared a multi-year action plan for the police’s work on diversity, dialogue and trust. The plan aims to strengthen the police’s work in the period leading up to 2025. One specific aim is to increase knowledge and competence about the Sami language and culture in the police force. This includes measures to increase the recruitment of personnel with Sami language and cultural competence, both to positions that require police training and other professional backgrounds. The plan also includes measures aimed at helping police employees to acquire basic knowledge of Sami culture, history and rights. The National Police Directorate has had a constructive dialogue with the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) in the work on this plan.
121.The Government is now preparing a new escalation plan aimed at combating violence and abuse against children and domestic violence, in which violence and abuse in Sami communities will also be addressed.
122.In 2022, Bufetat established a national Sami competence centre (NASAK/ NASÁG) for child welfare, family welfare and crisis centre services that will help to ensure more equal and better quality services for the Sami community. Reference is also made to the description under Article 5.
Recommendation 22 (b)
123.The Norwegian Courts Administration commissioned a working group to prepare a report on efforts to facilitate language rights and cultural competence in the different parts of the justice sector. The working group consisted of representatives of the courts, the Correctional Services, the Mediation and Reconciliation Services and the police. The working group submitted its report on Sami due process protection Samisk rettssikkerhet include justissektoren (in Norwegian only) in March 2023.
124.The report included a simple survey of the status of the work on facilitating language rights and cultural competence in the different parts of the justice sector. Based on the survey, the report proposes areas where closer cooperation between the sectors will be expedient. It also outlines how such cooperation can be organised. The working group proposes establishing a joint Sami competence service for the justice sector that can offer assistance with the translation of documents, interpretation, information work, development and implementation of competence-raising measures, and translation, development and determination of legal terms.
125.The board of the Norwegian Courts Administration agreed to continue the work on establishing a joint Sami competence service for the justice sector.
126.The police diversity plan includes measures that target the police’s internal work – recruitment, ensuring a diversity perspective in police training and education and external work – and measures aimed at citizens. Of the measures aimed at the citizens, it is particularly relevant to mention the facilitation of communication and information in different languages, competence and knowledge of the Sami language, and culture and knowledge of and competence relating to hate crime. Implementation of the action plan is being followed up by the National Police Directorate.
127.The Act relating to public bodies’ responsibility for the use of interpreters etc. entered into force on 1 January 2022. The act is intended to ensure due process protection and adequate help and services for persons who cannot communicate satisfactorily with public bodies without an interpreter. It will also help to ensure that interpreters meet a satisfactory professional standard. By satisfactory professional standard (qualified interpreters) is meant interpreters who have sufficient qualifications to be listed in the Norwegian National Register of Interpreters (further information at www.imdi.no). The requirement for a qualified interpreter may be waived when strong grounds so indicate. If there are no qualified interpreters who meet the criteria in the relevant Sami language, an exception will apply. Dispensation from the requirement to use a qualified interpreter can be granted up to 31 December 2026.
128.Section 3-4 of the Sami Act grants an extended right to use Sami languages in the justice system, the police service and the prosecuting authority. When a body does not have Sami-speaking personnel, this will trigger a requirement for the use of an interpreter. A requirement to use a qualified interpreter applies when it is necessary to ensure due process protection or to provide adequate assistance or services.
Recommendation 22 (c) See more about the Interpreting Act under paragraph 22 (b)
129.The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) is the national authority for interpreting in the public sector. In cooperation with educational institutions, the directorate is tasked with helping to ensure that the public sector has access to qualified interpreters. IMDi has a guidance role for public bodies, including follow-up of the Interpreting Act and booking and use of interpreters. IMDi is responsible for the government authorisation of interpreters scheme. IMDi has commissioned the Sámi University of Applied Sciences to map the need for interpreting in Sami languages, and a report on this work will be completed in October 2023.
130.Its sector responsibility applies to the booking and financing of interpreting services. The Government’s integration grant will, among other things, cover the cost of interpreters for the first five years for municipalities in which refugees are settled.
Recommendation 22 (d)
131.The Government has not yet decided how the Sami Rights Committee’s proposal on mapping rights south of Finnmark should be followed up.
Recommendation 22 (e)
132.In the Hurdal Platform, the Government has assumed that a comprehensive revision of the Reindeer Herding Act of 2007 will be carried out. The Government has decided that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will start work on a comprehensive revision of the Reindeer Herding Act of 2007 and will be responsible for carrying out and organising the work. An ordinary legislative work process is envisaged with broad involvement of affected parties, including the Reindeer Herders Association of Norway and the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament), which will be consulted in accordance with the provisions of the Sami Act.
133.In October 2018, the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and the Reindeer Herders Association of Norway appointed a committee to look at the need to amend the current Reindeer Herding Act. The committee’s proposal for an amended Reindeer Herding Act was presented on 12 September 2022. The work of the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and the Reindeer Herders Association of Norway’s committee will be considered as a contribution to the legislative process.
134.In 2022, Regulations No. 1504 of 29 August 2022 on reindeer marking entered into force. At the same time, a new register of marks was launched. The purpose of the regulations is to maintain the traditional marking system, contribute to well-organised reindeer herding, preserve traditional use and design of reindeer marks, and help ensure responsible animal welfare when designing marks and marking the reindeer .
135.The Finnmark Commission was appointed by the King in Council on 14 March 2008, following the adoption of the Finnmark Act in 2005. The Commission is currently mapping use and ownership rights to the land in Finnmark on the basis of applicable national law. The Commission is also assessing claims for collective or individual rights to fishing grounds in sea and fjord areas in Finnmark if someone with a legal interest in clarification so requests.
136.The Commission has completed its mapping of six fields (field 1 Stjernøya/Seiland, field 2 Nesseby, field 3 Sørøya, field 4 Karasjok, field 5 Varangerhalvøya east and field 6 Varangerhalvøya west). A further four fields are being mapped (field 7 Tana and Tanafjorden, field 8 Kautokeino, field 9 Porsanger and field 10 Nordkyn/Sværholhalvøya). The Commission’s assessments also concern Sami fishing and reindeer herding rights. The Commission’s conclusions can form the basis for the formalisation of use and ownership rights, and the mapping thereby contributes to ensuring the legal recognition of Sami rights.
137.In 2013, the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries agreed on a framework agreement for consultations on fisheries matters. Consultations with the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) have been held at both political and administrative level. A separate coastal fishing scheme ensures a guaranteed additional quota for vessels with owners who reside in certain municipalities in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark. Furthermore, a separate fjord fishing committee has been established to strengthen the management of the fjord fisheries. The members are appointed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, on the basis of proposals from the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and the three northernmost counties.
Recommendation 22 (f)
138.Reference is made to previous reports stating that the re-establishment of Skolt/East Sami reindeer herding will require the expropriation of existing grazing rights from other Sami reindeer herders. Other Sami reindeer herders also have a right to protection of their culture and way of life in accordance with human rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 27 is particularly relevant in this context. Following a comprehensive assessment of the considerations in the case, the Minister of Agriculture and Food and the Minister of Local Government and Modernisation decided in 2015 that the expropriation of grazing rights for the benefit of the East Sami was not an option. This decision is still in line with the Norwegian authorities’ assessment of the case.
Recommendation 22 (g)
139.A process is underway between Norway, Sweden and Finland and the Sami parliaments in the three countries with a view to signing the Nordic Saami Convention and subsequent ratification in the three countries. The countries and the three Sami parliaments are cooperating at the administrative level to follow up and facilitate the further process. In Norway, Sami people are already guaranteed a number of rights, not least through ILO Convention No. 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples.
Recommendation 24: Situation of Roma and Taters
140.Romano Kher – Romsk kultur- og ressurssenter (Roma cultural and resource centre) was established in 2018 as an expression of collective redress for Roma people for the racist exclusion policy practised against Roma people in the decades before and after WWII, and the fatal consequences of this policy during the Holocaust. Then Prime Minister Erna Solberg gave Norwegian Roma people a public apology on 8 April 2015, which is the international Romani day.
141.The Language Act entered into force on 1 January 2022. The Act gives Romani and Romanes the status of national minority languages in Norway. As an expression of language and culture, Romani and Romanes are equal in value to Norwegian.
142.Romano Kher was established in dialogue with the Roma people. It is a centre for Norwegian Roma that focuses on developing knowledge and skills, as well as being a meeting place for children and young people and between the minority and the majority populations. The centre is tasked with strengthening the minority and preserving Roma culture and language. Romano Kher is run by the Church City Mission.
143.Many Roma people have a difficult life situation characterised by extensive challenges relating to living conditions. Romano Kher has a mediator service, which is a measure that is intended to ensure equal services for Roma people. The service provides guidance and assistance to Roma in dealings with public bodies and agencies, and has employees from both Roma and non-Roma backgrounds. The service is based in Oslo, but it also assists Roma in neighbouring municipalities in their dealings with the authorities and the wider community. The service provides support and guidance to Roma relating, among other things, to child welfare, discrimination, various conflicts,housing and schooling. The mediator service also informs the first-line services about Roma people’s assistance needs.
144.Many Roma live in Lørenskog municipality. The municipality has taken measures to promote beneficial and comprehensive services for Roma people, reduce the challenges that Roma experience in dealings with the municipal services and the local community, and to facilitate good relations with schools. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Ministry of Education and Research co-fund these measures.
145.The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development finances the City of Oslo’s school guidace programme ‘Skolelostjeneste’. The purpose of the programme is to improve learning outcomes, reduce absence and increase the chances of pupils from a Roma background completing primary and lower secondary education. Among other things, the programme helps to coordinate between the school, pupil and home, and also helps pupils who live in Lørenskog and other nearby municipalities. Homework help is offered at Romano Kher, and a kindergarten project in collaboration with Romano Kher has also been established. The service is aimed at children from a Roma background who will start school the following autumn. It aims to promote both Romanes and Norwegian, help to secure and facilitate the process of starting school, and build trust. The school guidance programme is in dialogue with Dembra (cf. response to Recommendation no. 20) for guidance on how the service can handle and counter stereotypical attitudes and prejudices.
146.The Directorate of Culture manages two grant schemes for national minorities. Organisations that mainly have members from a national minority can apply for operating funds. The scheme has a two-fold objective: Firstly, the grant should promote self‑organisation and rights work, and, secondly, it should contribute to the organisations’ work on strengthening the culture, language and identity of the minority group. The purpose of the project grant is, among other things, to enhance identity-creating among children and young people, awareness-raising and self-help activities. Projects that aim to increase the population’s knowledge of the national minorities and their situation may also be granted funding.
147.We also refer to the findings of the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies’ survey (2022) referred to under Article 7, the grant scheme referred to in the response to Recommendation no.14 b and the Government’s Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion (2020–2023). Representatives of the Roma participated in the input meeting for the action plan against racism and discrimination, which will be presented in 2023.
148.The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development holds annual dialogue meetings with the Roma Council and the organisations for the Romani/Tater people. In January 2023, to follow up the annual dialogue meeting, the Roma Council had a meeting with the Ministry of Culture and Equality, Bufdir and the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud, at which the Roma Council addressed the discrimination and prejudice that they experience.
149.The Church City Mission via the Romano Kher centre has received grants for a professional development project on child welfare for the years 2020–2022. The project is a collaboration between UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the Church City Mission and representatives from Romano Kher. The purpose is to look at how the cultural and language centre Romano Kher can contribute to knowledge-building and dissemination that promotes Roma children and families’ socio-cultural living conditions, and help Roma children and young people under the care of the child welfare services to maintain contact with the Roma environment and develop confidence in their Roma identity. The project uses a participatory research design, where participants from the Roma community participate in all phases of the project.
150.A report from 2018 deals with cases of the Child Welfare Service taking children with ethnic minority backgrounds into care (NOVA report no. 5/18). The report covers three cases in which Roma children are involved, and documents that cultural sensitivity in the Child Welfare Service is too poor and that there is a need for significant competence-raising measures in the services. Since the report was published, a separate course in minority competence, KOMBA, has been established in addition to a further education programme in minority competence in the Child Welfare Service.
151.Bufdir has established a resource group at Romano Kher that can contribute to dialogue on the child welfare system. Some Roma people are illiterate. Oral information about the child welfare system has therefore been posted on social media. Material on family group conferences have been translated into Romanes and some members of the resource group have attended courses to learn more about the method, which promotes dialogue between the Child Welfare Service and the child’s family and close network in child welfare cases. Reference is also made to the clarification in the Child Welfare Act on the right to language and culture, referred to under Article 6.
152.Reference is also made to the mention of general awareness-raising work under Recommendation 13 b.
Recommendation 26: Situation of the Kven people
153.Both targeted and general schemes in the cultural field contribute to promoting the Kven language and culture. The Ministry of Culture and Equality awards annual operating grants to Varanger Museum, where the Ruija Kven Museum is one of the museum’s branches. In 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Equality’s operating grant for Varanger Museum amounts to NOK 15.5 million. A new building was opened for the Ruija Kven Museum in 2021. The Ministry of Culture and Equality provided funding of NOK 43 million for the construction project.
154.For 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Equality has awarded a grant of NOK 7.9 million to the National Centre for Kven Language and Culture and NOK 1.4 million to the newspaper Ruijan Kaiku. The Language Council manages a grant scheme for the collection and registration of place names, which also includes Kven place names.
155.The theatre Kvääniteatteri AS was formally founded in September 2022, with Troms and Finnmark county authority, Nordreisa municipality, Vadsø municipality and Alta municipality as its owners. Through the tools at the theatre’s disposal, Kvääniteatteri strives to use and develop the Kven language, promote Kven history and cultural heritage, work on identity development, democracy and minority challenges, and help increase engagements for and the visibility of Kven artists. In autumn 2022, Kvääniteatteri AS was allocated NOK 2 million from betting profits for cultural purposes for the year 2023. In the revised national budget for 2023, the theatre has been allocated NOK 0.5 million for one-off investments, and in autumn 2023, the theatre will receive NOK 3 million from betting profits for cultural purposes. Kvääniteatteri has also received a project grant from Arts Council Norway.
156.The Language Act, which entered into force on 1 January 2022, gives the Kven language the status of a national minority language in Norway. As an expression of language and culture, Kven is equal in value to Norwegian. The Act gives public bodies responsibility for protecting and promoting the Kven language.
157.The Government presented a proposal for a Book Act in the spring of 2023. The purpose of the act is to stipulate conditions that promote the diversity of literature in Bokmål, Nynorsk, Sami languages and the national minority languages Kven, Romani and Romanes, and to make it easier for readers to purchase the books. The act will serve to promote linguistic diversity in literature by facilitating both small and large undertakings in the sector and a wide range of narrative voices.
158.Several of the underlying agencies under the Ministry of Culture and Equality promote the Kven language and culture in various ways as part of their work. Arts and Culture Norway administers state grant schemes that aim to revitalise the Kven language and promote Kven/Norwegian-Finnish culture, especially among children and young people. In addition, the Directorate of Culture manages two grant schemes where all five national minorities can apply for operating grants for organisations and project grants for individuals/undertakings. Work on Kven language and Kven/Norwegian-Finnish culture is also being carried out in other areas of the Directorate for Culture and in Arts Council Norway, including a focus on national minority languages in the Norwegian Cultural Fund’s literature schemes. Arts Council Norway has diversity and new voices as a focus area, and Kven language and culture form part of this focus.
159.NRK, the public broadcaster in Norway, is tasked with providing content, including in Kven and other minority languages, and reflecting minorities’ interests in the everyday content of their broadcasts. NRK Troms has a special responsibility for Kven content, and the local broadcasts in Troms and Finnmark have regular features that turn the spotlight on Kven culture. NRK has appointed a journalist with Kven language competence who has contributed to articles and other content.
160.The Norwegian Media Authority provides grants for local audio and visual media, including operating grants for local radio for ethnic and linguistic minority radio stations. In 2022, the Kven radio broadcaster Ruijan Kaiku AS received a grant of NOK 75,000.
161.The measures for the Kven language set out in the Targeted Plan for Promotion of the Kven Language 2017–2021 are ongoing, even though the plan period is formally over. The plan contains a number of measures in several areas of society. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has reviewed the plan together with the Ministry of Culture and Equality and the Ministry of Education and Research and in dialogue with representatives of Kven/Norwegian-Finnish organisations and Kven language communities. The report following the review was published in February 2023 and is available on the Government’s website: Gjennomgang av Målrettet plan for kvensk språk 2017–2021 – videre innsats for kvensk språk (regjeringen.no) – (Review of the targeted plan for the Kven language 2017–2021 – continued efforts for the Kven language – in Norwegian only). The report contains several suggestions for measures to strengthen the Kven language. On the basis of the report, further efforts to strengthen the Kven language will be considered.
162.The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has assessed the requirements of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (the Charter) Part III in relation to the Kven language, among others. The work shows that national regulations, practices and measures do not meet enough provisions in Part III of the Charter for the Kven language as of today. Representatives of Kven/Norwegian-Finnish organisations and Kven language communities have been given an opportunity to comment on the report.
163.The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training has initiated a scheme to provide project funding to kindergarten and school owners who have employees who take a basic course in the Kven language. The funds are intended to cover the costs of stand-in staff. The purpose is to give an introduction to the Kven language, which can be a springboard and motivation for further education in the language.
164.The Directorate of Education and Research allocates NOK 800,000 annually from the national budget to projects that promote the Kven language in kindergartens. The funding covers all kindergartens in Troms and Finnmark. Efforts are being made to provide targeted information about the funding to encourage more applications, allowing more children to experience the Kven language in kindergarten.
Recommendation 28 (a): Situation of asylum-seeking minors
165.No minor asylum-seekers are detained in Norway while their application is being considered. It is only in connection with returns, after the rejection of an application for residence in Norway, that it may be an option to detain minors in special cases. The threshold for detaining minors is high, and the arrest and detention of unaccompanied minors rarely occurs. We have a special provision in the Immigration Act to ensure that minor foreign nationals can only be arrested and detained if it is particularly necessary, and only as a last resort. The fact that detention rarely occurs is also related to the fact that unaccompanied minors cannot be ordered to leave the country unless it has been established that they have a caregiver in their home country.
Recommendation 28 (b)
166.Children who come to Norway unaccompanied are a particularly vulnerable group. They are therefore given high priority in all parts of the immigration administration. Norway has an age-appropriate care service for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, which means that staffing is lower in reception centres for unaccompanied minors between the ages of 15 and 18 than in centres for unaccompanied minors under the age of 15. Unaccompanied minors between the ages of 15 and 18 in reception centres are offered satisfactory housing and care services in the centres. On the basis of an overall assessment of the child’s situation, the reception centres take into account the individual child’s special needs. The care offered to unaccompanied minors aged 15 to 18 is specifically designed to meet the needs of this group. The reception centres must adapt the care to the child’s age and individual follow-up needs. All unaccompanied minors, both under and over the age of 15, have a right to necessary care from other public services.
167.The immigration administration works systematically to ensure that unaccompanied minors over the age of 15 in reception centres are provided with proper care, and a number of measures have been implemented in recent years to reduce the probability of challenging situations that can arise at the centres. The measures include funding for increased staffing and expertise in caring for unaccompanied minors in reception centres, as well as early settlement in a municipality of unaccompanied minors who only have limited residence permits due to doubts about their identity. Furthermore, the Directorate of Immigration has prioritised the processing of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in order to reduce the waiting time in reception centres for this group.
168.In 2022, a system of independent supervision of the care of unaccompanied minors living in reception centres was established. The supervision will help to ensure that unaccompanied minors receive the care they are entitled to during their stay in an asylum reception centre.
Recommendation 28 (c)
169.Reference is made to our previous reporting on this point, cf. Recommendation 34 and Norway’s interim report in 2019.
170.Following a decision in the Parliament in November 2017, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security adopted changes in the Immigration Regulations concerning unaccompanied minors that entered into force 1 February 2018. The provision regulating the time limited residence permit for unaccompanied minors between 16 and 18 years was amended, giving the immigration authorities a list of factors that should be taken into consideration, when considering whether an unaccompanied minor should be given a time limited permit, or a permit without such limitation.
171.The list of factors that should be considered when assessing whether to give an unaccompanied minor a time limited permit, include the following: the child’s physical and mental health, the child’s need for stability, the child’s connection to family and friends both in Norway and in the country of origin, the social and humanitarian situation upon return, and whether the child has been subjected to human trafficking, abuse or neglect. It is also highlighted that giving a time limited residence permit should be reasonable in light of the best interest of the child.
172.It was also decided that some unaccompanied minors who have received a time limited residence permit, should be given the opportunity to have their cases reconsidered. Persons concerned could reapply for asylum before 2 May 2018. Applications could be submitted from abroad. It was estimated that about 200 persons were eligible to apply. In the end, almost 400 persons applied, of which 137 fulfilled the criteria for reconsideration. Of the 137, 107 of them have been granted a residence permit by the Directorate of Immigration. In addition, 15 applications were rejected and 15 applications were dropped.
Recommendation 29: Ratification of other treaties
173.Norway ratified the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on 22 August 2019. Norway submitted its first report on the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in November 2021. Norway has on several occasions carefully considered ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and has decided not to ratify it. Norway attaches great importance to promoting and protecting basic and universal labour rights, not least through the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Employee rights also apply to foreign nationals residing in Norway.
Recommendation 30: Follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
174.Norway’s implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action takes place, among other things, through national action plans. The Norwegian Government has strengthened its efforts against racism and discrimination through several action plans in the area: the Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion 2020–2023, Action Plan to Combat Discrimination and Hatred towards Muslims (2020–2023), Action Plan against Antisemitism (2016–2020) and Action Plan against Antisemitism – a continuation (2021–2023). In addition, the Government is following up the Strategy to Combat Hate Speech (2016–2020). The Government will present a new action plan against racism and discrimination in 2023. The Government will also step up efforts to combat online harassment.
Recommendation 31: International Decade for People of African Descent
175.The authorities do not have any measures based directly on the International Decade for People of African Descent. Norway’s efforts to combat racism and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, national origin and skin colour have been implemented through a number of measures in different sectors, as presented in this report.
Recommendation 32: Consultations with civil society
176.The draft report has been submitted to the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament), voluntary organisations, the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution (NIM) and the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO). The Ministry of Culture and Equality pays grants to civil society for the preparation of supplementary reports to the Committee. Civil society has also been consulted in the work on the aforementioned action plans related to racism and discrimination. Among other things, input meetings have been held and reference groups appointed.
Recommendation 33: Amendment to article 8 of the Convention
177.Norway approved the amendment on 6 October 1993 and is listed as a party in the UN register. Further legally binding steps should not be necessary on Norway’s part.
Recommendation 34: Follow-up to the present concluding observations
178.Norway reported on the recommendations in paragraphs 18 b) and 28 c) in the letter dated 19 November 2019.
Recommendation 35: Paragraphs of particular importance
179.Reference is made to the responses under Recommendations nos. 12, 14, 18 and 22, as well as under Article 2.2.
Recommendation 36: Dissemination of information
180.The report, together with the Committee’s comments, will be published in both English and Norwegian on the Government’s website. The website also includes a link to the CERD Committee’s website. The report is also sent together with the Committee’s comments to the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament), the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution and the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud.
III.Reporting on the Articles of the Convention
Article 2
Action plans against racism and discrimination
181.Since the previous report, Norway has presented an Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion (2020–2023), and an Action Plan against Antisemitism (2021–2023) – a continuation, and the Action Plan to Combat Discrimination and Hatred towards Muslims (2020–2023). Work is currently being carried out on a new action plan against racism and discrimination, which will be presented before the end of 2023. The main focus areas in the latter plan are workplaces and racism and discrimination directed at young people.
182.The Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion (2020–2023) sets out a total of 50 measures in nine different areas. The Action Plan is wide ranging and overarching. Its point of departure is that many different groups are subjected to racism and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion.
183.The Action Plan against Antisemitism 2021–2023 – a continuation contains 12 measures and forms the basis for coherent and systematic efforts to combat harassment of Jews and antisemitism. The goal is that, taken together, the measures in the plan will help to reduce antisemitism in Norway. The efforts to combat antisemitism during the period 2016–2023 have recently been evaluated. Based on the evaluation, the Government will consider what it will focus on in further efforts against antisemitism.
184.The Action Plan to Combat Discrimination and Hatred towards Muslims (2020–2023) sets out a total of 18 measures within the areas Dialogue and Meeting Places, Safety and Security, Knowledge and Competence as well as Efforts outside Norway. The action plan was developed based on recognition of the fact that hostility, prejudices and negative attitudes towards Muslims constitute a real and serious problem in Norway. Several terrorist attacks both internationally and in Norway, such as the attack on Al-Noor Islamic Center in August 2019, have resulted in many Muslims feeling unsafe.
185.In 2023, the Norwegian Government presented The Government’s Action Plan on Gender and Sexual Diversity (2023–2026). The Action Plan is intended to contribute to improving queer people’s quality of life, to safeguard their rights and promote greater acceptance of gender and sexual diversity. One of the plan’s three focus areas is ‘Queer people from minority backgrounds and queer people in religious communities’. The action plan also contains measures aimed at improving the situation for queer people from Sami backgrounds.
The 10th of August Centre
186.The Government has contributed financially to the establishment of the 10th of August Centre, which is a memorial and learning centre under the auspices of Stiftelsen 10. august (the 10th of August Foundation), where school pupils, students and other visitors can learn about the racially motivated murder of Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen and the ensuing terrorist attack on Al-Noor Islamic Center in 2019.
Efforts against extremism and radicalisation
187.The Action Plan against Radicalisation and Violent Extremism was launched in 2014. It has been updated several times, most recently through a revision in 2020. The revised Action Plan contains 30 measures within five priority areas. Among other things it contains measures for establishing a national guidance and resource function to strengthen public agencies’ work on combating radicalisation and violent extremism, for strengthening national coordination of the efforts against radicalisation and violent extremism and for dialogue between religious and belief-based communities.
188.The Government has appointed a Commission on Extremism. The Commission, which was appointed by the Government on 10 June 2022, will submit its report in early 2024 containing recommendations for improving the country’s ability to prevent radicalisation and the growth of extremism.
189.The Centre for Research on Extremism: far-right extremism, hate crime and political violence (C-REX) is a research centre at the University of Oslo that was established in 2016. The centre was established after the terrorist attack on 22 July 2011 based on a growing recognition that Norway lacked updated knowledge about far-right extremism and did not have an active research community that studied this field. C-REX is funded by the Research Council of Norway as a Research Institution-based Strategic Project, which entails funding for ten years, starting on 1 February 2016 and ending on 31 January 2026. Its research is concentrated on five topics: Violence and hate crime, prevention and intervention, ideology and identity, parties and movements, and gender and extremism.
Dialogue between religious and belief-based communities
190.The state has for many years funded dialogue between religious and belief-based communities, both locally and at the national level. The Ministry of Children and Families pays operating grants to dialogue and umbrella organisations in the religious and belief-based field. The Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities in Norway (STL) and the Christian Council in Norway are dialogue partners for and bridgebuilders between different religious and belief-based communities, other organisations in the religion and belief-based field, civil society and the public sector. In addition, STL, the Christian Council of Norway and Muslim Dialogue Network Norway receive support for measures that can strengthen their work on diversity, inclusion and combating poverty. The Ministry of Children and Families also awards individual grants to dialogue measures, public debates and knowledge development in the religion and belief-based field.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
191.In 2017, the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, decided to establish a commission to investigate the Norwegianization (assimilation) policy and injustices committed against the Sami people as well as Kven people/Norwegians of Finnish descent. On 12 June 2018, the Storting decided on a remit for and the composition of the commission. The Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and Kven and Norwegian-Finnish organisations were involved in this work. In 2019, the commission decided to include Forest Finns in its remit. The commission submitted its report to the Storting’s Presidium on 1 June 2023.
New statutory provisions about consultations in the Sami Act
192.New statutory provisions about consultations entered into force in July 2021. The statutory provisions are largely a continuation of the ‘Procedures for consultations between national authorities and the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament)’ from 2005.
193.The consultation duty applies to central government authorities, county authorities and municipalities, and to private legal entities when exercising authority on behalf of the State.
194.The purpose of consultations is to ensure that Sami interests are taken into account at an early stage of relevant processes, and that Sami people have an opportunity to influence the outcome. The right to be consulted applies to the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and other representatives of Sami interests in matters concerning legislation, regulations and other decisions or measures that could directly affect Sami interests.
Changes to the language rules in the Sami Act
195.The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development presented a bill to the Storting in 2023. The bill follows up the report NOU 2016: 18 Hjertespråket (‘The language of the heart’). The Ministry has consulted the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) about the bill and made changes as a result of input from the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) during the consultations. One main goal of the bill is to facilitate language rules that are adapted to the situation for the Sami language in different municipalities, and to ensure that more municipalities are included in the administrative area for Sami languages.
A new budgetary system for the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) and an annual report on the Sami language, culture and society
196.In spring 2018, the Government reached agreement with the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) to gather most of the allocations to the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) in one budget chapter and item in the national budget. As part of this agreement, the Government has also established a scheme whereby a forward-looking report about Sami policy will be presented in each spring parliamentary session. The report will discuss developments in relation to the Sami language, culture and society, and the services provided for Sami inhabitants.
Development of wind farms at Fosen and reindeer herding
197.In 2010, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) made a licensing decision concerning Roan and Storheia wind farms, among others. The wind farms are situated in Fosen reindeer herding district. The reindeer herders argued that the development violated their rights to practise their culture, but their arguments were rejected in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy’s appeal decision in 2013. The wind power licensees were later granted an expropriation permit and consent to advance possession of the areas. The construction of the wind power plants was completed while the case involving compensation between Fosen Vind and the reindeer herders was being heard by the courts.
198.The reindeer herders also argued before the courts in the case involving compensation that the development violated their right to practice their culture, and that the case therefore had to be dismissed. Both the district court and the court of appeal concluded that this was not the case, and therefore stipulated compensation.
199.Based on new knowledge, the court of appeal concluded that the winter grazing areas at Storheia and Roan are in practice lost to reindeer herding, but that the decision could still be upheld in return for compensation for winter feeding of parts of the reindeer herds. On 11 October 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed the case on determining the amount of expropriation compensation, on the grounds that the licensing and expropriation decision violated the rights of reindeer herders under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 27 and was thus invalid.
200.In December 2021, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy gave notice of a reversal process in relation to the licensing decisions for Roan and Storheia wind farms in order to ensure that the reindeer herding rights pursuant to Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are safeguarded.
201.Pursuant to administrative law, new decisions must be well reasoned, and a process has therefore been initiated to obtain an updated knowledge base on the basis of which new decisions can be made. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has conducted consultations with reindeer herders and the Sámediggi (the Sami Parliament) on the content of an impact assessment programme.
202.At the same time, the Ministry has also initiated a mediation process between the wind power licensees and reindeer herders. The mediation process is an alternative track that can provide a faster solution than the notified administrative process for reversing the licensing decisions.
Efforts to combat the harassment of Sami people
203.In the reindeer herding agreement for 2022/2023, the parties to the agreement agreed to carry out a project to combat harassment of and racism against those engaged in reindeer herding. An important goal of the project is to raise awareness and increase knowledge about these issues. Funding has also been made available for measures to combat the harassment of Sami people through the grant scheme Measures against Racism, Discrimination and Hate Speech. The Sami Reindeer Herders’ Association of Norway has, for example, received funding for a project aimed at increasing knowledge about Sami reindeer herding and reindeer herders, and to reduce harassment targeting them.
Report to the Storting on national minorities
204.The report to the Storting Nasjonale minoriteter i Norge – En helhetlig politikk (National minorities in Norway – a coherent policy) (Report 12 to the Storting (2020–2021)) describes the development of policy relating to national minorities in recent years and how the Government plans to further develop the policy to strengthen minorities’ languages, culture and situation. The national minorities’ organisations submitted input to the part of the report that describes the minorities’ current situation.
The Act relating to integration through training, education and work (the Integration Act)
205.A new Integration Act entered into force on 1 January 2021. The purpose of the act is to ensure that immigrants are integrated at an early stage into Norwegian society and become financially independent. The act is intended to help immigrants to acquire good Norwegian language skills, knowledge about Norwegian society, formal qualifications and a permanent attachment to the labour market.
The Act relating to public bodies’ responsibility for the use of interpreters etc. (the Interpreting Act)
206.The Act relating to public bodies’ responsibility for the use of interpreters etc. (the Interpreting Act) entered into force on 1 January 2022. The act is intended to ensure due process protection and adequate help and services for persons who cannot communicate satisfactorily with public bodies without an interpreter. The act is also intended to ensure that interpreters meet a satisfactory professional standard.
Efforts to combat negative social control and honour-based violence
207.Long-term efforts are being made to prevent children and adults being subjected to negative social control and honour-based violence. The Action Plan for Freedom from Negative Social Control and Honour Based Violence (2021–2024) was presented in June 2021. The plan contains 33 measures divided between five focus areas: efforts targeting recently arrived refugees and immigrants, knowledge and expertise aimed at providing comprehensive help services, stronger due process protection for vulnerable persons, the prevention of involuntary stays abroad, and international cooperation. The measures are based on prior efforts made through the action plan the Right to Decide over One’s Own Life. The Action Plan against Negative Social Control, Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (2017–2020).
208.Dedicated help services that have expertise in negative social control and honour‑based violence have been strengthened. Since 2018, the authorities have doubled the number of minority counsellors who give advice and guidance to vulnerable pupils.
209.New schemes have also been established to strengthen the effort against negative social control and honour-based violence. In 2019, the authorities launched a mentor scheme for persons who have used the housing and support service for persons over the age of 18 who are subjected to negative social control and honour-based violence and need support to establish an independent life. A national expert team for the prevention of negative social control and honour-based violence was appointed in January 2021. Among other things, the expert team helps to raise the competence of staff at schools that do not have a minority counsellor.
210.In 2022, the Government appointed a legislative commission to study legal issues in cases concerning negative social control, honour-based violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and psychological violence. The commission will submit its report in early 2024. The Government is also working on a new plan to increase the efforts to combat violence against and abuse of children and domestic violence where negative social control and honour-based violence are also involved.
Inclusion in leisure activities
211.Even though many children take part to some extent in sporting or cultural activities during their childhood, there are social differences in terms of participation. The Ministry of Culture and Equality and the Ministry of Children and Families have several targeted schemes that are intended to promote the inclusion of children and young people who only participate to a small extent in organised leisure activities together with other children.
212.The Leisure Declaration is a collaboration between the Government, the municipalities and the voluntary sector. The declaration was first signed in 2016. The Leisure Declaration is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 31. It obliges the parties to ensure that all children have an opportunity to participate regularly in at least one organised leisure activity together with others.
213.In the period 2019–2022, a pilot project was carried out with leisure card schemes, where children from 6 to 18 years received up to NOK 2,000 per year that could be used to cover participation fees for regular, organised leisure activities.
Expert group on children in poor families
214.Income differences in Norway are small in an international context, and most children and young people in Norway grow up in good conditions. Nevertheless, children in low‑income families have, on average, poorer living conditions, weaker school results, poorer mental and physical health, and lower participation in leisure activities compared to other children. Growing up in poverty also increases the risk of dropping out of upper secondary education, and having a low income and being outside the labour market as an adult.
215.In August 2022, an expert group was appointed to assess how the investment of public resources for children in poor families should be aligned. The expert group will present its recommendations in autumn 2023.
Strategies relating to children and young people
216.In October 2020, the Solberg Government presented the strategy Like muligheter i oppveksten. Regjeringens samarbeidsstrategi for barn og ungdom i lavinntektsfamilier (2020-2023)(Equal opportunities during childhood. The Government’s strategy for children and young people in low-income families (2020–2023) – Norwegian only). The goal is to reduce the differences between children and young people’s living conditions and participation, and to prevent living condition challenges becoming hereditary.
Article 4
217.Reference is made to the reporting relating to Recommendation 16.
Article 5
Domestic violence
218.In line with what it announced in the Hurdal Platform, the Government will present a plan to step up the efforts to combat violence against and abuse of children and domestic violence. The aim is to launch the plan in autumn 2023. Until the new plan is ready, the measures in the action plan against violence and abuse 2021–2024, ‘Freedom from Violence’ from August 2021, will be followed up. A study of the extent of violence and sexual abuse among Sami people and non-Sami people from 2020 shows that a significantly higher proportion of Sami women report emotional, physical and sexual violence, as children, as adults and from a lifespan perspective, compared with non-Sami women. The study also shows that a significantly higher proportion of Sami men report emotional and physical violence, as children, as adults and from a lifespan perspective, compared with non-Sami men. (Vold i nære relasjoner i et mangfoldig Norge | Nordic Open Access Scholarly Publishing).
Establishment of a national Sami competence centre for family welfare, child welfare and crisis centre services
219.The Regional Sami Competence Centre (RESAK) has been responsible for strengthening and developing equal treatment services for the Sami population under the auspices of Bufetat (Office for Children, Youth and Family Affairs), Region North. In autumn 2021, RESAK was developed into a National Competence Centre (NASAK), which will provide guidance for both the municipal and state child welfare services, family welfare and crisis centre services throughout the country. NASAK will take steps to facilitate more equal services for Sami children and families, and strengthen trust in the help services among the Sami population.
220.One of the measures in the ‘Freedom from Violence’ action plan is to strengthen the provision of crisis centres for the Sami population, among other things based on research showing that the crisis centres have had little focus on the need to adapt such services to the Sami population. The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) has therefore tasked the Regional Resource Centres for Violence, Traumatic Stress and the Prevention of Suicide (RVTS) with raising competence to strengthen crisis centre services for particularly vulnerable groups and for the Sami population.
221.The Sami Crisis and Incest Centre in Karasjok was closed down in 2019 because of financial problems. Since its closure, Bufdir has cooperated with Karasjok municipality with a view to establishing a satisfactory crisis centre service. Bufdir has paid a grant to Karasjok municipality in 2019, 2021 and 2023 to re-establish and strengthen the crisis centre service in the Indre Finnmark area. NASAK is assisting with this work.
Alternativ til Vold (Alternative to Violence) Finnmark
222.In 2020, the foundation Alternativ til Vold (ATV) opened a new office for the whole population of Finnmark. The ATV office is located in Alta, with branch offices in Kirkenes, Karasjok and Kautokeino. ATV Finnmark, which is fully state funded, provides treatment for perpetrators of violence and their families, but also for adult and child victims. ATV Finnmark has established a project on Sami cultural competence whose goal is to develop an equal treatment service for the Sami population in Finnmark and the rest of Region North (Bodø and Tromsø). In the long term, the project will help to increase competence in Sami language and culture at all ATV offices, and thereby reach the whole Sami population in Norway, regardless of where they live.
Voter turnout
223.Statistics Norway collects and publishes statistics on voter turnout and representation among immigrants. The enclosed tables 12–14 show that there is a big difference in voter turnout between Norwegian citizens from a non-migrant background and voters in the different immigrant categories. Turnout is particularly low among foreign nationals in local elections to municipal and county councils. Statistics Norway has produced separate reports about immigrants and elections to both the Storing and municipal and county councils that go into more detail about the differences in terms of turnout, including differences within these groups.
Cultural diversity
224.Art and cultural life, the media, volunteering and sport must include and be accessible to all, regardless of, for example, ethnicity and religion. In 2020, the Directorate of Culture was assigned the role of national coordinator for increased diversity, inclusion and participation in the cultural sector. The Directorate of Culture has a special role in stimulating inclusion and representativeness, diversity of audiences, diversity in forms of expression and diversity in participation. It provides funding for initiatives such as Fargespill (Kaleidoscope), which is engaged in disseminating arts and culture and diversity work. Fargespill ’ s method encourages children and young people from different cultural backgrounds to explore each other’s cultural heritage. Another example is the Stoppested Verden festival, which, through art and cultural activities, creates meeting places with room for everyone with the goal of preventing exclusion, racism and discrimination. People’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic background can be an obstacle to recruitment to arts and culture-related professions. The Directorate of Culture has a dedicated trainee scheme aimed at combating structural discrimination by increasing access to work in the arts and culture sector for qualified applicants.
Diversity in the media
225.The Norwegian Constitution Article 100 requires public authorities to facilitate an open and informed discourse. Referred to as ‘the infrastructure requirement’, it forms the basis for Norway’s media policy. Various support schemes have, for example, been established to ensure that everyone has access to media. The production grant for news and current affairs media is intended to stimulate diversity in text-based news and current affairs media throughout the country, especially in markets that are too small to be sustainable, or in news and current affairs media that are alternatives to the leading news media in the different media markets. A separate scheme has also been established for Sami media. The aim of this scheme is to facilitate democratic debate and opinion formation in Sami society and to stimulate the production of broad journalistic content targeting the Sami population. It is also intended to promote the development of the Sami languages. A separate grant scheme has also been established for local audio and visual media, with a separate category for operating grants for local radio stations for minority ethnic and language groups. Pursuant to the regulations, particular emphasis shall be placed on applications from local radio stations for minority ethnic and language groups. The Ministry has decided that during 2023, a proposal will be distributed for consultation that, among other things, raises the grant ceiling for minority ethnic and language radio stations under this scheme.
226.Part of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s (NRK) mission is to ensure that its broadcasts are available to the whole population and that it spreads knowledge about different groups and about the diversity of Norwegian society. NRK is also required to create arenas for debate and information about Norway as a multicultural society. NRK must offer news, current affairs and cultural content for both narrow and broad groups. Its content must reflect the diversity that exists in the population. NRK’s remit also includes strengthening the Norwegian and Sami languages, and strengthening Norwegian and Sami identity and culture. A large proportion if its content must be grounded in and reflect the cultural diversity that exists in Norway. NRK must have daily broadcasts aimed at the Sami population and have programmes for national and language minorities, as well as content for sign language users. NRK must offer content in Sami languages, national minority languages and sign language.
227.In 2021, the Norwegian Media Authority, which supervises that these requirements are met, concluded that NRK largely fulfilled its social mission in compliance with the requirements. NRK established a talent programme in 2008 for journalists and content producers with multicultural competence. In 2021, NRK won two prizes for its work on diversity and inclusion: Medienettverket’s diversity prize and DOGAS’s innovation prize for universal design in ICT.
New law on municipalities’ responsibilities in the field of social housing
228.In December 2022, the Storting passed a new Act relating to municipalities’ responsibilities in the field of social housing (Act No 121 of 20 December 2022). The Act regulates municipalities’ responsibility for helping disadvantaged people by providing permanent housing. The purpose of the act is to prevent challenges relating to social housing and to make it easier for disadvantaged people in the housing market to be helped to obtain and retain suitable housing. The Act does not give individuals a right to housing, but it gives those who are unable to find or retain suitable housing a right to help. The Act largely specifies the responsibility municipalities already have today, but it increases municipalities’ responsibility in certain areas (more stringent case processing requirements and a requirement that social housing considerations be taken into account during planning). By clarifying the municipalities’ responsibilities, the Act can help to prevent discrimination in the housing market and thereby ensure more equitable access to housing.The Act entered into force on 1 July 2023.
229.The Government presented a report to the Storting on living conditions in towns, cities and urban areas in August 2023. The report concerns the Government’s policy for facilitating good living conditions and a good environment to grow up in in towns, cities and urban areas.
Racism in sport
230.The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) makes active endeavours to prevent racism in sport. The document setting out the strategy for sport during the period 2019–2023 states that ‘Sport at all levels must practice zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination and harassment’. This applies to all the different sporting arenas. The most important tool is awareness raising. NIF has produced a separate guide that is intended to make it easier to report, deal with and react to racism and all kinds of discrimination in sport. It also has a dedicated whistleblowing channel for reporting matters that warrant criticism.
Article 6
Child welfare
231.Several statutory amendments have been passed to help ensure that a child’s background is taken into consideration in contact with the Child Welfare Service. They are retained and further strengthened in the new Child Welfare Act that entered into force on 1 January 2023. The Child Welfare Act contains several provisions that are intended to take children’s cultural, linguistic and religious background into account. The provisions are of particular importance to Sami children, children who belong to national minorities and other ethnic minorities.
232.The Act contains a new overarching provision that emphasises that, in its work, the Child Welfare Service must take account of children’s ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious background. The provision is important for indigenous peoples, national minorities and children with ties to other countries. The provision applies to all case processing, actions and decisions taken by the Child Welfare Service during all phases of a case. The Act also states that, when choosing where to place a child, emphasis must be placed on continuity in the child’s upbringing and on the child’s cultural, linguistic and religious background. This provision is a continuation of a provision in the previous Child Welfare Act.
233.In addition to regulation in law, there are also certain regulatory provisions that take a child’s background into account. New regulations relating to the Child Welfare Service’s follow-up of children in child welfare institutions is one example. The regulations state that, in its follow-up of children in institutions, the Child Welfare Service must take account of the child’s ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious background.
234.Increasing competence is a key method of improving the Child Welfare Service’s work with children and families from ethnic minority backgrounds in general, and indigenous people in particular. The new Child Welfare Act contains competence requirements for Child Welfare Service staff. Moreover, a separate further education programme in minority competence has been established in the Child Welfare Service and a training programme in how the service deals with minorities, including Sami people and national minorities.
Article 7
Research on racism, discrimination and diversity
235.New research has been developed in recent years in several areas concerning racism and discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and religion. In this context, we refer to the discussion of Bufdir’s knowledge portal on equality and living conditions among Sami people, national minorities and persons from migrant backgrounds under Recommendation 6. Bufdir is experiencing great interest in the knowledge portal and it has received feedback that it is an important contribution to spreading knowledge and awareness of racism and discrimination.
236.The Government has funded three surveys on the population’s attitudes to ethnic and religious minorities, in 2012, 2017 and 2022, respectively, which have enabled us to follow developments over time. The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies carried out the surveys. Among other things, the findings in the most recent report show that negative attitudes to Jews and Muslims have become less widespread during the past five years. Many people nevertheless still express a dislike of Muslims (23.7 per cent) and very many Jews avoid showing their religious affiliation (71 per cent). The population is significantly more sceptical towards Roma people than towards other minorities. Thirty-two per cent of the population state that they do not want to have social contact with Roma people, although the proportion who do not want such social contact has fallen (44 per cent in 2011).
237.One measure in the Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination on the Grounds of Ethnicity and Religion (2020–2023) is to develop more research on skin colour and other external characteristics as grounds for racism and discrimination. In this context, Bufdir has collected information about whether foreign adoptees in Norway experience racism and discrimination, and in such case to what extent. The study also examines what is unique about foreign adoptees’ experience, how they understand and define racism and discrimination, and what strategies they use to deal with situations where they are met with racism, discrimination and differential treatment. Roughly half of the respondents in the questionnaire survey have experienced discrimination. Their experiences vary from subtle hints to gross verbal and physical attacks. Compared with Norwegian-born people with immigrant parents, foreign adoptees report that they experience a weaker attachment to Norway, and they are more in line with immigrants than the majority population.
238.The knowledge resulting from the study is important to further work on foreign adoption. Bufdir is in the process of establishing a course for adoptive parents. Racism and exclusion are among the topics that will be included. The goal is to give adoptive parents good support and guidance about available services, and to give them an opportunity to form networks. It will be considered whether to offer a similar service for adoptive children and young people.
239.The Ministry of Culture and Equality has initiated and funded a survey of top executives from migrant backgrounds (immigrants or descendants of immigrants) in Norwegian business and industry. CORE – Centre for Research on Gender Equality has published a report in which they look at the senior management teams in 50 of the biggest companies in Norway. At the same time, they have looked at the senior management (chief executives or similar) in the three most populous municipalities in Norway. The researchers say that it is difficult to measure ethnic diversity and migrant backgrounds without having access to the family trees or family histories of the individuals involved. The researchers have looked at the companies’ and municipalities’ websites. Based on this method, they arrived at the conclusion that one per cent of top executives in the biggest Norwegian companies have a migrant background. The three most populous municipalities have substantial ethnic diversity, but no one from a migrant background in senior management.
240.In addition, an overview has been developed of what is known about the consequences of racism and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion, and the municipalities’ efforts to combat racism and discrimination, research on minority stress, and children and young people’s experiences of racism and discrimination. See also examples of research relating to hate speech and extremism elsewhere in the report.