Archive for category: Refugees and Displaced Persons

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U.S. Must Reverse President Trump’s Refugee Ban

U.S. Must Reverse President Trump's Refugee BanIn the continuing fight for the rights of refugees, The Borgen Project is committed to working to reverse President Trump’s refugee ban. The executive order signed on Friday afternoon barred all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days, barred nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and put a permanent ban on Syrian refugees.

President Trump’s refugee ban came as a surprise to diplomatic and airport staff in the U.S. and overseas, and many scrambled to respond with various interpretations. The executive order has caused protests and lawsuits and has drawn condemnation from dozens of diplomats and former President Barack Obama.

The current refugee crisis is unprecedented. The number of people displaced by conflict in 2016 was the highest since the end of the Second World War, at almost 60 million. Only joint solutions will credibly and effectively lessen the increasing suffering and social and political turmoil.

Therefore, labeling refugees fleeing conflict zones like Syria and other countries as terrorists has only made matters worse for these vulnerable individuals. A refugee is a person seeking shelter, a life of dignity, freedom and safety for themselves and their families. There is no excuse for treating other human beings who have come to the U.S. seeking these things with hostility, suspicion and intolerance.

About 30,000 Syrians have been evacuated from Aleppo, and 100,000 more are still fleeing violence in the area. Children continue to be massacred every day while the U.S., under this executive ban, is slamming its doors.

For all of the world’s refugees, do not look away. You can help change lives, not just for people in Syria, but for those in more than 90 countries who are fighting to overcome hunger, poverty and violence.

It is un-American to turn away those seeking safety and to discriminate against groups of people because of nationality and religion. Let us stand with refugees and not against them, in their hour of need. Remember that every refugee is someone’s mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother or newborn baby.

You can call Congress and take action on this serious issue. Please stand with leaders from both parties to reverse President Trump’s refugee ban and welcome those in need of our help.

 

Photo: Geoff Livingston via photopin (license).

Vanuatu: the World’s First Climate Change Refugees

Climate Change Refugees
Given the contemporary discussion about refugees, which focuses primarily on those who have been forced from their homes because of conflict or persecution, it is important to evaluate other push factors for refugees around the world. Here are five facts you should know about Vanuatuan refugees — the first climate change refugee.

  1. Officially, Vanuatu has no refugees, either ingoing or outgoing.
    According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which provides the international legal definition of refugee and establishes states’ responsibilities to them, Vanuatu is not home to any refugees. Vanuatu’s official refugee population reached a high in 2010, with a total refugee population of four.
  2. However, Vanuatu is home to the world’s first “climate change refugees.”
    In 2005, the U.N. Environment Programme reported the forced inland movement of nearly 100 villagers in the province of Tegua in northern Vanuatu, citing the people as the world’s first climate change refugees. People in Vanuatu inhabit 65 of the 80 islands in the archipelago, and many live in coastal cities or villages.
    Because most of the infrastructure of small island nations is located along shallow coasts, countries like Vanuatu are vulnerable to rising sea levels and ever-increasing tropical storms. Since 2005, thousands of Pacific islanders, such as those from Kiribati, have been forced to move to larger islands like Fiji, where they often experience difficulty integrating into society.
  3. This may be just the beginning.
    A 2013 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed that climate change could cause sea levels to rise by as much as 3 feet by 2100. For low-lying island nations, this change could be catastrophic. In Vanuatu, a rise in sea level of this proportion would require the forced relocation of thousands. And Vanuatu wouldn’t be alone; its population of 277,000 represents just a small portion of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who live along coasts.
  4. Open-Source data provides hope and information for potential climate change refugees. Collaboration between the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the governments of Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea created The Vanuatu Globe. This open-source data platform maps low-lying coastal areas to help citizens and governments alike identify areas facing the greatest risk of coastal flooding from rising sea levels.
    Over 1,000 people accessed the data set within days of Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015. The platform aided recovery efforts and initiatives to improve infrastructure and prevent future devastation.
  5. Work is being done to prepare in Vanuatu and elsewhere.
    The Capacity Building for the Development of Adaptation Measures in Pacific Island Countries Program, established in 2002, represents just one of many initiatives working with island nations to reinforce infrastructure and make sound development decisions under the looming threat of climate change. Capacity-building programs such as this, complemented by expanded access to mapping data, will help citizens and leaders prepare for large-scale environmental shifts.

– Laurel Klafehn

Photo: Flickr

Anti-Refugee Sentiment Grows Throughout Europe

Anti-Refugee Sentiment
On October 2, Viktor Orban, prime minister of Hungary, held a nationwide referendum to address growing anti-refugee sentiment. Orban asked the question, “Do you want the European Union, even without the approval of the Hungarian parliament, to be able to prescribe the mandatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary?”

Resoundingly, 98 percent of voters backed the government’s opposition to the EU refugee acceptance quotas, even though Hungary would only have to accept 1,300 of the 160,000 refugees taken into consideration by the distribution plan. Although voter turnout was only around 43 percent, the rejection of refugees and belief in their inherent dangers is no anomaly.

Anti-refugee and anti-Muslim sentiment is spreading across Europe, especially in the wake of major terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice and the everyday acts of violence consistently occurring throughout Europe. Opposition to refugees also heavily fueled the Brexit vote.

Within the Visegrád Group, an alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, refusal to accept refugees is at its peak. The Czech Republic and Hungary have only accepted 520 and 146 refugees respectively in the last year, a drop in the ocean of millions needing asylum.

In 2015, Hungary also built a heavily guarded, razor wired fence along its southern border to control the flood of migrants into Hungary. Many have criticized the country for treating refugees “worse than wild animals;” some have even called for Hungary to be temporarily or permanently expelled from the EU for its behavior.

Even in more accepting countries like France and Germany, growing fear and misunderstanding have lead to more anti-refugee and anti-Muslim policies. More than 20 French mayors have refused to lift their bans on the “burkini,” a full body swimsuit worn mainly by Muslim women, even though the national court system has deemed the ban unconstitutional.

Even in Germany, the biggest proponent of refugee acceptance, anti-refugee sentiment has spread. After several regional elections went to the far-right, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, plans to take a step back from her heavily controversial open-door refugee policy.

Although the current situation for many refugees may seem bleak, the future may well be brighter. Even after several devastating attacks in France, French president Francois Hollande is still holding firmly to his open refugee acceptance policy. In Syria and Iraq, as well, the end seems to be near. After capturing Fallujah, allied forces have now moved on -to Raqqa, the ISIS capital, and Mosul. The U.S. and EU can now begin to rebuild infrastructure and resettle the remaining refugees.

– Henry Gao

Photo: Flickr

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Education Provided to Syrian Refugees in Hosting Countries

Education Provided to Syrian Refugees in Hosting Countries
When the Arab Spring began in 2011, the Middle East’s future became unclear. Since its advent, nearly 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million have been displaced externally. Syrian refugees have taken refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Germany.

Even though the countries have granted them asylum, many young children do not attend school. Of the 11 million displaced Syrians, nearly 2.5 million are school-aged children. Attending school is a difficult task for these children. As an overarching issue, the education system cannot sustain the thousands of Syrian refugee children entering their classrooms.

Another major issue is that Syrian refugee children are behind in the curriculum and don’t speak the language. Many children, especially young boys, have to choose between working and schooling. Their families cannot afford to send their children to school. These obstacles contribute to the fact that 80% of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are not attending school. As a result, many children end up dropping out, contributing to the 56% of refugee children who are not enrolled in Jordanian schools.

Since 2012, the Jordanian Government, Ministry of Education and Higher Education have either covered Syrian children’s fee or waived them. Even if the children can afford to go to school, parents do not think it’s safe for their children to be journeying a long way. To overcome these barriers, War Child Holland in Lebanon created a walking bus. Instead of children walking alone to school, they walk together in one large group.  In Jordan, UNICEF provides buses to take children to school.

To accommodate those who are not attending school or who have dropped out, the Lebanese NGO Iqra runs Classroom in a Bus whereby students and teachers are trained and taught in the town. In Turkey, students now do not have to show any identification, they can enroll for free and are taught in a Syrian Arabic curriculum. These adjustments coupled with the collaboration between Turkey and UNICEF to build seven new schools is a contributing factor to the 30% increase in enrollment. As a global initiative, donors and host countries have pledged, as the Human Rights Watch states, “more than $11 billion in multi-year support to meet goals including universal school enrollment in refugee-hosting countries by 2017.”

Through donations, global workings and Human Rights Watch projects, there are expansions, “to address other barriers.” Some of these include issues of documentation, NGO roles, addressing dropouts and reducing child labor. The NGO, government and global initiative contribute to UNICEF’s strategy, No Lost Generation, which ensures all Syrian refugees are provided with adequate educational opportunities.

The Syrian Crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises. Yet, there is an admirable level of determination to help Syrian refugees adapt and provide them with equal opportunities.

– Kristen Guyler

Photo: Flickr

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State of Refugees Worldwide

State of Refugees Worldwide
When it comes to the state of refugees and displaced people worldwide, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stands ready to protect the rights of those forced to leave their homes. Since the commission’s start in 1950, the UNHCR budget has grown from $300,000 in its first year to around $7 billion in 2015. This agency collects a lot of data regarding the whereabouts and status of refugees around the world in order to maintain a steady and productive presence.

With 65.3 million forcibly displaced people, 21.3 million refugees and 10 million stateless individuals, this type of organization and statistical bookkeeping is essential to progress. Currently, the world is peaking at its highest rate of displacement on record. About half of the global refugee population is under 18, and around 34,000 men, women and children are displaced every day, begging the questions: What countries are these refugees forced to leave? What countries have taken them in?

It is measured that 53 percent of all the world’s refugees are departing from just three countries: Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria — in that order. The civil war in Somalia is the single largest event adding to the refugee population, currently forcing refugees to flee into surrounding areas such as Kenya for the past 24 years.

While in Afghanistan, rampant insurgency from the Taliban and Daesh keep refugees from returning home. Most notable in the current media landscape is the third largest refugee contributor, Syria, which is experiencing genocide, civil war and an increasingly destabilized sociopolitical landscape.

With such a massive population exiting the places they call home, every part of the globe has had to accept displaced peoples. The regions harboring the most refugees are the Middle East and North Africa, collectively populated by 39 percent of all of the world’s displaced individuals. Surprisingly, the United States and Europe admit the least amount of people to seek refuge within their borders at 12 percent and six percent respectively.

As for the individual nations containing the highest refugee populations, Turkey, Pakistan and Lebanon top the list with Iran, Ethiopia and Jordan not far behind. Turkey currently contains 2.5 million displaced individuals from a multitude of areas, establishing the country as a refugee capitol of sorts. The next closest, Pakistan, contains 1.6 million displaced people. Most of this group comes from Afghanistan, as Pakistan is the closest geographic neighbor for much of the Afghan population.

The UNHCR is currently working in 128 different countries to alleviate the suffering that comes with the mass diaspora. Increased funding, as well as more nations willing to accept those without homes, is required if these problems are to end eventually. Many within the U.S. and abroad continue to work tirelessly to provide future for people with no say in how their lives progress. It will take global cooperation to see this crisis to a peaceful resolution and better the current state of refugees around the world.

– Aaron Walsh

Photo: Flickr

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What are Climate Refugees and How Can They be Protected?

What are Climate Refugees and How Can They be Protected?
At the end of 2015, there were 65.3 million refugees worldwide. The global community is struggling to provide resources for the world’s displaced peoples, and the situation has caused both economic and security issues. Many people are ignorant to the fact that there is another group of people who are extremely vulnerable to losing their homes.

Climate refugees, or environmental migrants, are forced to leave their homes because of climatically induced environmental changes or disasters. Specifically, people may be displaced because of drought, a rise in sea level, ecological changes, desertification or extreme weather patterns. Protecting climate change refugees grows increasingly relevant as the number of displaced peoples across the globe continues to skyrocket.

Since 2008, an average of 27 million people have been classified annually as climate refugees and in 2009, the Environmental Justice Foundation declared that nearly 10 percent of the world’s population were at risk in terms of losing their homes to climate change related issues.

As climate change continues to spread and develop, more and more people fall victim to environmental migration. The existence of environmental migrants proves that climate change is not solely about the environment and that its effects reach into many aspects of society, including politics, health and economics. Protecting climate refugees is important, as sources have suggested there could be as many as 50 to 200 million by the year 2050, most of these people being subsistence farmers and fishermen.

Just this year, the U.S. resettled its first climate refugees. The population is from the Isle de Jean Charles in southeastern Louisiana and they had to leave their homes due to severe flooding. In order to resettle its residents, the U.S. government has put forth a $48 million grant and has realized the harsh reality of this problem.

According to the International Organization for Migration, “Climate refugees often fall through the cracks of asylum law.” Currently, it is very difficult for an environmental migrant to achieve refugee status. The term “climate refugee” is not officially recognized by international law and according to the International Bar Association, “there are no frameworks, no conventions, no protocols and no specific guidelines that can provide protection and assistance for people crossing international borders because of climate change.”

The World Bank estimates that with a 1-meter rise in sea level, Bangladesh would lose close to 20 percent of its land mass. Currently, almost 200,000 Bangladeshi’s lose their homes annually due to river erosion and rising sea levels. The islands of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu are already facing significant migration patterns due to the rising sea.

The lack of international protocol regarding climate refugees, such as the ones from Bangladesh and the small islands in the Central Pacific, means that there is also a lack of resources and pathways that can lead these people to a successful resettlement. Because of this, migration experts have been stressing for several years that at risk countries should first look into improving living conditions for vulnerable populations.

This includes helping them secure a consistent access to food and water, rebuilding infrastructure and establishing efficient emergency warning systems. As countries become more aware of their ecological situations, there is more pressure to provide resources for potential climate refugees.

In order to protect climate refugees, there needs to be a change in the international law that defines a “refugee.” The number of people affected in a negative way climatically grows by the day.

Besides advocating for universal policies regarding climate refugees, there are things that can be done to slow climate change and its negative effects. Supporting clean energy and anti-carbon emission related legislation can make a difference in improving the lives of communities who are vulnerable to environmental migration.

– Peyton Jacobsen

Photo: Flickr

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Ten Facts About Refugees in Kenya Forced to Return to Somalia

During the early 1990s, Kenya formed a repatriation program, the Dadaab refugee camp, for thousands of displaced Somalians escaping rebel attacks, drought, continuous violence and abuse.

  1. Islamic extremists displaced thousands of Kenyans housed in the Dadaab refugee camp. Now the country is requesting that more than 260,000 refugees in Kenya return to Somalia for concern of Somalia-based al-Shabab Islamic extremists launching attacks within the Kenyan camp. After numerous deadly attacks from 2011-2015, the government announced in May the closure of Dadaab for immediate national security interests.
  2. World leaders don’t agree with deporting refugees back to Somalia. Kenyan officials are tentatively closing Dadaab at the end of 2016. However, the Human Rights Watch says sending refugees back to Somalia doesn’t meet international standards of a voluntary return.
  3. They have Somalian blood, but are Kenyan-bred. On average, refugees are in exile for about 20 years, according to the U.N. refugee agency. In Northeastern Kenya, nestled in close proximity to Somalia’s border, the Dabaab camp has been home to residents for a quarter of a century. Some have never stepped foot on Somalian soil.
  4. Refugees are being lured with a cash advance to return. Many Somalian refugees were told they would be deprived of a $400 U.N. cash grant because of forced extradition, according to the Human Rights Watch. Dadaab refugees have been given inadequate information about potential dangers during their forced exit.
  5. Resources in Somalia don’t exist for the influx of Kenyan refugees to return. Some Somalian refugees who returned to their home country have fled back to Kenya again due to continuous violence and nonexistent resources and services. The deported refugees seeking asylum were unable to reestablish themselves in Somalia, and now they are denied access to refugee registration, or asylum procedures in Dadaab. This leaves a large percentage of displaced peoples without legal status or access to food.
  6. Force and coercion used on refugees are not tolerated by world leaders. While the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta claims the process of repatriation will be voluntary and humane, countries internationally say they will reprimand evictions using force. However, many refugees inhabiting Kenya agree to the return for fear of coercion and force if they stay in Kenya, but they will face danger, persecution and hunger in Somalia.
  7. Refugees are involuntarily returning to insecure conditions and poverty. “The Kenyan authorities are not giving Somali refugees a real choice between staying and leaving, and the UN refugee agency isn’t giving people accurate information about security conditions in Somalia,” said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch. “There is no way these returns can be considered voluntary.”
  8. Kenyan refugees have no choice but to leave. Dadaab’s refugees reported feeling trapped by the government’s decision to shut down the camp. Many are afraid of returning to Somalia, but simultaneously fear the handcuffs and deportation of staying in Dadaab until the end of the year.
  9. The Dadaab refugee camp is a city full of resources and services. The refugee camp is the largest safe haven worldwide, and was initially created to host roughly 90,000 refugees searching for relief from rebels fighting the Somalian government in 1991. Now it spans five camps with makeshift cinemas, soccer leagues, bustling businesses, schools, hospitals and a graveyard.
  10. Refugees are forced into danger and left without community support. In mid-August, roughly 24,000 Somalian refugees had left Dadaab and gone back to their country of origin since the beginning of the repatriation process in December 2014. Kenya’s government reported to Human Rights Watch that in mid-August they were aiding the return of 1,000 refugees per day. Negotiations of repatriations are ongoing because refugees aren’t being sufficiently assisted upon their return to Somalia.

– Rachel Williams

Photo: Flickr

Ten Facts About Refugees in the Philippines

Ten Facts about Refugees in the Philippines
The islands of the Philippines have been in the news for their responses to the recent Syrian refugee crisis. A chain of approximately 7,500 islands located in Southeastern Asia, these lands are home to a vast biodiversity and many active volcanoes. The country has been in the public eye lately for its increasing amount of violence related to the government’s war on drugs. Victims included an innocent five-year-old girl, prompting outrage online as to why the government isn’t doing more to protect its citizens.

Below are 10 facts recovered in relation to refugees in the Philipines:

  1. The Philippines has a long history of resettling displaced refugees into their country, stretching back to the 1940’s when Manuel Quezon, then Commonwealth president, personally welcomed 40 Jewish refugees to the country in light of growing dissent in Europe toward practicing Jews.
  2. UNHCR has been operating in the Philippines for over 30 years. They help refugees acquire citizenship in the Philippines as well as help process claims for asylum.
  3. As of August 2015, UNHCR Philippines’ offices have reached over 20,000 displaced persons with relief items.
  4. UNHCR Philippines had only received 8 percent of their requested funding to help refugees in the Philippines, thereby limiting the number of people they could successfully reach with relief items. Lack of funding for refugee support is a major issue.
  5. In 2012, the Philippines became the first Southeast Asian country to sign and become a state-party to the 1954 Convention on Stateless Persons. This 1954 Convention ensures that stateless people, defined as someone who is “not recognized as a national by any state under the operation of its law,” have a basic standard of human rights given to them by their host country. The 1954 Convention also established minimum standards for the treatment of stateless people, including, but not limited to, their rights of access to education, employment, housing, identity, travel documents and administrative assistance.
  6. Other notable refugee groups that were accepted as refugees in the Philippines throughout the years include Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, Chinese refugees when Imperial Japan was invading their country, White Russian refugees when the USSR rose to power and Indochinese refugees following the Vietnam War.
  7. In October 2015, the Filipino government seriously considered not allowing Australian-processed refugees to come to the Philippines to live.
  8. President Benigno Aquino mentioned that following the Vietnam War, the 400,000 Indochinese refugees that the Philippines accepted for “temporary” placement had, fifteen years on, neglected to leave their “temporary” home and had in fact become permanent residents.
  9. Aquino argued that as a nation, the Philippines couldn’t afford to offer permanent residency to refugees coming from Australia; 25 percent of the Philippines population already lives in poverty, and adding more disenfranchised refugees to the population would not immediately help.
  10. On the flip side, the recent Syrian refugee crisis prompted a quick response from the Philippines government, stating they would gladly be a host country for Syrian refugees awaiting permanent resettlement in another country.

The key word for the Philippines government’s current refugee policies seems to be host. Their priorities lie with establishing a stable economy and prosperous nation, in which 25 percent of the population does not have to live in poverty. Then and only then can the Philippines consider being more than a temporary host to refugees. Without economic stability and a lower poverty rate, the Philippines’ government cannot hope to provide for refugees much more than what the refugees escaped from.

– Bayley McComb

Photo: Flickr

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Ten Facts About Refugees in Egypt

Refugees in Egypt
Here are 10 quick facts about refugees in Egypt:

  1. In 2015, over 180,000 individuals were registered as refugees in Egypt with the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 117,000 of which were from Syria.
  2. In 2015, the United Nations Refugee Agency had a total budget of over $80 million dedicated to helping refugees meet their basic needs, receive health care and gain access to education.
  3. The large majority of refugees in Egypt reside in urban areas. About 60 percent live in the greater Cairo area.
  4. Only 18.1 percent of refugees have access to basic hygienic and domestic household items. Only 27 percent of refugee women have sanitary supplies.
  5. About 20 percent of refugees don’t receive primary health care services and 40 percent don’t receive secondary and tertiary health care services.
  6. Approximately 40 percent of refugee children have access to national child protection services and in 2015 there were 149 cases of child abuse.
  7. Between 75 and 80 percent of children are enrolled in either primary or secondary school.
  8. Only 31 percent of working age refugees receive at least minimum wage for more than six months out of the year.
  9. Around 85 percent of refugees are either severely or highly vulnerable socioeconomically.
  10. In 2015, over 3,000 refugees were arrested attempting to illegally cross into Europe by sea.

Egypt is not a final destination for many of these refugees, instead it’s a transit stop to other places such as Europe.

The challenging economic conditions in the country and increasingly anti-refugee policies of the government are pushing more and more refugees toward potentially dangerous and illegal smuggling trips into Europe. Improving the conditions of these refugees in Egypt is of paramount importance.

– James Long

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Refugees in Sweden

Facts about Refugees in Sweden
The number of refugees seeking shelter in Sweden increases with the passing of time. Below are 10 facts about refugees in Sweden and the Swedish refugee system as it stands today.

  1. In 2015, approximately 163,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden, a country with a population of 9.8 million.
  2. Of those who applied for refugee status in Sweden, 31 percent were of Syrian descent, 25 percent were of Afghani descent, 12 percent were of Iraqi descent and the remaining 32 percent of refugees came from other Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Eritrea, Somalia and Albania.
  3. As of 2015, Sweden’s population of 9.8 million included around 16 percent of people who were not born in Sweden; therefore, they either immigrated or are refugees in Sweden from other countries. By comparison, 13.3 percent of the United States’ population in 2015 were immigrants not born in the country.
  4. Sweden, approximately the size of California, is made up of immigrants by 16 percent, resulting in a significantly higher concentration in comparison to the U.S.
  5. A popular destination for refugees in Sweden is Malmö, the country’s third-largest city. Forty-three percent of Malmö’s residents are of foreign background. At 40,000 strong, Iraqis constitute the largest racial group.
  6. Many refugees in Sweden establish businesses as soon as they are accepted into the country, building falafel houses; bakeries selling traditional Syrian, Iranian or another nationality’s pastries; dentistry; and other businesses that help to diversify the Swedish economic market.
  7. However, the Swedish government imposed new regulations on refugees recently. If a documented refugee wants to also have their family members come live in Sweden, they must apply for their family’s refugee status within three months of arriving in Sweden.
  8. If a refugee does not apply for their family’s relocation within three months of arrival, the refugee living in Sweden must show they have the means to financially support their entire family. Under previous legislation, refugees only had to prove they could financially support themselves when applying for their family’s transfer to Sweden.
  9. Sweden’s refugee policies have also changed for children and young adults seeking refuge independent of a family unit; any refugee under the age of 25 who applies for permanent residency must have completed high school and prove that they can support themselves financially.
  10. The precise number of minors crossing oceans and borders without their parents to reach other countries for asylum each year is unknown. Sweden registered 35,000 in 2015 alone. These children are assigned legal guardians who help nurture and prepare refugees for life in Sweden, including special language courses so they can attend Swedish public schools.

The recent influx of refugees in Sweden has made it a more diverse country teeming with potential. Refugees in Sweden have helped add to the economy of the country, and that help should not be trivialized. Sweden’s growth as a country on the global stage is something to look forward to, and their refugee population will surely lend a hand, if asked.

– Bayley McComb

Photo: Flickr