equinet training on access to rights
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The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
EquinetTraining on Access to Rights
Dublin April 28-29, 2009
Anette Sjödin, RFSLanette.sjodin@rfsl.se
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
The Swedish System
The Swedish antidiscrimination legal system
(in 60 seconds):• New legislation (seven grounds: sex, transgender
identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age)
• The new Equality Ombudsman• Employers• Trade unions
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
The Role of RFSL
• Actingtowardsexternaltargetgroups (society as a whole)
• Actingtowardsinternaltargetgroups(the LGBT community)
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
The Role of RFSL
External target groups: to raise awareness about
rights and obligations… • …on a structural and organisational level
for example politicians, national level representatives of employer organisations and trade union organisations/federations
• …on an individual levelfor example teachers, personnel in the care system, goods and services providers and employees
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
The Role of RFSL
Target group: The LGBT community• Raise awareness about rights and obligations• Build self-esteem by providing networks and
social activitiesdone by local branches
• Support people exposed to discrimination, harassment and violencecounselling service, crime victims’ hotline
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
OurApproach
• Focus on the norm itself, not the person who goesagainst it
• Focus on preventativemeasures in workinglife,school, service providers, the caresector and so on
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Our Approach
Conclusion: Externaltargetgroupsare
veryimportant.
• Theyneedto see thattheyhave a responsibility to act.
• Theywillinfluenceothers who “speak the same language”.
• Theyneedmoreknowledge – trainingisveryimportant.
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
SoWhatDoes RFSLDo?
A fewexamples of activities…
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Beneath the Surface
• EU project (in Swedish: Under ytan)• Focus on preventive measures and awareness
raising regarding sexual orientation• Targeting teachers and school personnel• Cooperation between employers, trade unions, the
(former) ombudsman on sexual orientation, researchers, NGOs
• www.ytan.se
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Beneath the Surface
Products: a training tool consisting
of two books and a DVD
(DVD available in English)
And together with transnational
partners: “Norms at Work” and
“Open Up Your Workplace”
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
All Clear
• EU project (in Swedish: Fritt Fram)• Focus on preventive measures and
awarenessraisingregardingsexualorientation• Targetingworkinglife in general• Cooperationbetweenemployers, trade unions, the
(former) ombudsman on sexualorientation, researchers,NGOs
• www.frittfram.se
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
All Clear
Product: the training tool
“All Clear”, consisting of a
booklet and a DVD
(available in English)
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Access to Justice
• EU project• Focus on antidiscriminationlegislation and access
to rights, includingawarenessraising on the EmploymentDirective
• Age, disability and sexualorientation• Sweden, Romania, Great Britain• With NGOs, ombudsman, tradeunions• www.accesstojustice.se
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Access to Justice
Products: booklet describing
the significance of the EU
Employment Directive
“Equal at work” and…
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Access to Justice
…booklets adjusted to national
circumstances. The Swedish
booklet is called “Everybody’s
Equal Rights” (Allaslikarätt)
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Ongoing
Training sessions, training sessions and
moretraining sessions…
• Externaltargetgroups
• Focus on norms and attitudes
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Summary
How to achieve access to rights?
We all know that discriminatedpeople…
• …don’tknowtheir rights
• …don’t trust the system
• …are invisible anddifficult to target.
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Summary
…and the solution? Actbefore it happens!
• Prevention instead of just taking action whenit’salreadytoolatefor example: awarenessraising and training sessions for stakeholders
• NGO involvement is essential• Different stakeholders play different roles –
cooperation is the key
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rightswww.rfsl.se
Finally
Nothing of this will work, if we don’t have basic legal protection, covering all grounds
and all sectors of society:
The proposed horizontal antidiscrimination EU Directive needs to be adopted!
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