ÅA Survival Guide 2015-2016

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S t a t e Regu l a t i on s and I n s u r an ce s
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:
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimin-
eringsombudsman/Yhdenvertaisuusvaltuutettu) is
an authority with the basic task of advancing the
status and legal protectionof ethnicminorities and
foreigners as well as equality, non-discrimination
and good ethnic relations in Finland. In addition,
theNon-DiscriminationOmbudsmanwill, together
with other officials, supervise that everyone is
treated equally regardless of their ethnic back-
ground. In the Finnish legislation, discrimination
based on ethnicity is explicitly prohibited in em-
ployment (including self-employment), educa-
tion 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 Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, 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 Non-Discrimination Ombudsman
Visting adress: Berggatan 24, 00100 Helsinki
e-mail:
Phone: +358 (0) 29 566 6817
Customer service: Mon-Fri 10.00-12.00
Private Lawyers
To find private lawyers, visit the home page of
the Association of Finnish Lawyers (Finlands
Jur i st förbund/Suomen Lak imies l i i t to ) 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
Broholmsgatan 12 A, 00530 Helsingfors
phone: +358 (0) 29 505 3000 (switchboard)
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.
3.5 Embassies in Finland
(ambassad/suurlähetystö)
If something happens during your stay in
Finland, you might need the help of your
country’s embassy. You can find embassies from
62 countries in Finland, and many more are
situated in the Nordic region. A list of embassies
in Finland and the surrounding countries
is available at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Finlands website ( ).