Information for children and young people

What is discrimination?

Discrimination means that one person is treated worse than others. To qualify as discrimination under the Discrimination Act, the unfair treatment must relate to the person's gender, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and age. These are called grounds of discrimination.

Examples of discrimination include:

• A café wants only girls to work for them and therefore says no to a guy who applies for a job there.
• Someone who works at a school says nasty things to a girl about her skin color.
• A school does not give a student who has ADHD enough support.

There are six forms of discrimination: Direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, inadequate accessibility, harassment, sexual harassment, and instructions to discriminate.

You can read more about the different forms of discrimination here.

Discrimination is prohibited in many parts of society

Discrimination should not exist in Sweden. This is stated, for example, in the Discrimination Act and in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination in many places, such a

• schools, preschools, and after-school centers
• workplaces
• shops, stores, and restaurants
• health care (such as youth guidance centers and health care centers)
• public transport (such as buses, trams, and metros)

What does DO do?

DO investigates complaints of discrimination

People who think they have been discriminated against can report it to DO. DO's lawyers can investigate what happened. If they conclude that it's discrimination according to the law, DO may require the person who has discriminated to pay money (compensation for discrimination) to the person who has been discriminated against.

We spread knowledge

We tell politicians and other decision-makers how discrimination can be stopped. For example, that the Discrimination Act should apply in more areas than it does today, or more people should be told that discrimination can be reported to DO.

We collaborate with others

There are a lot of people who don't want discrimination to exist and have ideas about how discrimination can be stopped. DO works with other government agencies and organizations, both in Sweden and in other countries.

If you are discriminated against

If you suffer discrimination at school

• Tell someone who works at the school, such as a teacher, counselor or after-school staff. The school must help you.
• If you think that what has happened may be discrimination, you can report it to DO. You can also contact DO (on the adults' pages) to ask questions or ask for advice.
• If you are mistreated and it's not connected to a ground of discrimination, it can be degrading treatment. If so, ask the school staff or principal for help.
  • If you do not get help from the school, contact the municipality or the school board. You can ask any adult to help you with that.
  • If you still do not get help, you can send information about what happened to the Child and School Student Representative (BEO).
• You can also tell an adult you trust. It can be a parent, a friend's parent, a coach, or someone else. Adults can help you.

If you suffer discrimination somewhere other than school

• Tell an adult you trust. It can be a parent, a friend's parent, a coach, or someone else. Adults can help you.
• If you think that what has happened may be discrimination, you can report it to DO.

Did you know?

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination. But it can also be a crime. Crimes must be reported to the police.