Minister of Justice Antti Häkkänen’s speech in Beijing at a seminar on violence against women organised by the Embassy of Finland in China and UN Women, 2 February 2018
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
It's good to be here in Beijing to talk about women's rights. It was here, of all the places, that most progressive policy document ever for advancing women's rights was adopted. The year was 1995. This is exactly the same year when the judicial cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of Finland and China was started. This bilateral cooperation has deepened ever since. And this cooperation has brought me now to Beijing.
I am delighted to talk in this event on "Youth leadership in ending gender-based violence". The youth are the agents of change for the better future and have an important role initiating social changes. And that is what I want to focus on today. For we are moving towards times when all people must be free from violence – regardless of gender, age, race or religion.
But, let me first look again backwards. Two months ago, on 6th December, Finland celebrated the anniversary of 100 years of independence. During this centenary of independence, Finland has risen from a poor agricultural country to a world leader in innovation, education and freedom. We believe gender equality is behind Finland's success. Gender equality, in my view, is also the reason why Finland has been ranked the "least failed state" in the world.
I would like to highlight a couple of advancements. Finland was the first country to give women the right to both vote and be candidates in the elections already in 1906. Ever since, women have held all the highest positions, including the posts of President and Prime Minister. Nowadays, women make approximately half of the work force and form a majority in the universities. This development would not be possible without active participation of both women and men in promoting gender equality. We need also men to make it happen.
Despite all this progress, violence and other harassment against women and girls are serious problems in Finland - as in other countries too. To be able to address these problems, we need consistent and determined actions both in Finland and internationally. We also need to have shared knowledge of the extent of the phenomenon and the different forms it takes so that we can plan and implement effective political measures to tackle the problem together.
A few years ago, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights published a European-wide study on the prevalence of violence against women. The figures describing the situation in Finland were grim, to say the least. Violence against women is more common in Finland than in European countries on average. One in three Finnish women have experienced physical or sexual abuse in their current or previous relationship. This is a fact that many Finnish people do not want to believe. After all, we are proud of our equal society and long history as forerunners on women's rights. However, acknowledging the problem isa prerequisite for finding solutions to the difficult situation.
International human rights conventions have a significant role in the realisation of women’s rights. An important instrument in the efforts to improve the situation is the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). The Convention entered into force in Finland in August 2015. An action plan for the implementation of the Convention is being prepared at the moment, and the Ministry of Justice participates in the preparation process.
Eradication of sexual harassment deserves all of our attention and requires us to undertake more determined measures than ever before. We must strongly condemn harassment of all kinds, and we must develop more effective means to intervene in it both through legislation and through various policy programmes.
One of the most talked-about topics during the previous few months has been the #metoo campaign which spread rapidly in social media. Different social media sites were all of a sudden filled with posts by thousands and thousands of women sharing their experiences of harassment. I have followed the discussion closely and I am deeply shocked by the number of women I know who have joined the campaign. The extent of the phenomenon becomes very clear to anyone who reads these posts. It is very sad that so many women face harassment and fear as part of their everyday lives. We have the obligation to intervene in this. We simply must.
The Finnish legislation includes several instruments where harassment is criminalised. In addition to the Criminal Code, the Act on Equality between Women and Men and the Non-Discrimination Act both include a prohibition against harassment.
The threshold for reporting any inappropriate behaviour should be as low as possible. We must, through our own actions, strive to lower this threshold by condemning harassment in all its forms. This calls for an extensive change in attitudes and awareness-raising of the related rights. To raise awareness, I have launched a campaign to combat sexual harassment, #harassment free. Several ministries, cities, businesses and organizations have joined the campaign.
Next, I would like to discuss the position of victims of intimate partner violence and sexual offences. Large-scale development work has been launched at my ministry to implement the obligations laid down in the EU Victims’ Directive. Criminal investigation authorities are now obliged to inform injured parties about their rights more extensively than before. In addition, authorities now have a duty to inform victims about their possibilities to receive support and protection.
An obligation for authorities to carry out an assessment of a crime victim’s need for protection is another important reform. An individual assessment of the victim’s situation is carried out in order to recognise his or her vulnerability and to assess what kind of special measures are needed to avoid causing any further suffering to the victim during the criminal investigation and court proceedings. These special measures include, for example, using an investigator who is of the same gender as the victim and video-recording of the interviews.
Victims are especially vulnerable to further suffering, repeat victimisation, intimidation, or retaliation in certain types of offences. These include intimate partner violence and sexual or gender-based violence.
An important improvement for victims of persecution and intimate partner violence is that victims now have, if they so wish, the right to receive a notification when the offender is released from prison or remand imprisonment.
In recent years, we have also worked hard to improve our victim support services and have succeeded in it as well. An additional payment, a victim surcharge was introduced in Finland a while ago. Surcharges collected from convicted offenders are used to finance, for example, the activities of the Victim Support Finland, which is responsible for providing the general victim support services (), and the activities of a 24/7 helpline for victims of intimate partner violence (Nollalinja). Moreover, the Ministry allocates discretionary government grants to corporations producing support services for crime victims. Grants have been allocated for example for the dissemination of a treatment model used in the work to help victims of sexual violence and for information campaigns.
Despite all these improvements that have been and are being carried out, we still cannot protect everyone. Most recently, we have noted with grave concern the low level of protection that a restraining order can provide.
The Ministry of Justice is now examining different alternatives to enhance the effectiveness of the restraining order, for example a possibility to use electronic monitoring systems We look forward to finding solutions in making sure restraining orders are not violated (in compliance with respecting human rights).
Ladies and gentlemen, while we have worked hard to combat violence against women in Finland, much remains still to be done before we are in a situation where no one needs to suffer from gender-based harassment or violence.
As a matter of fact, promoting gender equality is a continuous task for all- Finland and China included. We believe it is useful to mirror experiences and share best practices to develop new and more effective policies and ways to promote gender equality. I would like to congratulate China on having approved domestic violence law in 2016. We look forward to its effective implementation.
As Minister of Justice, I have focused my remarks on legal aspects. But to make a world where healthy, respectful, and equal relationships are the norm, we need to address the root causes of gender-based violence. These include the social, economic, and cultural contexts that shape attitudes and behaviour which lead to violence. I am eager to hear your perspectives.
To prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harassment, we need women and men, girls and boys, to act.
Thank you.