It was during Arendal Week, an equivalent of Almedal Week, that four youth councils on Monday handed over a checklist to the politicians with the hope that it would be spread.
On the list, politicians in their municipalities can tick off which planned measures against samehtes have been carried out. Saminuorra’s chairman Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen thinks it’s a good idea.
Not methodical enough
She believes that the work against the Sámi union on the Swedish side is not done methodically enough today. There is a great deal of ignorance in society about Sami issues and the hatred against the Sami, she says.
Two years ago, the government commissioned the Crime Prevention Council, Brå, to conduct an in-depth study of hate crimes against the Sami, and at the end of April the report was released.
About 40 were interviewed
About 40 people, from 21 to 80 years old, had been interviewed. From both the interviews and from police reports, it appears that hatred against the Sami occurs at school, in the workplace, in the home environment, in public places and on the internet, notes Brå.
It involves verbal assaults, face to face, over the phone and on social media.
– The report shows that perhaps a checklist is needed to be able to work with these issues, says Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen.
“Must go faster”
She believes that the checklist, according to the Norwegian model, can make visible how the work is progressing in the municipalities and in the regions.
Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen notes that the Swedish politicians appointed a series of investigations in the area, so something is certainly being done, she notes.
– There is a good basis for the mapping, but it must be faster to get measures in place, says Kuhmunen.