Sweden to appoint honour-based violence ombudsmen

Jämställdhetsminister Nina Larsson (L) has announced plans to introduce dedicated honour-based violence ombudsmen following an SVT investigation that revealed boys in honour contexts are often left without sufficient protection, despite being both victims and perpetrators of violence.

“Many boys are both offenders and victims of crime,” Larsson said, citing the case of Adam, who was shaped into a “soldier for honour.”

The investigation found that in two out of three cases, social services leave boys in homes where honour-based violence is suspected, while most girls are taken into care.

Larsson highlighted the support group Shanazi hjältar, which helped Adam, as a positive example but noted that support remains uneven across the country. She argued that ombudsmen could help victims navigate bureaucracy when dealing with schools, social services, police, and healthcare.

“Sweden consists of a lot of bureaucracy. To navigate it, victims need the help of honour ombudsmen,” she said.