Topic: Workplace Sexual Harassment
Country: Sweden
Delegate Name: Olivia Griffin
School: East Grand Rapids High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Sweden position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a global epidemic for all women, that must be solved by creating a healthy environment for women to come forward and address their perpetrators without fear of backlash from their communities. Between 87-94% of employees who experience sexual harassment do not file a complaint against it, so the UN hopes to catalyze further actions into the protection of women from sexual harassment in the workplace by advancing harassment prevention through ILO,UNICEF, and UNDP (“Sexual Harassment Statistics”). However, there will remain a strong need for further action regarding this issue, if each country does not acknowledge that sexual harassment is a worldwide epidemic that threatens the mental and physical health of many women. The goal of Sweden is to progress actions in sexual harassment prevention by educating its people and creating policies that support women worldwide in their mission to create a safe workplace environment.
The country of Sweden has taken numerous precautions to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, however the country still has ever increasing rates of workplace harassment (“Rates of Sexual Harassment in Europe”). Some precautions that Sweden has taken would include creating the country’s first Equal Opportunities Act of 1980 which made “gender discrimination in the workplace” illegal (“Sweden and Gender Equality”). As well as creating The Swedish Discrimination Act which “demands that employers… actively promote equality between men and women… [and] take measures against harassment” (“Sweden and Gender Equality”). Considering that 48% of the Swedish workforce is made up of women, it is vital that the Swedish government upholds the rights of their feminine workforce (“Women in the Workplace”). Despite the creation of these acts, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has released data proving that in 2016 “5.5% of persons state[d] that they were victims of harassment” in the workplace, most of whom were women between the ages of 16-19 (“Swedish Crime Survey”).
Currently, Sweden adheres to the UN’s Zero Tolerance Policy on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. However, Sweden has recently stated that they believe “we must be prepared to replace military units or formed police units when appropriate steps to investigate allegations have not been undertaken” (“Statement by Sweden”). Thus, the ultimate goal of Sweden is to decrease sexual harassment rates within our country and facilitate a safe working environment for all women. In order to do so, Sweden has proposed the immediate removal of any official who fails to adhere to a strict no harassment policy.
Sweden believes that it is essential to the advancement of democracy that women across the country feel safe and respected while at work. In order to facilitate this, Sweden suggests that all of its workers participate in annual sexual harassment training in order to increase awareness about the epidemic. Sweden also believes that every workplace should obtain a specific policy that defines sexual harassment, and lists the just punishments for such reprehensible actions. Overall, Sweden desires a legal system that enables victims to come forward with their claims without it affecting their safety or career, as well as a government that creates laws requiring that all accusations brought forth be investigated and taken seriously.
Works Cited “5 Disturbing Sexual Harassment Statistics We Can't Afford to Ignore.” Jobs and Company Reviews for Women, fairygodboss.com/articles/sexual-harassment-statistics. Hardeep Matharu @Hardeep_Matharu. “The Sexual Harassment Capitals of Europe.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 16 Mar. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-and-denmark-have-highest-number-of-sexual-assaults-in-europe-a6800901.html. “Statement by Sweden at the Security Council Briefing on UN Peacekeeping Operations – Strategic Force Generation.” Regeringskansliet, www.government.se/statements/2017/10/security-council-briefing-un-peacekeeping-operations–strategic-force-generation/. “Sweden and Gender Equality.” Sweden.se, 20 Aug. 2018, sweden.se/society/sweden-gender-equality/. “Swedish Crime Survey.” Brottsförebyggande Rådet, www.bra.se/bra-in-english/home/crime-and-statistics/swedish-crime-survey.html. “What About Women in the Workplace in Scandinavia?” Scandinavia Standard, 29 Apr. 2018, www.scandinaviastandard.com/what-about-women-in-the-workplace-in-scandinavia/.
