Laws and justice

Learning goals

It is important to know some fundamentals of the laws and administration of justice in one’s country of residence. Someone who has moved to Finland may have questions about laws in Finland. What is the Finnish legal system like? What rights and obligations do people living in Finland have? How does legislation secure people’s equality? What happens if someone breaks the law in Finland? And where can you find help if you are the victim of a crime?

After completing this section, the participant of the civic orientation will:

• Grasp the most central features of the Finnish legal system
• Know their fundamental rights and most important obligations in Finland
• Understand the objectives of the Equality Act and Non-Discrimination Act
• Know what to do if they are the victim of a crime
• Know what the consequences are for breaking the law in Finland
• Know the fundamentals of the residence permit system
• Know what must be done if a loved one dies in Finland.

Case study

Kim moved to Finland three years ago with her husband. She works part-time as a waitress in a restaurant where the owners and most of the staff come from the same country as Kim and her husband. Kim and her husband are now expecting their first child, who is due to be born in five months.

One of the waiters at the restaurant where Kim works has just announced that they will be reducing their working hours because they have started studying alongside work. Kim’s supervisor announces that the extra hours will be given to someone else who currently works fewer hours and asks employees to let them know if they are interested in more work. Kim’s current contract is for 20 hours per week, and there are 10 additional hours available. Kim thinks it would be good to get some additional hours before the baby is born so she can earn some extra money to buy baby supplies. However, when Kim tells her supervisor that she is interested in the extra hours, the supervisor says they plan to give the hours to another employee. The reason given is that since Kim is pregnant, she might have additional sick leave anyway, so it wouldn’t make sense to give her more shifts.

At first, Kim thinks that her supervisor’s explanation is quite logical. However, when she tells her friend about the situation, the friend immediately says that the supervisor should not have refused to give Kim the extra hours just because she is pregnant. The friend explains that in Finland, the law prohibits discrimination against employees based on pregnancy. Together with her friend, Kim searches for more information online and finds the website of the Ombudsman for Equality in Finland (tasa-arvovaltuutettu). They call the Ombudsman’s advice line, where an expert assesses that the case sounds like possible pregnancy discrimination. The expert advises that Kim can submit a written inquiry about the matter, and the Ombudsman for Equality can start investigating the case.

However, Kim decides to talk to her supervisor again. It turns out that the supervisor didn’t know that their decision to deny Kim the extra hours because of her pregnancy was illegal. The supervisor is also somewhat alarmed by the idea that pregnancy discrimination could even lead to a legal case. In the end, the supervisor decides to split the extra work hours equally between Kim and the other employee.