HCHR- Sweden is no exception to femicide and crimes against women. In May 2021, six women were killed in just five weeks in Sweden, reigniting debates about domestic violence. In 2020, 16,461 assault cases were reported against women in a close relationship in Sweden. That is a 15.4% rise on the 2019 figure of 14,261, reported by the National Council for Crime Prevention. The number of confirmed homicides in Sweden over the last ten years peaked in 2020 when 124 homicides were registered. The crime rate was around 15,000 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past ten years. In 2021, about 700 women were imprisoned. The recent wave of killings comes amidst growing concerns about violence toward women in Sweden.
The total number of reported cases of sexual offenses increased from 2012 to 2021. Whereas a total number of over 15,000 sexual crimes were reported in 2012, this had risen to nearly 27,000 by 2021. The highest number of these were cases of sexual molestation, followed by rape. Especially the number of reported cases of rape increased over the period, from 6,300 in 2012 to 9,700 in 2021. A 2021 Swedish research center report says within 2000 to 2015, a total of 3,039 offenders were convicted of rape against a woman in Sweden. According to the researchers, Swedish-born offenders with Swedish-born parents accounted for 40.8% of the offenders.
According to a EUROSTAT study, women’s poverty rate was 16.30 % in 2021. Nearly 20 years after the introduction of the points-based pension system in Sweden, a significant disparity in pension payouts remains, with women receiving on average 30% less than men.The employment rate among men was higher than among women for all years considered. In 2022, it was 71.8% among men and 66% among women. In 2021, female workers in Sweden earned, on average, 26,400 Swedish kronor on a monthly basis, while the average salary for men in the same class was 30,000 per month. The difference was higher for civil servants. Men earned 47,6000 kronor a month, compared to just above 40,000 kronor for women.