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Sub-goal 7: Honour-related violence and oppression must end

Honour-related violence and oppression constitute a serious violation of individuals’ fundamental rights and freedoms. Such violence and oppression are often collectively sanctioned and may involve multiple people participating in the control of the person subjected to it.

Kvinna med sorgsen blick i förgrunden framför en annan kvinna som är suddig.

In September 2025, the Government decided to introduce a seventh gender equality policy sub-goal, formulated as follows:

“Honour-related violence and oppression must end. Everyone, regardless of gender, must throughout their lives have the same right and opportunity to live without being restricted by collectively based honour norms.”

Honour-related violence and oppression are serious societal problems that manifest through restrictions on an individual’s freedom and self-determination, often rooted in norms relating to family or clan honour.

The new sub-goal aims to give the issue greater visibility and a clearer strategic direction, and to help ensure that more people are free to shape their lives without limitations imposed by honour norms.

How honour-related violence and oppression manifest

Honour-related violence and oppression often involve collective control. Norms are upheld within the family, extended family, or community, which distinguishes this form of violence from many other types of violence.

Girls and women are at particular risk of being subjected to honour-related violence and oppression, but boys and men are also affected—for example, by being forced to exercise control or violence against female relatives, or by having their own choices regarding partners, education, or lifestyle restricted. LGBTQI persons and persons with disabilities are also at heightened risk.

Having a specific, targeted policy focus strengthens the conditions for preventive work, clearer governance, and systematic monitoring and follow-up of measures.

Challenges in preventing and combating honour-related violence and oppression

There remains a lack of knowledge about honour-related violence and oppression among authorities, professionals, and society at large. Municipalities, regions, government agencies, and civil society organisations need to increase knowledge, implement existing knowledge more effectively, strengthen cooperation, and establish clearer governance in order for interventions to have a tangible impact.

At the same time, there is a significant lack of evidence-based and evaluated methods for identification, risk assessment, and support measures, which hampers consistency and quality in the work.

The collective dynamics and cultures of silence surrounding honour make exposure difficult to identify and prevent, and can delay access to support.

Key measures for future work

To achieve the goal of ending honour-related violence and oppression, we assess that several measures need to be prioritised, including:

developing and disseminating knowledge about honour-related violence and oppression
supporting and strengthening evidence-based preventive work by government agencies, regions, and municipalities
ensuring that protection and support services are available on equal terms throughout the country
ensuring that those affected receive equitable, legally secure, and knowledge-based responses in their interactions with schools, social services, healthcare, and the justice system
monitoring and measuring progress towards the goal through indicators.

A national action plan will guide the work

In connection with the introduction of the seventh sub-goal, the sixth sub-goal—on men’s violence against women, violence in close relationships, and exploitation in prostitution and human trafficking—has also been clarified. The Government has announced a new ten-year national strategy starting in 2026, which will replace the current strategy against men’s violence against women, including honour-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking.

Within the framework of this strategy, a specific action plan against honour-related violence and oppression will be developed for the period 2026–2028, alongside a national action plan against prostitution and human trafficking.

Since January 2026, the Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been responsible for the national coordination against honour-related violence and oppression (NSHRV).