According to the Constitution of Finland, people are equal before the law. No one may be treated differently from other people based on their gender, age, origin, language, religion, belief, opinion, state of health, disability or other personal characteristics. 

The Finnish words ‘tasa-arvo’ (gender equality) and ‘yhdenvertaisuus’ (equality or non-discrimination) are often used interchangeably colloquially, but in Finnish legislation these are two different things. 

The requirement for non-discrimination is laid down in the Non-discrimination Act. The Act prohibits discrimination based on age, origin, nationality, language, religion, belief, opinion, political activity, trade union activity, family relationships, state of health, disability, sexual orientation or other personal characteristics. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the legislative drafting of the Non-discrimination Act. The responsibilities of the Non-discrimination Ombudsman include receiving reports of discrimination based on any of the grounds for discrimination laid down in the Non-discrimination Act. 

‘Tasa-arvo’, or gender equality, means that no one may be discriminated against based on their gender, gender identity or gender expression. This prohibition is laid down in the Act on Equality between Women and Men, for whose legislative drafting the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible. The Ombudsman for Equality supervises compliance with the Act on Equality between Women and Men, promotes gender equality and assists those who are discriminated against within the meaning of the Act. 

The Ministry of Justice has the primary responsibility for legislation related to preventing discrimination. The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman supervises compliance with the prohibition to discriminate. In addition, many associations and other government organisations work to prevent discrimination. 

The authorities, education and early childhood education providers, and employers have a statutory duty to prevent discrimination in their activities.  

The authorities, education and early childhood education providers, providers of public services, and employers with more than 30 employees have a statutory duty to create an equality plan that outlines all the measures required to promote equality. 
 

Hate speech is communication that spreads or incites hatred towards a person or a group of people. The communication may be speech, but it may also be gestures, writing, images, symbols, music, drawings or movies.

A hate crime can be any offence that is punishable under Finnish legislation such as assault, illegal threat, discrimination or destruction of property. The motive is what makes an offence a hate crime. If the motive of the offence is prejudice or hatred against the victim’s assumed or real ethnicity or nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability or similar, the offence is a hate crime.

Structural discrimination: Structural discrimination is discrimination at the institutional level. The discrimination is either deliberate or accidental and caused by the institution’s structure, practices or approach. It results in a reduction of the opportunities provided to certain minorities. Structural racism is a typical form of structural discrimination. 

Structural racism can be unconscious, and it can materialise as seemingly neutral practices that in fact exclude everyone who is seen as different from the majority of the population. Racist thoughts are often used to justify discriminatory prejudices and produce societal hierarchies.

Not all different treatment is discrimination. Positive action that aims to promote equality or to deliberately prevent discrimination does not constitute discrimination, for example. 

‘Population relations’ means the relationship between different groups such as language groups, religious groups and cultural groups. The relationships between these groups can affect the opportunities of people belonging to different groups to function in society, and this may materialise as negative attitudes towards certain groups in education, working life or when purchasing an apartment, for example.  

The status of population relations can be measured by collecting information about the attitudes of people, their perceived security, the volume of interaction between people belonging to different groups and people’s experiences of inclusion.   

Discrimination in general 
If you face or witness discrimination, you can contact the Office of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman. The threshold for contacting the Ombudsman is intended to be low. The Ombudsman’s services are available in several languages. 

Discrimination in education 
If you face or witness discrimination in education, you can contact the education provider or the educational institution. For example, you can contact your teacher or the rector. You can ask for advice on how to handle discrimination from the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman. 

Discrimination in working life 
If you face or witness discrimination in working life, contact your immediate supervisor in the first instance. If your supervisor does not help, you can contact your workplace’s occupational safety and health representative or shop steward. You can also contact the occupational safety and health division of the Regional State Administrative Agency, which is responsible for supervising discrimination in working life. 

Hate crimes 
If you suspect that you are a victim of a hate crime, please contact the police. A hate crime is an offence targeted at the victim because of the victim’s nationality, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or a similar characteristic. You can seek help from Victim Support Finland. 

Conversational support 
If you need conversational support, you can call the MIELI Mental Health Finland’s Crisis Helpline at +358 9 2525 0111 24/7 in Finnish, and at +358 9 2525 0116 in English on Fridays between 9 am and 1 pm. Calls to the Crisis Helpline are anonymous and confidential. The Helpline offers help in several languages.  

What is an equality plan? 

• An equality plan is an authority’s or another organisation’s plan for how the organisation will promote equality and prevent and intervene with discrimination as an employer and in its activities. 
• The purpose of the planning is to improve the activities from the perspective of equality. 

Who must make an equality plan? 

• According to the Non-discrimination Act, the authorities and education providers must always create an equality plan.  
• This obligation also applies to employers with more than 30 employees. Smaller organisations must assess how equality is realised in their activities and promote its realisation.  

What benefits does equality planning bring? 

• An equality plan promotes the equality of all people involved in the organisation’s activities, meaning service users, employees and job applicants.