26
S t a t e Regu l a t i on s and I n s u r an ce s
Vasaesplanaden 20 B, 5th floor
65100 Vasa
Phone: +358 (0)29 566 1240 (switchboard)
Fax. +358 (0) 29 566 1241
e-mail:
Open Mon-Fri 8.00-16.15
Legal advice is free of charge for students having
a net income of 600? monthly or less. For those
earning more than 600? the cost of legal aid
is charged according to your income. More
information in English about the charges and
services of legal aid is found at:
If you do not speak Finnish or Swedish, an
interpreter will have to accompany you. As a
rule, you must arrange the interpreter yourself.
However, depending on the situation, you may
manage by using English. The website
provides you with some basic, but useful
information about the Finnish judicial system.
Ombudsman for Minorities
T h e
Omb u d s m a n
f o r
M i n o r i t i e s
(
Minoritetsombudsman/Vähemmistövaltuutettu
)
is an authority with the basic task of advancing
the status and legal protection of ethnic
minorities and foreigners as well as equality,
non-discrimination and good ethnic relations
in Finland. In addition, the Ombudsman for
Minorities will, together with other officials,
supervise that everyone is treated equally
regardless of their ethnic background. In the
Finnish legislation, discrimination based on
ethnicity is explicitly prohibited in employment
(including self-employment), education and in
any form of public service, e.g. social services,
public health care, social security benefits,
housing, and the right to buy or keep real estate
property.
The Ombudsman for Minorities, or his office,
helps persons who have faced discrimination by
giving recommendations, instructions and advice.
The office may also direct you to other authorities
in order to ensure that the serious crime of
discrimination will be dealt with accordingly.
Contact information:
Office of the Ombudsman for Minorities
Visting adress: Berggatan 24, 00100 Helsinki
Customer service: Mon-Fri 10.00-12.00, phone:
+358 (0) 29 548 8666
e-mail:
Private Lawyers
To find private lawyers, visit the home page of
the Association of Finnish Lawyers (
Finlands
Juristförbund/Suomen Lakimiesliitto
) at
. Generally, the legal fees are very
high.
The Finnish Consumer Agency and the Consumer
Ombudsman
The Finnish Consumer Agency (
konsumentverket/
kuluttajavirasto
) and the Consumer Ombudsman
(
konsumentombudsman
/
kuluttaja-asiamies
)
supervise compliance of the Consumer Protection
Act. The main purpose of this act is to prevent
any inappropriate marketing directed at the
consumers. A victim of illegal or deceptive
advertising and/or unreasonable contract terms
should contact the Consumer Ombudsman. For
more information, contact the Consumer Agency:
Konsumentverket/Kuluttajavirasto
Aspnäsgatan 4 A, phone: +358 (0) 10 194 700
e-mail:
Phone: +358 (0) 29 553 6901 (in Finnish) or +358
(0) 29 553 6902 (in Swedish)
Advisors are on call at the national phone number
Mon-Fri 9.00-15.00.
If you prefer a personal contact, you can make
an appointment with an advisor via the national
phone number for consumer advisory services.
The local offices for consumer advice are situated
at: Auragatan 8 in Åbo and Wolffskavägen 35 in
Vasa.
