School staff must report suspected abuse of honor when little girls wear the veil at school.
This is what Gender Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg wants.
– We want to investigate a broader criminalization of compulsion to wear religious clothing, she tells TV4 Nyheterna.
Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg (L) is a prosecutor by profession and a handball coach for young people in her spare time. She believes that girls suffer from honor oppression without anything happening. According to the minister, the problem is big and the legislation in the area must be reviewed, but it is unclear when that will happen.
– We want to investigate a broader criminalization of compulsion to wear religious clothing, such as the veil. We know that it is all too common for parents and relatives to force little girls to wear a veil, and we need to address that in a more efficient way today, she tells TV4 Nyheterna.
There may be consequences for those who do not do so
There is no date yet for when an investigation can be appointed. According to Paulina Brandberg, new guidance documents are also needed for how school staff should act when girls in preschool or primary school wear the veil.
– You should remember to make a report to the social services when you suspect that a child is doing badly, it is not freely chosen work, it is an obligation you have when you work in a school and preschool. And it goes without saying that if you don’t comply with that obligation, then you also have to look at what the consequences will be for those who don’t do what they are obliged to do, she says.
No information on how many children are involved
TV4 Nyheterna has contacted the Swedish teachers’ union, who today did not want to comment on the gender equality minister’s actions.
Paulina Brandberg relies on two reports. One from the city audit in Malmö city and one from the city audit in Gothenburg, both of which criticize the lack of action against honor oppression in the respective municipality. But the Minister for Gender Equality does not have any information on how many children are involved in the entire country.
Paulina Brandberg says that the Liberals want to map how extensive the so-called culture of silence is in all the country’s municipalities, where the party believes that not everyone dares to act due to fear of how guardians should act.