- by GH
- The Guardian
- Issue #2199
The Sámi are an indigenous population in northern Sweden, Finland and eastern Russia. Traditionally semi-nomadic, parts of the population still practice reindeer herding, forestry, hunting, fishing, and duodji (handicraft and art). Today the Sámi population work in a variety of professions. Despite Sweden’s international reputation for fairness and progressive values, there is a long history of mistreatment of Sámi, especially women, by the Swedish government.
An estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Sámi live in Sweden. Although the Swedish government recognises them as an indigenous population, Sweden has refused to ratify the ILO Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. The UN has criticised Sweden for its mistreatment of the Sámi in issues of language, culture, and land rights.
Forced relocations and industrial exploitation through logging and mining have violated Sámi land rights, destroying their traditional livelihoods. They are often identified in land, taxation or population registers as ‘Lapps,’ a term considered offensive by the Sámi,
It was not until 2010 that the Sweden required schools to teach children about the Sámi population. Most Swedes today still have little knowledge of the history and culture of the Sámi.
The treatment of women in Sweden is complex, showing high levels of societal equality alongside alarming rates of gendered violence and specific historical injustices against minority groups. Sámi women have faced long-term mistreatment resulting from state-sanctioned colonisation, racism, and forced assimilation policies. This history of oppression has had a lasting impact on their safety, rights, and well-being.
Ongoing violence against Sámi women is linked to long-term institutional oppression, resulting in intergenerational trauma affecting mental health and vulnerability. Public systems today still lack cultural competence, especially in healthcare and support services.
Sweden’s Sámi Truth Commission (2025) has documented histories of violence, forced relocation, and abuse. From the 17th to the 20th centuries the Swedish state and church implemented policies aimed at assimilating the Sámi. Subjected to racial profiling and eugenics studies, they were treated as an ‘uncivilised’ inferior people. The colonisation process disrupted traditional Sámi gender norms, which formerly contained elements of equality, and imposed more patriarchal structures.
There has been a recent increase in hate toward the Sámi hurts not only the individual members but the whole community. Like Australia, Sweden wrestles with its racist colonialist past, with some arguing for denialism. A recent opinion piece published in the conservative newspaper Norrbottens-Kurirens, the Sámi population was referred to as an “invasive species.” The Sámi parliament in response noted “we have not gotten particular far from the 1930’s Nazi and racist thoughts.”
Sámi children, including girls, were forced into boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their language and forced to adopt Swedish culture. These schools were often sites of abuse. Sámi women experience violence in a context that combines gender-based violence with structural, historical, and racialised discrimination. Men’s intimate partner violence against Sámi women has historically been overlooked in Sweden. Sámi women report higher rates of family violence compared to Swedish women (16.4 per cent vs 9.2 per cent).
Recent studies show that the Sámi are more often exposed to violence from acquaintances or strangers compared to the general Swedish population. Although state policies have changed, many Sámi women continue to experience negative attitudes, discrimination, and harassment.
