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Title: Norway Human Rights Practices, 1995
Author: U.S. Department of State
Date: March 1996
NORWAY
Norway is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy with
King Harald V as the Head of State. It is governed by a Prime Minister,
Cabinet, and a 165-seat Storting (Parliament) which is elected every 4
years and cannot be dissolved.
The police, security forces, and the military scrupulously protect human
rights. Civilian authorities effectively control these organizations
and investigate thoroughly any allegations of human rights violations.
Norway is an advanced industrial state with a mixed economy combining
private, public, and state ownership. Personal freedoms, such as the
right to hold private property, are protected by the Constitution and
respected in practice.
The Government fully respects the rights of its citizens, and the law
and judiciary provide effective means of dealing with instances of
individual abuse.
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom
from:
a. Political and Other Extrajudicial Killing
There were no reports of political or other extrajudicial killings.
b. Disappearance
There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment
The Constitution prohibits such practices, and there were no reports
that officials employed them.
Prison conditions meet minimum international standards, and the
Government permits visits by human rights monitors.
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile
The Constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile and the
Government observes this prohibition.
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial
The law provides for the right to a fair trial, and an independent
judiciary vigorously enforces this right.
The present court system consists of the Supreme Court, the Supreme
Court Appellate Court (committee), Superior Courts, County Courts for
criminal cases, Magistrate Courts for civil cases, and Claims Courts.
Special courts are the Impeachment Court (made up of Parliamentarians),
the Labor Court, Trusteeship Courts, Fishery Courts, and something
similar to land ownership severance courts. There are no religious,
political, or security courts. All Norwegian courts, which date back to
laws passed in the eleventh century, meet internationally accepted
standards for fair trials.
There were no reports of political prisoners.
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or
Correspondence
Both the Constitution and law prohibit such practices, government
authorities generally respect these prohibitions, and violations are
subject to effective legal sanction.
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
The Constitution provides for freedom of the press, and the Government
respects this right in practice. An independent press, an effective
judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system, combine to
ensure freedom of speech and of the press, including academic freedom.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
The law provides for these rights, and the Government respects them in
practice.
c. Freedom of Religion
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the Government
respects this right in practice.
The state church is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, which is
financially supported by the State, and to which some 93 percent of the
population nominally belong. There is a constitutional requirement that
the King and one-half of the Cabinet belong to this church. The
Workers' Protection and Working Environment Act permits prospective
employers to ask job applicants in private or religious schools, or in
day-care centers, whether they respect Christian beliefs and principles.
Other denominations operate freely. A religious community is required
to register with the Government only if it desires state support, which
is provided to all registered denominations on a proportional basis in
accordance with membership. Although the state religion is taught in
all public schools, children of other faiths are allowed to be absent
from such classes upon parental request. If there are enough students
of the same faith, the school will arrange classes in that faith.
Workers belonging to minority denominations are allowed leave for
religious holidays.
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign Travel,
Emigration, and Repatriation
The law provides for these rights, and the Government respects them in
practice.
The Government cooperates with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees. There were
no forced expulsions of those having a valid claim to refugee status.
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to
Change Their Government
The law provides citizens with the right to change their Government
peacefully, and citizens exercise this right in practice through
periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal
suffrage.
There are no restrictions, in law or practice, on the participation of
women in government or in the political arena generally. Norway has a
female Prime Minister, a female president of Parliament, and women lead
two of the six main political parties. Women constitute 65 of the 165
members of parliament (39.4 percent), and chair 5 of 15 standing
committees.
In addition to participating freely in the national political process,
Norwegian Sami (Lapps) elected their own constituent assembly, the
Sameting, in 1993 for the second time. Under the law establishing the
39-seat body, it is a consultative group which meets regularly to deal
with "all matters which in (its) opinion are of special importance to
the Sami people." In practice, the Sameting has been most interested in
protecting the group's language and cultural rights and in influencing
decisions on resources and lands where Sami are a majority.
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
A number of human rights groups operate without government restriction,
investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases.
Government officials are very cooperative and responsive to their views.
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion, Disability,
Language, or Social Status
The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, religion,
disability, language, or social status, and the Government enforces this
prohibition in practice.
Women
In 1994, there were 38,689 contacts by women with crisis action centers
and 2,979 overnight stays by women at shelters. Police authorities
believe that increases in reported rapes and wife beatings in recent
years have been largely due to greater willingness among women to report
these crimes. The police vigorously investigate and prosecute such
crimes and have instituted special programs to prevent rape and domestic
violence and to counsel victims. Public and private organizations run
several shelters which give battered wives an alternative to returning
to a violent domestic situation.
The rights of women are protected under the Equal Rights Law of 1978 and
other regulations. According to that law, "women and men engaged in the
same activity shall have equal wages for work of equal value." An Equal
Rights Council monitors enforcement of the 1978 law, and an Equal Rights
Ombudsman processes complaints of sexual discrimination. There were 250
written complaints in 1994 and 500 by telephone. There were 150 written
complaints in 1995 as of September. On average, 20 percent of all
complaints of sexual discrimination are filed by men.
Children
The Government demonstrates its strong commitment to children's rights
and welfare through its well-funded systems of public education and
medical care. An independent Children's Ombudsman Office assures the
protection of children in law and practice. There is no pattern of
societal abuse directed against children. There is no difference in the
treatment of girls and boys in education or health care services.
People With Disabilities
There is no discrimination against disabled persons in employment,
education, or in the provision of other state services. The law
mandates access to buildings for people with disabilities, and the
Government enforces these provisions in practice.
Indigenous People
Apart from a tiny Finnish population in the northeast, the Sami
constituted Norway's only significant minority group until the influx of
immigrants during the 1970's. In recent years, the Government has taken
steps to protect the Sami's cultural rights by providing Sami-language
instruction at schools in their areas, radio and television programs
broadcast or subtitled in Sami, and subsidies for newspapers and books
oriented toward the Sami (see Section 3).
Section 6 Worker Rights
a. The Right of Association
The law provides workers with the right to associate freely and to
strike. Strikes increased in 1995 over previous years and were settled
through negotiations. The Government has the right, with the approval
of the Storting, to invoke compulsory arbitration under certain
circumstances. The Government came under increasing criticism in 1995
for resorting to compulsory arbitration too quickly during strikes. In
addition, this procedure, which was also invoked several times in the
1980's, particularly in the oil industry, was criticized repeatedly by
the Committee of Experts of the International Labor Organization, which
argued that the situations were not a sufficient threat to public health
and safety to justify the actions.
With membership totaling about 60 percent of the work force, unions play
an important role in political and economic life and are consulted by
the Government on important economic and social problems. Although the
largest trade union federation is associated with the Labor Party, all
unions and labor federations are free of party and government control.
Unions are free to form federations and to affiliate internationally.
They maintain strong ties with such international bodies as the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
All workers, including government employees and military personnel,
exercise the right to organize and bargain collectively. Collective
bargaining is widespread, with most wage earners covered by negotiated
settlements, either directly or through understandings which extend the
contract terms to workers outside of the main labor federation and the
employers' bargaining group. Any complaint of antiunion discrimination
would be dealt with by the labor court, but there have been none in
recent years.
There are no export processing zones.
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor
Compulsory labor is prohibited by law and does not exist. The
Directorate of Labor Inspections ensures compliance.
d. Minimum Age for Employment of Children
Children aged 13 to 18 may be employed part time in light work that will
not adversely affect their health, development, or schooling. Minimum-
age rules are observed in practice and enforced by the Directorate of
Labor Inspections. Nine years of education is compulsory. Children are
normally in school up to the age of 16.
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
Normal working hours are mandated by law and limited to 37 1/2 hours per
week. The law also provides for 25 working days of paid leave per year
(31 days for those over age 60). A 28-hour rest period is legally
mandated on weekends and holidays. There is no specified minimum wage,
but wages normally fall within a national scale negotiated by labor,
employers, and the Government. Average income, not including extensive
social benefits, is adequate to provide a worker and family a decent
living.
Under the Workers' Protection and Working Environment Act of 1977, all
employed persons are assured safe and physically acceptable working
conditions. Specific standards are set by the Directorate of Labor
Inspections in consultation with nongovernmental experts. According to
the Act, working environment committees composed of management, workers,
and health personnel must be established in all enterprises with 50 or
more workers, and safety delegates must be elected in all organizations.
Workers enjoy strong rights to remove themselves from situations which
endanger their health. The Directorate of Labor Inspections ensures
effective compliance with labor legislation and standards.
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