320. Th\\ 6pecial committee to evaluate the Equal Opportunities Act had made a number of proposals to enhance the Act’s effectiveness and, after various organieations had expressed their views on the report, the Government had submitted a bill to Parliament in Pebruary 1991 that included a proposal for a new Equal Opportunities Act, imposing stricter obligations on employers to strive towards greater equality in the labour market. The bill also included steps to combat violence against women and a proposal to establish a committee to investigate and to recommend measures to rectify difference8 in salaries Progress towards the goal of equality of the sexes between women andl men. required changes in the attitudes of both men and women that were not easy to numerical,equality was a primary consideration measure. In that context, because it was a visible sign of progress. 321. With the exception of security-related posts and certain professions such to aliens, the Swbdsh as those of judge and lawyer , which were not available The unemployment rate for non-Nordic6 was, labour market was open to aliens. had therefore however, much higher than for Nordics , and special allocations been made under labour market assistance programmes for activities to secure job opportunities for aliens. A newly established committee was considering possible legislation to ban discrimination against aliens in the workplace. Sweden had not been at war since 1814 and restrictions on certain categories of persons had been enforced only during the Second World War. A wide range of problems arosa during the asylum-seeking process itself and during the subsequent process of absorption of those granted asylum. In that regard, the primary aim of all the steps taken by the Government was to place aliens in The International Labour Board had bean given jobs as soon as possible. government funding to help it achieve that goal. 322. About 2,500 Sami were currently engaged in their traditional livelihood of reindeer herding. Since such activity involved about one third of Sweden’s land area, it had been felt necessary to limit the number of reindeer-herding groups and, consequently, Sami village6 had been authorised to take decisions freely on which persons were to be admittsd into the village6 a6 herders. The Government was currently considering the proposals of its Commission on the Legal Position of the Samie with respect to such question6 as to whether reindeer herding should continue to be restricted to members of Sami villages. Sweden’s policy toward6 the Sami people wa6 the result of careful consideration of how to balance the interest6 of society in general and respect for the Sami culture. 323, In connection with that issuer members of the Committee wished to receive information concerning the results of the study on the application of the amendmentsto chapter 24 of the Code of Judicial Procedure in respect of deprivation of liberty; the condition6 of compulsory care for alcohol and drug abusers; and safeguards against any abuses in that latter regard. They also Wished to know whether there had been any departures from the 1989 Act in respect of the period of pre-trial detention for terrorists! whether the Planned legislation to replace the Act on the Provision of Institutional Peychiatric Care had been enactedl and what the situation wa6 with reepect to the implementation of the 1909 Act Wntaining special provision6 on the detention of aliens. -79-