Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2005
Published during: Bondevik's 2nd Government Publisher: Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Status: Archived
As part of the agenda against poverty, the Government has initiated pilot projects with qualification programmes for immigrants who are dependent on social security benefits after a number of years in Norway and who have not gained solid footing in the labour market. The project focuses on obtaining qualifications and finding regular employment.
The Government has strengthened protection against discrimination based on ethnic background, religion etc.
In December 2004 the Government tabled a bill for a new act to strengthen protection against ethnic discrimination. Adopted by the Storting in April 2005, the act prohibits discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, descent, skin colour, language, religion or belief. Direct and indirect discrimination on such a basis is prohibited. This ban includes harassment and instructions to discriminate or harass, and also covers acts of reprisals against anyone who has raised a discrimination complaint. The act will apply to all aspects of society, including the labour market and the housing market. The principle of shared burden of proof is embedded in the act. The act also introduces reactions in the event of violations of the ban in the form of damages and compensation. The Government has also tabled a bill for an act relating to a new joint system to enforce several pieces of legislation dealing with protection against discrimination, including the Discrimination Act. A new Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud and an Equality and Anti-Discrimination Tribunal will be established. The act was adopted by the Storting in May 2005. The Ombud shall enforce the acts, provide guidance, act as an initiator and undertake documentation activities. The Tribunal will have the authority to order that discriminatory practices be stopped or rectified, and to impose penalty fines if an injunction is not complied with. One aim of the Discrimination Act is to promote equal rights in a wider and more long-term perspective. The acts and the new enforcement apparatus will be in place from 1 January 2006.
The Government has strengthened the dialogue with NGOs and religious communities
The Government believes that NGOs and religious communities are important players when it comes to creating legitimacy for state government. The organizations and religious communities representing immigrants must be involved in the development and implementation of measures. Participation in the civil society is also an end in itself and a prerequisite for a properly functioning democracy.
The Government has introduced supplemental benefits for persons with short residence time in Norway
The Government wishes to ensure that elderly immigrants and others with little or no pension from the national insurance scheme will receive a minimum income on the same level as the minimum pension.
citizenship. Exemptions from the requirement to relinquish one's earlier citizenship are made when such a requirement is found to be impossible or unreasonable. The mother and father have equal standing when it comes to transferring Norwegian citizenship to a child, so that a child automatically becomes Norwegian at birth, regardless of whether it is the mother or the father who is Norwegian. The requirement for seven years of residence time to become a Norwegian citizen is carried forward in the new act. A shorter residence time is required for some groups. A language requirement as a condition for Norwegian citizenship is also embedded in the new act. The new citizenship act will at the earliest enter into force on 1 September 2006.
The Government has laid down principles and aims for inclusion and participation in Norwegian society
Our society has a diverse population with varied backgrounds, ethnicity, religion, culture, languages and lifestyles. The focus in Report No. 49 to the Storting (2003-2004) "Diversity through inclusion and participation Responsibility and freedom" is generally on children and young persons who are descendants of immigrants, and on how we can ensure their rights and opportunities to make their own choices in their lives, without restrictions based on skin colour, cultural background or religion. In our multicultural society, two considerations must be balanced against each other: Developing a sense of community and peaceful coexistence, and also allowing people to be different and to have the right to live differently. Greater diversity and new ways of being Norwegian will challenge both the minority and majority populations. The report to the Storting discusses how society should deal with the fact that people are different and conduct their lives differently, and which principles are important for handling new dilemmas and issues. Adaptation of public services to new users and new needs is important. The report to the Storting outlines various aims for the first generation of immigrants and their descendants. The idea is that the social and financial drawbacks parents might have encountered because they were immigrants should not be passed on as an inheritance to their children. How the descendants will find their place in society as adults will be the most important yardstick measuring whether integration, inclusion and diversity policies are successful. The Government has initiated work on developing quantifiable and specific goals and report procedures for what the concerned ministries must accomplish in their respective areas of responsibility for the immigrant population. The report to the Storting was published in October 2004 and debated in parliament in May 2005. Short version of the Report No. 49 to the Storting (2003-2004)
The Government has decided to establish a new Directorate of Integration and diversity
The Government has decided to split up the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). From 1 January 2006 a new Directorate of Integration and Diversity will be established (Norwegian abbreviation IMDI). The purpose of establishing this Directorate is to strengthen, focus and coordinate the work to integrate and include immigrants and their descendants in Norway. The Directorate will be given the responsibility of implementing the policies for integration and diversity, and will also serve as a resource centre for local authorities and other partners. Important duties for the Directorate will be the implementation of state policies for settling refugees and supervision of the introductory programme and the right and obligation to undergo Norwegian language instruction, and follow-up of the Report to the Storting No. 49 (2003-2004). The Directorate of Integration and Diversity will have coordination and initiator roles in relation to other state sector authorities, local authorities and county authorities. The Directorate of Integration and Diversity will have its main offices in Oslo in the same building as the UDI, with regional units in Oslo, Gjvik, Kristiansand, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik.
The Government intends to increase participation in society for children and young persons
The Government's plan of action to increase participation in society for children and young persons with immigrant backgrounds has now been implemented. The measures have focused on how to strengthen language skills and knowledge on social conditions for children and their parents, how to accomplish more parental cooperation in school, how to better follow-up unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, how to increase participation in cultural and sports activities and how to improve crime-prevention activities. The Government wants to continue its focus on two of the areas in the plan: Implement more measures to improve language skills for pre-school children through testing language skills in health clinics and language stimulation in day-care centres. Strengthen the parental role through guidance of parents and better cooperation between the school and home.
The Government will combat forced marriages, female genital mutilation and trafficking in human beings
Forced marriage is illegal, and aiding and abetting a forced marriage is a punishable offence that can result in being sentenced to several years in prison. Both boys and girls experience being threatened or pressured to marry against their will. The Government intends to combat forced marriages by offering crisis assistance to young persons, introducing measures in the education sector, implementing activities to raise competence and awareness, providing information, joining in international cooperation and changing the rules and regulations. A telephone hotline and a special resource team for combating forced marriages have been established. Female genital mutilation is prohibited, and aiding and abetting in this carries a penalty of up to eight years in prison. A number of measures, including information, awareness-raising and attitude-shaping activities have been initiated. Newly arrived immigrants are given information on the regulations prohibiting female genital mutilation and forced marriage, respectively, and they must also sign a declaration stating that they have received this information. Professional and occupational groups coming into contact with girls at risk of genital mutilation are under the obligation to prevent this from happening. In a global perspective trafficking in human being is a comprehensive and growing problem. The Government is working to prevent, uncover and prosecute crimes connected to trafficking in women and children. Traffickers in human beings will be prosecuted and the victims given assistance and protection. These measures are embedded in a separate plan of action. In June 2005 the Government proposed 22 new targeted measures against trafficking in human beings. Read more about combating forced marriages and female genital mutilation Read more about combating trafficking in human beings