Fight for rights in Sweden  

The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The Holocaust should never be repeated. Despite this, the rights of Roma communities have not been consistently upheld in the countries that adopted the UN Declaration. 

In Sweden, the ban on immigration for foreign Roma groups remained in place until 1954. The Swedish authorities continued to chart and register Roma communities after the war. Roma people were even assigned a Z followed by a number in the National Labour Market Board’s survey in the 1960s. The Swedish Sterilisation Act, which mainly affected the Roma Traveller community, was not repealed until 1976.  

Many municipalities discriminated against Roma people regarding their entitlement to housing. As a result, many Roma people were also denied the right to education and the right to vote.

Dissatisfaction prompted Roma organisations and activists, led by Katarina Taikon, to fight for the human rights of Roma in Sweden in the 1960s.

Despite improvements in respect of rights, there is still discrimination and prejudice against Roma people.  

Roma as a national minority   

Roma people have been recognised as a national minority in Sweden since 2000. This involves protecting and preserving Roma language, culture and traditions, and ensuring that Roma communities are able to participate in and influence matters that affect them. 

The Swedish Minorities Act was introduced in 2009 to further strengthen the rights of Roma communities in Swedish society. Despite this, many Roma feel compelled to hide their identity and language for fear of discrimination. 

Antigypsyism is still present in Swedish society even now. In 2012, the government adopted a long-term strategy for Roma inclusion in order to address ongoing exclusion and discrimination. The overall objective of the strategy is that by 2032, Roma people reaching the age of 20 will have the same life opportunities as their non-Roma peers.  

Main picture: Memorial over sinti och romer that were murdered during the Holocaust Photo: OTFW, Berlin, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0