Human rights in Finland
Encyclopedia
Human rights in Finland are protected by the constitution and extensive domestic safeguards, in addition to the country's active membership in most international human rights treaties
.
Areas of continuing interest to international agencies that monitor human rights include:
. The first female government minister was Miina Sillanpää
, who served as the II Minister for Social Affairs in 1926–27. President Tarja Halonen
(since 2000) is the first female president in Finnish history. The average wages of women of equal work are less than for men today (2011). In the leading positions there are more men than women in Finland (2011).
According to the Amnesty International
director Frank Johansson the violence against women in Finland should be reduced. Every year 15-20 Finnish women die in violence of their husband or ex husband. The problem should be recognized and the support services expanded.
The first women director of a post office was Charlotta Backman in Porvoo in 1878. Ms. Vera Hjält (1857-1947) started a factory for her patented carpenter bench in 1886. Since 1903 she was the first woman in Finland as trade inspector solving work strikes and disputes including the women discrimination at work, and worked later as the Member of Parliament for ten years. Tekla Hultin (born 1864) was the first woman doctorate from the University of Helsinki
(then Helsingin Keisarillinen Aleksanterin yliopisto), studied in Russia and France and was the Member of Parliament for 15 years. Tekla’s mother wanted to study also, but she was not able to do it before her father’s death based on resistance from her father. Thus, the human rights are subject to not only in law but also the common attitudes in the societies. Finnish women had to apply exemption based on their sex for the state jobs until 1926. The complete equality took place not until in 1975.
Finnish women can inherit and own property. Aurora Karamzin (1808-1902) inherited his ex-husband Russian Paul Demidov. After the death of her second husband Andrei Karamzin Aurora Karamzin took care of the large land and industry property by herself. At the time, when serfdom
still existed in Russia until year 1861 and Finland had no independence from Russia before 1917, this Finnish origin woman Aurora Karamzin made social security
work in Finland and Russia, including education, medical aid and founding the still existing Helsingin Diakonissalaitos in 1867. The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed 15% of the population.
Indigenous rights
Finland has not signed the international Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
by October 2011. The United Nations human rights committee asked to cancel the aimed slaughter of reindeers in Nellime Ivalo
in October 2011. Without this appeal it would have taken place in the first week of October. Finland has 6 months time to answer the UN. The reindeer owners and Forest Administration (Metsähallitus
) have a long dispute in the area of the forests.
. Mandatory options of civilian
or military service
were of unequal duration: civilian service 13 months, or one month longer than the longest conscript service (conscript officers and Non-commissioned officer
s and certain specialists such as certain vehicle operators), 12 months, and 5 months longer than the average service in army, 8 months. Rebuttal of criticism of the length of civilian service often point out that whereas conscripts are often on duty around the clock (especially in the field), civilian servicemen often only work during office hours. However, an act enacted in 2008 changed civilian service to 12 months. Some 25% of conscripts serve 12 months, with the large majority serving 6 months.
U.S. State Department Annual Reports
International human rights instruments
International human rights instruments are treaties and other international documents relevant to international human rights law and the protection of human rights in general...
.
Areas of continuing interest to international agencies that monitor human rights include:
- Conscientious objectors to both military and civilian service are jailed for six months. There are about 10-20 conscientious objectors every year. Most are in minimum security, open facilities, and objecting is not entered on criminal records.
- Charges of racist/xenophobic treatment of ethnic minorities by officials, and that refugees are hand-picked by the Ministry of the Interior on basis of country of origin citing "security reasons".
- A case in which agitated asylum seekers were drugged for deportationDeportationDeportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
. - Unfair court action in the light of unacceptably delayed verdicts, in breach with the European Convention on Human RightsEuropean Convention on Human RightsThe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
article 6§1. Handling time have been unacceptably long particularly in civil cases or criminal court cases relating to bankruptcy, e.g. eight years in the district court and 12 years in total.
Independence
Finland declared independent December 6, 1917. Earlier Finland was an autonomous part of Russia (1809–1917) or part of Sweden (1253-1808).Capital punishment
Finland has never had the death penalty in its criminal law during the peace time. Finland supported the international proposal to abolish the capital punishment in the world.Women's rights
Finland was the first country in the world where women could both vote in and stand for parliamentary election, in 1907Finnish parliamentary election, 1907
The Finnish parliamentary election in 1907, in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, was the first parliamentary election in which members of parliament were elected to the new Parliament of Finland by universal suffrage....
. The first female government minister was Miina Sillanpää
Miina Sillanpää
Miina Sillanpää was Finland's first female minister and a key figure in the workers' movement....
, who served as the II Minister for Social Affairs in 1926–27. President Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
(since 2000) is the first female president in Finnish history. The average wages of women of equal work are less than for men today (2011). In the leading positions there are more men than women in Finland (2011).
According to the Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
director Frank Johansson the violence against women in Finland should be reduced. Every year 15-20 Finnish women die in violence of their husband or ex husband. The problem should be recognized and the support services expanded.
The first women director of a post office was Charlotta Backman in Porvoo in 1878. Ms. Vera Hjält (1857-1947) started a factory for her patented carpenter bench in 1886. Since 1903 she was the first woman in Finland as trade inspector solving work strikes and disputes including the women discrimination at work, and worked later as the Member of Parliament for ten years. Tekla Hultin (born 1864) was the first woman doctorate from the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
(then Helsingin Keisarillinen Aleksanterin yliopisto), studied in Russia and France and was the Member of Parliament for 15 years. Tekla’s mother wanted to study also, but she was not able to do it before her father’s death based on resistance from her father. Thus, the human rights are subject to not only in law but also the common attitudes in the societies. Finnish women had to apply exemption based on their sex for the state jobs until 1926. The complete equality took place not until in 1975.
Finnish women can inherit and own property. Aurora Karamzin (1808-1902) inherited his ex-husband Russian Paul Demidov. After the death of her second husband Andrei Karamzin Aurora Karamzin took care of the large land and industry property by herself. At the time, when serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
still existed in Russia until year 1861 and Finland had no independence from Russia before 1917, this Finnish origin woman Aurora Karamzin made social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
work in Finland and Russia, including education, medical aid and founding the still existing Helsingin Diakonissalaitos in 1867. The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed 15% of the population.
Indigenous rightsIndigenous rightsIndigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the preservation of their land, language, religion and other elements of cultural...
Finland has not signed the international Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007....
by October 2011. The United Nations human rights committee asked to cancel the aimed slaughter of reindeers in Nellime Ivalo
Ivalo
Ivalo is a village in Inari Municipality, in Finland's Lapland Province, located on the Ivalo river 20 kilometres to the south of Lake Inari. It has a population of 3,998 and a small airport...
in October 2011. Without this appeal it would have taken place in the first week of October. Finland has 6 months time to answer the UN. The reindeer owners and Forest Administration (Metsähallitus
Metsähallitus
Metsähallitus , Forststyrelsen , "Administration of Forests," is a state-owned enterprise in Finland. The tasks of Metsähallitus are to manage most of the protected areas of Finland and to supply wood to the country's forest industry. Metsähallitus employs approximately 3,000 people...
) have a long dispute in the area of the forests.
Military service and civilian service
Finland has compulsory military serviceMilitary service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
. Mandatory options of civilian
Civilian service
Civilian service is service to a government made as a civilian, particularly such service as an option for conscripted persons who are conscientious objectors and object to military service...
or military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
were of unequal duration: civilian service 13 months, or one month longer than the longest conscript service (conscript officers and Non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s and certain specialists such as certain vehicle operators), 12 months, and 5 months longer than the average service in army, 8 months. Rebuttal of criticism of the length of civilian service often point out that whereas conscripts are often on duty around the clock (especially in the field), civilian servicemen often only work during office hours. However, an act enacted in 2008 changed civilian service to 12 months. Some 25% of conscripts serve 12 months, with the large majority serving 6 months.
External links
- Homepage of the Parliamentary Ombudsman for Human Rights.
- Human Rights and Finnish Foreign Policy.
- Archive of Finland reports at Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. - Archive of Finland reports at Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
. - 2005 Finland report of Freedom HouseFreedom HouseFreedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
. - 2004 World Press Freedom Review, published by the International Press InstituteInternational Press InstituteInternational Press Institute is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. Founded in October 1950, the IPI has members in over 120 countries....
- Homepage of the Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi UniversityÅbo Akademi UniversityÅbo Akademi University is a Swedish language university in Turku, Finland . , there are 7 941 students and a staff consisting of 1125 people. The university has activities not only in Turku, but also in Vaasa, Jakobstad, Helsinki and on Åland...
. - The Finnish League for Human Rights
- Censorship cases in Finland - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- Review of Finland by the United Nations Human Rights CouncilUnited Nations Human Rights CouncilThe United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
's Universal Periodic Review, April 9, 2008
U.S. State Department Annual Reports
- Religious Freedom Report 2005
- Religious Freedom Report 2004
- Religious Freedom Report 2003
- Religious Freedom Report 2002
- Religious Freedom Report 2001
- Religious Freedom Report 2000
- Religious Freedom Report 1999
- Human Rights Report 2004
- Human Rights Report 2003
- Human Rights Report 2002
- Human Rights Report 2001
- Human Rights Report 2000
- Human Rights Report 1999