33 job-coach offices agreed to restrict wives' work

Thirty-three state-funded job-coaching offices agreed to requests that would restrict a woman's work, attendance or contact with men during an undercover test of Sweden's Rusta och matcha programme.
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SVT News Skåne and Uppdrag granskning contacted 100 offices nationwide. Of 72 tested with a scenario in which a husband sought to control his wife, 33 accepted at least one demand. Across the full sample, 54 offices accepted some form of fraud, including false attendance, undeclared work or travel abroad while receiving support.
The private suppliers are paid by Arbetsförmedlingen to help unemployed people enter work or study. The agency says it has expanded controls, but staff cannot pose as participants.
Its supplier contract requires staff who meet participants to complete training on detecting violence.
Several firms told SVT they normally follow the rules and had opened internal reviews. One said it had ended its subcontractor agreement.


