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November 11, 2009
Published: 9 Nov 09 08:24 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/23150/20091109/
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Sweden has come in for harsh criticism from the country's United Nations association and 15 other organizations for failing to abide by a number of UN conventions.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Sweden, which currently hold the rotating EU presidency, has called an extraordinary meeting in Brussels next week with the aim of presenting candidates for the new positions of president and foreign policy chief. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
A 33-year-old Swedish man has been fined �2,000 ($3,000) by police in Germany after he was caught speeding on the autobahn at more than double the legal limit while cruising south with his girlfriend in a BMW convertible. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Swedish state-owned power company Vattenfall wants to sell its Swedish electricity network to bring in funds for investment in nuclear power in Britain. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Police in a Stockholm suburb responding to a suspected case of arson on Tuesday night fired shots at a car carrying three teenagers who tried to run the police officers down as they attempted to flee. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Swedish swimmer Stefan Nystrand set a new national record at the short-course World Cup in Stockholm on Tuesday, while American Olympic sensation Michael Phelps failed to live up to expectations. READ »
Doctors in south-western Sweden will soon be able to prescribe cultural activities such as choir lessons or ceramics classes as part of a taxpayer-funded initiative to help reduce prolonged absences from work due to illness. READ (15 COMMENTS) »
A man in his sixties from central Sweden who was suffering from the swine flu has been found dead in his home, according to a statement from �rebro hospital. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
A sleeping cat is suspected of having inadvertently suffocated a three-month baby to death in northern Sweden. READ »
Swedish Melody Festival goes Hollywood: Not quite Rocky »
"The best complement I’ve ever got about my Swedish has been, “I thought you were Swedish but had spent a lot of time in the US”. My tickled reply was, “You thought I suffered from Dolph Lundgren Syndrome?” If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s was the Russian dude in Rocky IV. The reference to..." READ »
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Your comments about this article:
Aand they just lost all credibility. Advocating censorship won't make them very popular. And I find it amusing that they complain of an "increase in hate crimes." Yeah, and? That's nothing the Swedish government can control.
Overall a very shabby report. The only valid criticism amongst all this nonsense is how few cases of discrimination go to court and the set-up of public transportation for disabled people. That's something that can be worked on. Opportunities for women and immigrants is another one, although that's more of a long-term issue. The issue with illegal immigrants is a hot potato too, of course and not everyone would agree that they have the right to free healthcare and education.
I don't know what these guys are working for
I will say this to any Swedes reading this with a patriotic heart.
Sweden has set out great guidelines for what makes a great country in terms of human rights. However these foundations are being abused and not followed.
Is it not better to be criticized for errors and try to fix them, rather than just lock up and breed hatred?
Discrimination and hate crimes etc are issues that obviously has to be dealt with, but does anyone question WHY this country has turn into this "none paradise"??? Sweden doesn't give a hand to their own citizen anymore for God's sake! More and more of those so called "human rights" are taken away from them. I don't know whos a-hole the Swedish Government are licking. It is certainly not their own people's. For the swedes themselves there is nothing left to get. Everybody else on this planet, none swedes of course, have all the rights there are to collect, and more than a fair amount of health care, money and attention on all levels.
About the gender equality: Give me a frunking break! That's all I can and wanna say about that issue.
It seems to me that Sweden has to take responsabilty for all the misery in the whole bloody world. Well, we can't do that anymore! I think the swedes themselves are mighty fed up by a Government that are discriminating their own people. I am, that's for sure!
"
140 of the world's nearly 200 countries now hold multi-party elections. But, in practice, only 82, with 57 per cent of the world's people, are fully democratic in guaranteeing human rights, with institutions such as a free press and an independent judiciary. And, 106 countries still limit important civil and political freedoms.
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I live in Stockholm and have never been in a city where so many buses have lowering and ramp access systems for wheelchair access, high visibility coloring of hand-holds, destination and current stop audible notification� that's just buses! Virtually all t-bana stops have lifts to platform level, large entry gates for wheelchairs and the trains arrive at platform level. The local boats/ferrys are just as equipped with no stairs to gain entry� in fact, I've seen more people in wheelchairs getting around Stockholm in the past 18months than I ever did living in London.
Try changing at Bank in London in a wheelchair - if you aren't disabled when you attempt it you darn sure will be after!
@Eddymu: Oh, Sweden has it very good compared to other countries. But there's still room for improvement in different areas and it's something the government could work on (if they could be bothered.) They do realise what needs to be done but it's simply not high on their priority list (which is why the UN is there). Still, yeah, it's a tad amusing that the UN criticizes Sweden for this given the state of other countries systems. ;)
You have already proven the point on discrimination by your previous statement.
For example, in Goteborg not all the trams have disabled access.
The trains do not come in at platform level. The last time I travelled only one carriage of a very long train had a lift and sod's law it was the one furthest away. The lift could only be operated by a member of staff, who wanted to play hide'n'seek and later it was only due to a member of the public jumping up and down on the platform that the train didn't pull out of my station before I could get off (was waiting for the lift guy, all the staff were down the other end of the platform having a smoke and a natter).
By the time I got home that day I was so stressed that I vowed never to use public transport again.
On a positive, everyone was very polite and helpful when they could be found, even members of the public. Unlike the UK where I have been spat on for using a seat reserved for disabled people???
What appears fundamentally wrong here is needing to shift blame or comparing yourself to another state that is lower than you.
If people are going to be lazy and only look after their own ass, then their is no point in paying taxes or taking pride in society.
How F'king low in your own self goals do you have to be to start comparing yourselves to the bottom of the barrel? ....
there is discrmination among ethnic groups even in the country of orgin where ur grand father buried.. if ur expecting absolute "human right" ur naive...
I am afraid you post doesn't make sense ..... Do you speak English?
Sweden needs more immigrants, and I challange anyone to give me one good reason why we shouldnt accept more.
Dont give me that tired old, (booh hoo there arnt any job), if you got of your bidrag addicted asses and did something about it there would be plenty of jobs to go round.
There are plenty of other countries with larger immigrant populations, and only a fraction of the enployment problem.
Its all to do with integration. If sweden INTEGRATED, rather than SEGREGATED their immigrant population, there wouldnt be a problem.
Swedes choose not to integrate and would rather segregate based on not be a member of this nation.
Thats Nationalism, which is just Rascism by another name.
Bring in the big boys and give swedens ass a kick, its about time they were put in their place as the mighty empire they are.
+1
well there goes most the mosques i think they all hate jews are so it seems from the protest and tennis match.
What are you guys scared of???
Look just because your neibour speaks with a strange accent doesnt mean you have to stop celebrating christmas.
Back home I knew plenty of people who were arabic, asian, and european.
They enriched my life... you know I really miss that!
Sweden treats it's Sami terribly. It is the elephant in the living room, that everyone ignores.
Sami are good people. They are intelligent, They are resourceful and they are an asset to European society.
They need to be free to maintain the Sami culture. Their old European culture enriches all Europeans and gives us an echo of our pre-christian past, which needs to be ingrained in all so as to cultually explore ourselves.
Name 10 women who are CEO's in Sweden. Equality has not went were it should have.
Regarding immigrants. Do not put them in ghetto's, disperse them evenly around the country, so that they either assimilate or integrate.
Putting immigrants in ghetto's is a racists dream.
Let them integrate and assimilate if they wish. They can be a serious asset, if you let them.
Where is the statements about USA and UK agression in middle east,
Saudi Arabia in its brutality,
Chad in its genocide,
Sudan in its genocide,
USA attacking minority rights,
countries killing journalists.
The report is hypocritical.
Sweden does have problems, but nowhere near the extent of other countries. Talk about an easy target.
They would have you believe that eradicating your past and replacing it with thier own is the best thing for you. In their eyes you are nothing until till you do as they say.
Only moorons believes that trying to smash square pegs into round holes is the right thing to do.
Thats all I will say on Assimilation.
Forced Assimilation is no diffeernt from Subdugation, and ultimately does not work.
When I came here I was full of ideas of integrating. I wanted to do things the swedish way, and make swedish friends and contacts, but with the exception of my sambos family I have met a (at best) closed society... if not a hostile one.
Like many immigrants I came with an open mind, open arms and a smile, and was met with hostile rejection.
would it be very different if somebody moved at similar age into your home country? Or even if they moved from one city to another far away? People in my home country socialise almost exclusively within families or with old friends: I don't think I would like to be an immigrant to my home country, actually.
It was great to be in Dublin during the Celtic Tiger years. People there were really very open and friendly. Great pity that the Irish economy collapsed...
Nice troll dude. Now go find yourself a life.
and the Swedish Migration in Norrk�pin hav discriminate me long time and still
going on ......i dint knowe Wat to do i am SO tiert of IL the trilateral people
hypocritical.destines i Have Permanent resident. Way cant i hav my Citizen ship Sweden has to take responsibility and pay me the damage ...in my life.."but the government hading the problem under the carpet..