The State party should continue to strengthen its efforts in respect of compensation, redress and rehabilitation in order to provide victims with redress and fair and adequate compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. Rights of vulnerable groups and discrimination (21) The Committee notes that the 2001 action plan against racism, xenophobia, homophobia and discrimination has been incorporated in the new human rights action plan for the period 2006-2009 and it welcomes the recent initiative of the Government to merge the current anti-discrimination legislation into one single Anti-Discrimination Act that will cover seven grounds of discrimination.2 However, the Committee expresses its concern at reports of continued discrimination of vulnerable groups, in particular the Roma. The Committee is also concerned at reports of hate crimes in the State party, including a high number of racial hate crimes (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should intensify its efforts to combat discrimination against vulnerable groups, including the Roma. In this respect, the State party should take further steps to combat racial discrimination, xenophobia and related violence as well as hate crimes, to ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all such motivated violence and prosecute and to punish perpetrators in all cases with appropriate penalties which take into account the grave nature of their acts. Prohibition of any statement obtained under torture from being invoked as evidence (22) The Committee takes note of information provided that the Swedish penal and procedural system, which is based on the principle of free examination of evidence, contains several provisions, including procedural safeguards, to prevent public officials from using torture in criminal investigation. The Committee, however, expresses its concern at the fact that Swedish law does not contain specific provisions ensuring that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, as required by article 15 of the Convention. The State party should ensure that legislation concerning evidence to be adduced in judicial proceedings is brought in line with the provisions of article 15 of the Convention so as to exclude explicitly any evidence obtained as a result of torture. Domestic violence (23) The Committee, while noting various measures undertaken by the State party, including the 2007 Action Plan on Men’s Violence against Women, expresses its concern about the persistence of violence against women and children, including domestic violence and crimes committed against women and children in the name of honour. The Committee further regrets the lack of State-wide statistics on domestic violence, including statistical data on complaints, prosecutions and sentences. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at information that the provision of social services varies between municipalities and that some municipalities are unable to offer sheltered housing to all women victims of violence, including women with special needs such as women with disabilities (arts. 2, 12 and 16). The State party should increase its efforts to prevent, combat and punish violence against women and children, including domestic violence and crimes committed against women and children in the name of honour. The State party should also monitor the provision of social services with a view to ensuring the availability of a sufficient number of shelters, equipped to accommodate women with special needs, including women with disabilities, throughout the territory of the State party, and their adequate financing. 2 Discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic background, religion or other religious beliefs, disability, and age. 77

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