Text of a speech made in Trafalgar Square on 13/11/09

by Board Member Maria Hagberg

My name is Maria Hagberg and I am from Sweden. I have been in politics for almost 30 years. The last 6 years specifically dealing with honour crimes in Sweden. I discovered that the roots are from thousands of years of indoctrination. Honour crime’s main purpose is to control the sexuality of women. When I talk about honour crimes I mean extreme control, limited life space, gender separated up-bringing, child-marriage, forced marriage, abuse, murder attempts and murder.

A very good friend of mine participated in the European Social Forum in Malmo last year. She was attacked by some young Swedish students when she criticized Islam. She answered: Have you ever lived in theocracy?

In my youth in the 70s I and other feminists protested against the government for the right to abortion and contraceptives. We also demonstrated for the right to day-care for our children. We got the right to abortion and contraceptives and we got the day-care for children and also many other reforms that made it easier for women to be independent. An independent life with an income of our own, the right to our sexuality and reproductive health.

There has been a 200-year long struggle among Swedish socialist and liberal women to get equal rights. Parts of Swedish society have become cultural relativists. They defend the right to tradition and religion more strongly than women’s rights and equality for all women. They allow minority groups such as parts of the Romani group to have conservative traditional oppression and a slave trade with women.

We are living in a time of paradigm change, many conservative forces such as patriarchal religious groups try to grow and re-establish their power, while other groups struggle for secular states and human rights. Can you then deny the history of patriarchy coming from religious fundamentalism and conservative traditions? Can you struggle against it without criticizing it?

I have found my comfort and strength in the international feminist movement.
Many people refuse to accept and see that honour crimes are existing and it is a very dangerous kind of patriarchal violence. It is a kind of violence with deep and old roots in religion and tradition all over the world. This violence is extremely hostile towards women and women’s rights but also homophobic and racist.

Recently there was a report from the region of Stockholm, which showed that 16% of the girls were strongly oppressed and controlled by their families in the name of honour and almost 7% of the boys. Also hate crimes as we call them, crimes against LGTBQ personas are increasing in Sweden.

My biggest concern is that Sweden is growing a cultural-relativism which I think is the most difficult kind of racism and that some people deny the existence of honour-crimes and hide women’s success in empowerment and the fight for freedom all over the world.
I will end with the strongest support to the Iranian resistance for a free democratic and secular state. And love and compassion for all the brave people in Iran, struggling for freedom.