#MeToo Proclamations

How did metoo activism develop in Sweden? What were the strategies? How did the various proclamations interact with one another, with social and mainstream media and with other public opinion initiatives?

Participants: Hillevi Ganetz, professor of gender studies, Stockholm University and Karin Hansson, associate professor at the Department of Computer and Systems, Stockholm University. All three have participated in a cross-disciplinary research project on metoo activism in Sweden.

Chair: Lisa Salmonsson, sociologist, #akademikeruppropet.

A short pre-recorded guided tour by Catrin Lundqvist, curator, Moderna Museet, about two art works in the exhibition “A room on one’s own”.

Can we feel safe at work? How can we counteract sexual harassment in the workplace? Is the legislation effective? Are there common experiences between different industries? With examples from trade and shipping.

Participants: Maria Karlsson, #obekvämarbetstid and Vice Chair of #Metoouppropen, Linda Palmetzhofer, chair of Swedish Commercial Employees’ Union, Cajsa Jersler Fransson, #lättaankar, the Vågrätt project, Cecilia Österman, work environment research fellow at the Linnaeus University and Erik Froste, CEO of the Färjerederiet shipping company

Chair: Eva Nikell, journalist, women’s rights activist and educator

Is sexual abuse in a religious context different from other contexts? Why does it take so long to overcome a culture of silence? What are senior clergymen and -women within the Church doing to counteract sexual abuse and how can shame, atonement and honour be (mis)understood?

Participants: Karin Ingridsdotter, pastor, initiator #sanningenskallgöraerfria; Helena Enoksson, psychotherapist and teacher of pastoral care; Anne Sörman, priest and activist #Vardeljus; Andreas Holmberg, bishop at the Diocese of Stockholm; and Hanna Stenström, feminist theologian

The workshop is arranged with the support of the Association of Ordained Women

Chair: Sandra Signarsdotter, the Association of Ordained Women

Is there a before and an after #metoo when it comes to the work against sexual violence? While a new sexual consent law has been discussed at length, most #metoo convictions have been cases of slander against women who have given evidence behind closed doors. One step forward and two steps back? What are the rights of women who are homeless or awaiting residence permits and citizenship?

Participants: Jenny Westerstrand, violence researcher and chair of Roks, Riksorganisationen för kvinnojourer och tjejjourer i Sverige (the National Organisaton for Women’s and Girl’s Shelters in Sweden), Gita Rajan, physician and executive director of Wonsa and Debbie Nûjen, lawyer and educator

Chair: Linnéa Bruno, violence researcher, #orosanmälan #akademiupproret

What have we learned from #metoo? How do we proceed? What steps need to be taken in order to achieve a society free of sexual harassment and sexual violence?

Participants: Ninni Carlsson, violence researcher, Johanna Lindquist #deadline and Förtalskassan and Bernadita Nuñez of Terrafem
The discussion will be facilitated by Caroline Snellman, board member of the organisation Samordningen Metoouppropen, #medvilkenrätt.

Song

By Derya Tezcan

Poem

Jag kommer ifrån, jag har en dröm (I come from, I have a dream)

By Alma Kirlic

Bishop of Stockholm

Andreas Holmberg, born 1966, spent part of his childhood in Tanzania. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1993 and was elected Bishop of Stockholm in 2019. He was a diocesan assistant professor and parish priest in Stockholm and a teacher of theology in Tanzania. He presented his PhD dissertation Kyrka i nytt landskap (Church in a new landscape) in 2019. It deals with a new theology that embraces a diversity of cultures and religions, which is coming to the fore in Church of Sweden parishes.

Communicator and producer, #metoobackstage

Anna Velander Gisslén is a project manager, producer and consultant within the fields of culture, equality and circularity. She has founded a feminist film festival, managed sustainability projects and she is on the board of Women in Film&Television (WIFT).

– I actively work for a sustainable society through circular design and equality of opportunity.

Chair of Samordningen #Metoo-uppropen

Anne Sörman is an author and a priest at Botkyrka, a Church of Sweden parish. She was one of the initiators of #vardeljus, the Swedish Church MeToo proclamation. Anne is currently writing a paper on biblical women and violence. As chair of the association Samordningen metoouppropen, she is one of the initiators of the #MeToo event at Moderna Museet.

Communicator, DJ, hardrock call #killtheking

Banesa Martinez is a communicator at the employment and social welfare services in Malmö. She is a substitute on the service committee and board member of Vänsterpartiet Malmö. Since 2003 she has been a DJ; Rockadelika.

– I offer tough tones from the 60s to the present, based on rock with heavy influences from both blues and psychedelics.

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Executive Director of Terrafem

Bernardita Nuñez has been active in the women’s shelter movement for several decades. In 2000, she started Terrafem in order to offer support to women from immigrant families that were subjected to sexual violence or honour-related oppression. Terrafem offer advice and help to women in seventy languages. In 2016, Bernardita Nuñez was awarded an honourable doctorate in law at the Gothenburg School of Economics, a significant recognition of Terrafem’s achievements.

Equality coordinator, the Swedish Maritime Administration, #lättaankar

Cajsa Jersler Fransson is one of the administrators of the shipping industry’s MeToo proclamation #lättaankar. She has been appointed equality coordinator at the Maritime Administration. Cajsa is working at the Administration’s Department of Research and Development.

–To begin with I knew nothing about the rights and obligations of managers and employees. I have learned it all through #lättaankar and the industry-wide collaboration Vågrätt för jämställd sjöfart.

Lawyer and CEO

Caroline Snellman is active in civil rights organisations such as Tjejzonen, Ownershift and Förtalskassan. She was a founding member of the metoo appeal for legal professionals, #medvilkenrätt, and has fought for a more equal playing field independent of gender or ethnicity.
– Employees who speak up are generated by good leadership. A culture of silence is a sign of the opposite. Learn to tell the difference, or resign as a leader.

Curator, Moderna Museet

Curator Catrin Lundqvist works with programming at Moderna Museet. She is also producer of the #MeToo Proclamations at Moderna Museet together with activists from the various proclamations. Her other tasks include the Moderna Museet Film Club for art film and she curates performance art and various public art projects at the museum and online.

Research fellow Work Environment, the Linnaeus University

Cecilia Östman is Associate Professor of Maritime Science with the specialism work environment and working life. Her research encompasses the technical, organizational and social work environment with a focus on a proactive, supportive work environment. The overall goal of her research is to investigate and show how well designed technological and organisational systems that are adapted to the abilities and limitations of humans can contribute both to a positive financial result for the organisation and human well-being.

Lawyer and educator

Debbie Nûjen is a lawyer and owner of the KLINT law firm, a humanitarian firm that predominantly deals with criminal, administrative and immigration cases. One lawyer and two paralegals work at the firm.

–We are all deeply committed to our clients, and we take on the cases we believe are best suited to us.

Singer and guitar player

Derya Tezcan is a singer and guitar player, born and raised in Stockholm, but with a Turkish background. Throughout the day, she will be performing folk songs from different parts of Turkey. They are about faith, hope and love but also regret, despair and death. All performed with great passion and all the mystique and infinite variety of Turkish folk music expressed by voice and guitar.

CEO, Färjerederiet

Eric Froste’s chief driving force is to make companies more efficient and stimulate people to collaborate better. H also wants to make the world a more environmentally aware and sustainable place.

– Working towards a greener world requires daily commitment; sometimes little things like picking up someone else’s rubbish, sometimes major projects such as making our ferry fleet green.

Journalist, women’s rights activist and educator

Eva Nikell is a journalist, women’s rights activist and former employee at the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman and the Discrimination Ombudsman offices. She has been active in the women’s rights movement since the time of Grupp 8 in 1972 and she has volunteered within culture and adult education for many years. Today, her chief positions are chair of the Women’s Folk High School in Gothenburg, board member of RIO and chair of Oktoberteatern in Södertälje.

Doctor, head of clinic and head of research at WONSA’s specialist clinic for victims of sexual offenses

Gita Rajan has worked with emergency car at night and as a hired doctor to finance the work with non-emergency treatment of sex offenders. WONSA (World of no sexual abuse) is a non-profit organization with the goal of making psychological care after sexual abuse available worldwide, starting in Sweden.

– Access to good healthcare is a human right, also for women exposed to sexual crimes. It is strange that a government that calls itself feminist allows such a fundamental right and condition for equal care to be ignored. As a first step towards better care, this patient group must be recognized and made visible.

Head Curator, Moderna Museet

Gitte Ørskou is head of Moderna Museet. She was previously director of and curator at a number of art museums in Denmark as well as chair of the Danish Art Foundation.

– I’m very pleased to be head of Moderna Museet, one of the world’s most important museums for modern and contemporary art. During my entire career, I have focused on building bridges between art and people. My motivation is to involve, move and engage all kinds of people through the power of art.

Doctor of Divinity, university college lecturer, priest

Hanna Stenström is a lecturer on the Theology programme at the Stockholm School of Theology. She has conducted research within the field of feminist interpretation of Scripture and feminist theology as well in how Bible researchers have dealt with the challenges that the feminist movement has placed on the Church and on theological research. She is also a Church of Sweden priest. She has worked with the women’s shelter in Uppsala and she has an engagement in as well as knowledge of men’s violence towards women. She is active in Women in the Church of Sweden and a member of the Swedish Women’s Lobby board.

Therapist and teacher of pastoral care

Helena Enoksson is a priest and psychotherapist. She has long experience of pastoral care, especially women who have suffered sexual abuse as children and/or adults. She currently teaches seminarians and welfare workers for the church.

Professor of Gender Studies and Stockholm University

Hillevi Ganetz is a media researcher specialising in gender and popular culture. She was awarded her PhD in 1997 in media and communication studies at Stockholm University with a dissertation on rock lyrics by women that focus on popular music as a cultural expression. She is currently involved in a MeToo research project funded by the Swedish Research Council entitled “#MeToo Activism in Sweden: Development, Consequences, Strategies”. The project focuses on the months during which #metoo proclamations spread across Sweden and what happened afterwards.

Violence researcher and chair of Roks, the National Organisation for Women’s and Girls’ Shelters in Sweden

Jenny Westerstrand studies men’s violence against women (including honour-related violence) and women’s human rights in terms of gender and sexual theory. Her specialism lies at the intersection between law and sociology, and she is interested in the way gender and sexuality relate to legislation and jurisprudence, in theory as well as in practice. Since 2018 she is the chair of Roks. Roks is a feminist organization and includes only gilrs and women to work against mens’ violence toward women.

Freelance journalist, #deadline

Johanna Lindqvist has been a freelance journalist for the past six years. She was previously employed at Folkbladet in Umeå. Johanna is one of the initiators of #deadline, a MeToo proclamation among journalists.

– This is everywhere. It doesn’t matter whether you are working in a Stockholm head office or at a small, local newspaper. These problems are often waved aside when you inform managers and editors.

Associate Professor of Computer and Systems, Stockholm University

Karin Hansson is an artist and associate professor of computer and systems. Her research focuses on methodology and collaboration processes. The through-line is criticism of norms and values that are embedded in communications and design. Karin is interested in design that takes difference and conflict into account.

Pastor, #sanningenskallgöraerfria

Karin Ingridsdotter is an Equmenia Church pastor. She and three others started and managed the free church metoo proclamation #sanningenskagöraerfria

Chair, the Union of Commercial Employees

Linda Palmetzhofer started her career as a shop assistant at Domus at Gustavsberg, Stockholm. She was later employed as an ombudsman at the UCE. She has been a member of the management committee since 2014. The goal of Commercial Employees is that everyone should hava safe jobs. Both the empoyment in itself, and the working environment. That is why sexual harassment is an important issue and the cooperation with #obekvämarbetstid is unvaluable.

Lecturer at Stockholm University

Linnea Bruno is a sociologist. She was awarded a PhD in 2016 from Uppsala University. As of July 2019, she is lectures about the sociology of children and young people at the Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University.

– My interest lies in the sociology of the child, especially of the position and agency of vulnerable children as well as feminist and other perspectives on the way the state deals with violence and violence prevention. As of 2021, I am part of the Centre for Violence Studies (CVS) at Örebro University.

Lecturer at Örebro University

Lisa Salmonson has a PhD in sociology. Her research is mainly within sociology of work, professions, and migration. She was a member of the government’s select committee on research in 2019–2020. Lisa has, for example, studied the #MeToo movement in Sweden, labour market integration, the consequences of segregation, the experiences of migrants with higher education of the Swedish labour market and the chances for unaccompanied minors to be granted asylum.

Vice chair of #Metoouppropen, #obekvämarbetstid

Maria Karlsson is one of the authors of the report Obekväm arbetstid on the subject of sexual harassment against employees in the retail trade. The report includes witness statements collected via the Facebook group #obekvämarbetstid, a part of #MeToo in Sweden. The Union of Commercial Employees have worked directly with the activists behind the proclamation.

PhD / Senior Lecturerat the Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg

Ninni Carlsson is researcher, teacher and educational developer covering the areas of gender-related violence, especially sexual abuse, higher education and the intersection between these areas. She is part of a research team that investigates different aspects of power, gender and violence. In her disseratation Avslöjandets tid: Kvinnors bearbetning av sexuella övergrepp (2009), women who were sexually abused while growing up describe their experiences. The book outlines the possibilities that were opened up through the women’s liberation movements in the 1970s and reflects experiences related to #MeToo.

Chair of the Forum for Ordained Women

Sandra Signarsdotter is assistant vicar of Gustav Vasa Parish where she is responsible for coordination and development of activities. She is a member (S) of the General Synod (on the Financial Committee), the highest decision-making body of the Church of Sweden. She is a public debater and lecturer with many years’ experience of working with strategy and management.

Actor, screenwriter and culturalproducer #TystnadTagning #Skådespelaresomrasifieras

Sara Zommorodi is an actress and has been freelancing on stage, in film, TV and radio since 2001. She is currently in the TV series Kalifatet on SVT, and Netflix. She has previously been seen in Drottningoffret, SVT. Theater productions include Romeo and Juliet at Örebro Länsteater, Festen, and Pygmalion, directed by Margareta Garpe at Dramaten and Tartuffe, directed by Thommy Berggren at Stockholm City Theater.

She has received a scholarship from the Anders Sandrew Foundation for encouragement to continue investing, as well as the award “One of 25 young actors in Sweden to keep track of” from the Swedish Justice Agency. Sara has served on the board of WIFTI-Women in Film and Television International and WIFT-Sweden’s board. She works and contributes actively with inclusion issues in the cultural sector and is the founder of the first diversity group within the trade union Scene and Film, which she led for several years.