Our reports

A person who stands up for human rights may be described as a human rights defender (HRD). Everyone has the right to act as a human rights defender. No particular background or position in society is required.

Through interviews with residents of various reception and return centres in Sweden, as well as observations conducted at two of these centres, the Swedish Institute for Human Rights has examined the extent to which the human rights of people living in these facilities are being upheld. Most interviewees were parents living with their children.

The Swedish Institute for Human Rights has submitted a supplementary report to the European Committee of Social Rights as part of the review of Sweden's implementation of the Revised European Social Charter.

In our Annual Report, we present our observations of developments in the field of human rights in Sweden during 2026

In the study, we collected data from SiS and analyzed reports and reviews from other actors. We also interviewed children and young people with experience of remaining placed in at SiS youth homes long after their need for this care had ceased, staff at SiS youth homes, and social workers.

A report describing how the operations of the National Board of Institutional Care (SiS) youth homes violate the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This alternative report has been prepared for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Its purpose is to support the Committee in its upcoming review of Sweden’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. In 2023, the Swedish Government submitted its twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth periodic reports on national implementation of the Convention.

In August 2025, Sweden is scheduled for review by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to assess its adherence to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Ahead of this review, the Swedish Institute for Human Rights, serving as the national human rights institution, has submitted a list of questions and recommendations for the Committee's consideration.

On the List of Issues Prior to Reporting for the eighth periodic examination of Sweden under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights