Sweden To Criminalize Virginity Tests as Seven Charged for “Honor Killing”
8th May 2025
A few decades ago, no one would have believed that a Western European country would have to resort to legislation to ban virginity tests in order to protect the lives of women and girls, yet here we are.
The Swedish government is now preparing to criminalize the practice, which currently only carries the risk of professional disciplinary action if discovered.
According to the proposal, medical professionals who partake in “virginity control” and issue “virginity certificates”—based on the observation of the hymen—or carry out surgical procedures aimed at restoring the hymen will be subjected to criminal charges.
“These proposals aim to make these acts punishable and to allow their perpetrators to be convicted, which is not the case at the moment,” Socialstyrelsen, the Swedish government agency in charge of social services, explained. The new legislation is expected to come into force by December 2025 at the latest.
The World Health Organization (WHO) regards the concept of virginity tests as unscientific and a violation of women’s sexual integrity, and called for it to be banned globally back in 2018. According to UN Women, the practice violates human rights and jeopardizes the sexual and reproductive health of young women.