Finland

Finland regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Finland has conducted victimization surveys to measure unreported hate crimes. The Finnish police closely co-operates with the Finnish Human Rights League, the Finnish Red Cross and Finnish Victim Support to develop a co-ordinated response to combat hate crimes. These organizations, along with the national police and other key authorities, form a network tasked by Finland's Ministry of Justice with monitoring hate crimes in Finland and developing adequate measures to prevent such crimes. Finland implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme in 2017 and went on to train over 1,000 police officers on hate crimes before integrating the programme's hate crime modules into pre- and in-service training for police.

Hate crime data collection in Finland
Support for hate crime victims in Finland
Hate crime capacity building in Finland
Finland's hate crime legislation
 
Download the 2010 hate crime report for Finland

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
2023 1,361 49 48
2022 1,094 121 27
2021 1,390 44 30
2020 1177 48 42
2019 900 22 17
2018 880 55 21
2017 1497 63 37
2016 1311 N/A N/A
2015 1704 Not available Not available
2014 954 Not available Not available
2013 904 Not available Not available
2012 836 38 12
2011 1418 29 12
2010 1407 38 Not available
2009 1580 41 Not available

About 2010 Data

    Police figures include crimes of defamation, other hate speech crimes and crimes of discrimination. These are, however, not included in the breakdowns below.
    Prosecution figures include only crimes of ethnic agitation, aggravated ethnic agitation, discrimination, work discrimination and extortiate discrimination.

Hate crime recorded by police

National developments

Amendments to legislation were proposed to increase the applicability of the general sentencing enhancement for bias-motivated crimes, to specifically include bias motivations of “race”, religion, sexual orientation and disability. Additionally, the provision no longer requires the victim to be a member of a specific group, as long as the victim or targeted property was perceived by the offender to be associated with a particular group. The amendments were adopted in March 2011 and entered into force on 1 June 2011.

Victim Support Finland, a national service advising victims of crime, added advisory services for hate crime victims and data collection on such crimes as part of its mandate. Staff training occurred in regional offices and 26 local areas. In addition, the Interior Ministry trained police officers on addressing hate crimes and increased co-operation with minority groups to improve responses.

KEY OBSERVATION

No information is available.

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.