SWEDEN
LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT
In 2015, the numbers of unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum in Sweden reached record highs, with around 35,000 arriving in the country to flee war, civil unrest and poverty. This figure represented a tenfold increase compared to 2010 1. The local authorities and social services that are responsible for the care, reception and integration of unaccompanied and separated children were overwhelmed. An overstretched guardianship system could not accommodate all of the children requiring guardianship services 2. The country also faced significant challenges in addressing inequalities, social exclusion and how to integrate these children into local communities 3.
The sharp increase in the number of children arriving in the country and the challenges faced by both migration authorities and local governments in providing care, accommodation and protection prompted a number of legislative changes. These changes included stricter requirements for granting residence permits to unaccompanied and separated children and restrictions on family reunification entitlements and procedures.
Changes in national laws combined with the difficulties encountered by social services in providing adequate protection generated numerous challenges for unaccompanied and separated children in Sweden, many of whom live in constant fear of deportation. Studies have revealed that many children suffer physical and mental health problems. For example, a 2016 study by Cosmos Asyl- och Integrationshälsan in Uppsala found that 76 % of unaccompanied and separated children included in the study had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and a third of them had suicidal thoughts. Although asylum-seeking children have access to formal education, those of them who arrived recently perform poorly at school and are significantly more likely to drop out compared to other students 4. Other studies have revealed challenges in gaining employment: many recently arrived migrants have low-paid jobs or fail to secure a job 5.
These challenges have prompted authorities and civil society organisations to look for solutions for unaccompanied and separated children to improve their living conditions and provide opportunities for successful integration into Swedish society.
1 _“ Innovation for Integration“, Reach for Change, n. d., http:// reachforchange. org / en / about / innovation-integration. 2 _“ God Man för Ensamkommande Barn”, Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting, 24 August 2017, http:// skl. se / integrationsocialomsorg / socialomsorg / barnochunga / placeradebarnochunga / ensamkommandebarnochunga / overformyndaregodman / godman. 3609. html.
3 _ More information on the reception of unaccompanied children in Sweden is available at the websites of the Swedish Migration Agency, https:// www. migrationsverket. se / English / Private-individuals / Protection-and-asylum-in-Sweden. html, and the Swedish Association of Local and Regional Authorities( SALAR), https:// skl. se / integrationsocialomsorg. 26. html. 4 _“ Arbetsmarknadens Villkor Blir Alltmer Olika”, Svenska Dagbladet, 14 November 2012, https:// www. svd. se / arbetsmarknadens-villkor-blir-mer-olika.
5 _“ Socialtjänsten Arbete med Ensamkommande Barn och Ungdomar – En Vägledning”, Socialstyrelsen, May 2013, http:// www. lansstyrelsen. se / skane / SiteCollectionDocuments / Sv / manniska-och-samhalle / integration / mottagning-och-etablering-av-nyanlanda / Ensamkommande % 20 flyktingbarn / Socialtj % C3 % A4nstens % 20arbete % 20med % 20EKB % 202013-5-2. pdf.
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