Last week, the HRJust project had the privilege of co-hosting the Nordic Rule of Law Forum 2025 together with Civil Rights Defenders. The forum brought together researchers, legal experts, civil society actors, and policymakers to engage in critical discussions on the rule of law and the evolving role of human rights in state practice.
Researchers from Taiwan, Sweden, Italy, and Finland presented new findings on how states invoke human rights justifications in the context of migration, and the legal and societal implications of these practices.
Speakers included:
- Ya-Wen Yang (Academia Sinica)
- Chiara Tea Antoniazzi (University of Trento)
- Tuomas Ojanen (University of Helsinki)
- Laura Carlson and Elica Ghavidel Olofsson (Stockholm University)
- Maria Grahn-Farley (University of Gothenburg)
Together, these contributions highlighted how human rights language is increasingly embedded in migration governance, raising important questions about its function, limits, and consequences.
In a separate panel, Martin Westlund, together with Erik Wennerström of the European Court of Human Rights and other experts, discussed the European Union’s new migration pact. The conversation addressed the legal and political challenges surrounding the pact, as well as its potential implications for human rights protection within the EU.
The forum placed strong emphasis on the lived realities of those most directly affected by contemporary policy developments. StreetSolid Industries led a session exploring the social and psychological consequences of repressive legislation on young people in targeted communities, highlighting perspectives that are often absent from policy discussions.
Building on this theme, HRJust also debuted its new film, featuring youth from Hammarkullen. Through their own voices, the film sheds light on how “tough on crime” policies impact the everyday lives of children and young people with migrant backgrounds living in socio-economically vulnerable areas. Following the screening, participating youth shared their reflections, offering powerful insights that grounded the forum’s broader legal and policy discussions in lived experience. Their perspectives provided an important grounding to the day’s discussions, connecting legal and policy debates to everyday realities.
This year’s forum marked an important step in advancing dialogue on these issues and strengthening collaboration across sectors and borders. It also laid the groundwork for continued collaboration and critical engagement on the role of human rights in shaping migration governance.