<p>Do we have a moral duty to offer severely ill asylum- seeking children permanent residence permits?</p><p>This thesis analyses our moral duty to offer 410 severely ill asylum-seeking children permanent residence permits. During 2004 an emotionally charged debate started in Sweden. The debate concerned the deportation of 410 severely ill asylum- seeking children and their families. For this and other reasons Sweden was criticized by the United Nations commission along with human rights organizations for being too restrictive in its migration and asylum politics. My thesis outlines the migration and asylum debate and the refugee situation in the world at present together with facts about how the asylum procedure takes place in Sweden. Further I draw upon medical research connected to the asylum procedure along with how the Swedish Government and Save the Children respond to the migration and asylum debate.</p><p>I also explore which rights, in terms of legal implications and ethical principles, these children have. Additional I outline theories in political philosophy from the utilitarian and communitarian tradition. The two philosophers I refer to are Michael Walzer and Peter Singer to apply their views to my primary question. Finally, I reach a critical analysis where I summarize and discuss my research. In the end I offer my final reflections in order to further debate on migration and asylum issues.</p>

Do we have a moral duty to offer severely ill asylum- seeking children permanent residence permits? This thesis analyses our moral duty to offer 410 severely ill asylum-seeking children permanent residence permits. During 2004 an emotionally charged debate started in Sweden. The debate concerned the deportation of 410 severely ill asylum- seeking children and their families. For this and other reasons Sweden was criticized by the United Nations commission along with human rights organizations for being too restrictive in its migration and asylum politics. My thesis outlines the migration and asylum debate and the refugee situation in the world at present together with facts about how the asylum procedure takes place in Sweden. Further I draw upon medical research connected to the asylum procedure along with how the Swedish Government and Save the Children respond to the migration and asylum debate. I also explore which rights, in terms of legal implications and ethical principles, these children have. Additional I outline theories in political philosophy from the utilitarian and communitarian tradition. The two philosophers I refer to are Michael Walzer and Peter Singer to apply their views to my primary question. Finally, I reach a critical analysis where I summarize and discuss my research. In the end I offer my final reflections in order to further debate on migration and asylum issues.

This is a qualitative research study utilising a theoretical framework of democracy theory, human rights and theories on migration and irregular migrants. The purpose of this research is to explore how the new Swedish Regulation on Labour Immigration, in relation to the harmonization of migration policy within the European Union, represents and effects the perception of asylum seekers and irregular migrants on a socio-political level in Sweden. Through four semi-structured interviews this study seeks to explore the following areas: the reasons behind the compromise concerning asylum seekers in the Regulation; the exclusion of irregular migrants in the Regulation; and the correlation between the Regulation and the harmonising of migration policy within the EU. The theoretical framework, together with the statements by informants and the grounding information concerning human rights and the migration policy within the EU, constitutes the analysis. The analysis shows that the perceptions of asylum seekers and irregular immigrants as an undesirable solution to demographical challenges represent a relativistic approach to human rights. By legitimating this perception those concerned become even more vulnerable and at a higher risk of exploitation. The correlation between the contemporary democratic welfare state, international human rights law and the Regulation, together with increasing and irreversible migration flows, visualises an incompatible and diffuse organisation, which have to transform into cosmopolitan democracy and global solidarity if to survive.

The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the access of refugees to the right of health in Turkey. There are significant problems in the access of refugees to the available health services and there are no special health services designed to meet the needs of the refugees. Through field research in a city where refugees are settled, the problems related with the access to health services by refugees were examined. In a qualitative study design, this piece of research involved in depth interviews with health professionals, representatives of the NGOs working with refugees and refugees to understand the problems associated with the access of refugees to health services and the dynamics of the clinical encounter between the health professionals and refugees. The study has found that refugees cannot reach sufficient and appropriate health services in Turkey and their fundamental right of access to the right to health is not realized in practice. Moreover, it was found that the provision of health services is riddled with many difficulties, such as the lack of professional translators, the stereotypes common among health professionals about refugees. The legislation about health services and health insurance should be revised in a way to cover all asylum-seekers and to provide special health services for refugees such as comprehensive medical screenings on arrival and trauma and psychological counseling.

In today’s society media constitutes an arena with the opportunity for social communication. The arena is made up of subjective opinions that often leads to free debates about the subjects written about. The recent refugee situation has been highlighted in Swedish media during 2015 and has received widespread attention from various media outlets. The purpose of this paper is to examine how different Swedish newspapers chooses to portray the arriving asylumseekers. The material used is a selection of editorial pages in five daily newspapers. The theories used to evaluate how the newspapers are portraying the asylum seekers is the framing theory and agenda-setting theory. This research uses a qualitative case study approach that is complemented with a media analysis. The results of the research indicate that editorial writers do not differentiate in their description between different ethnic or cultural groups that are seeking asylum. Rather, there is a strong focus in writing about how the refugees are contributing negatively in the development of the Swedish society. The results also showed an indication that the content differs depending on the political standing of the newspaper.

Research on forced migration has largely ignored asylum seekers from sexual and gender minorities. This exploratory study aimed to examine both positive and negative experiences of LGBT asylum seekers who had migrated to Sweden. Within the study, experiences prior to migration, during transit, and after arrival in Sweden were conceptualized as a process. Guided by the research question “How do LGBT asylum seekers describe positive and negative experiences of their asylum journeys?”, semi-structured interviews with eleven LGBT asylum seekers were conducted and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in five themes; 1. Living Under Threat, 2. Into the Abyss, 3. Living in Suspension, 4. External Sources of Support and 5. Strength from Within. Considerable stressors were reported, spanning form pre- to post migration. LGBT asylum seekers are found to be an especially vulnerable group that demonstrates considerable internal resources.

In recent years, the numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) arriving to Europe have drastically increased. Due to delays in the asylum procedure, many UASC have turned 18 years old before the asylum procedure has ended. These adolescents need access to welfare services but they often lose several social rights when they reach adulthood. In this light, I have investigated the social rights of UASC who have reached the age of majority by using Esping-Andersen’s theory of welfare state regimes. I find that the social rights of this group vary between Germany, the conservative welfare state regime, and Sweden, the social democratic welfare state regime. However, in both of the countries, this group in general have limited access to welfare services. This is problematic since social rights are crucial for incorporation in the society. The findings are in several ways in line with the main characteristics in the two regimes but in order to fully understand what determines the social rights of UASC who have reached the age of majority further research is needed.

Parler de vulnérabilité en droit d’asile peut, à première vue, surprendre, tant la vulnérabilité des demandeurs de protection internationale semble être inhérente à leur statut et à leur parcours d’exil. La Cour européenne des droits de l’homme dans son arrêt M.S.S. contre Belgique et Grèce a d’ailleurs reconnu la vulnérabilité de l’ensemble des membres du groupe des demandeurs de protection internationale. Mais, cette approche globalisante s’oppose à l’approche individualisée de la vulnérabilité des demandeurs de protection internationale retenue dans le régime d’asile européen commun. Or, à plusieurs égards, c’est cette dernière approche qui permet de révéler tout l’intérêt du recours à la vulnérabilité en droit. Son analyse, à travers cette étude, permet d’affirmer que celle-ci tend à identifier des particularismes, des spécificités individuelles appelant une protection spécifique. En exigeant une individualisation de la vulnérabilité par l’existence d’une faiblesse caractérisée par des besoins particuliers en termes d’accueil et de procédure, le droit de l’UE circonscrit la notion de personne vulnérable à un nombre limité de demandeurs de protection internationale. Mais plus encore, cette acception retenue révèle la fonction principale de tout recours au concept de vulnérabilité en droit : assurer une protection renforcée et adaptée. C’est en effet à travers sa fonction, ici, une prise en charge physique et procédurale adaptée des demandeurs de protection internationale vulnérables, que se révèle l’effectivité de la vulnérabilité en droit européen de l’asile. D’un point de vue juridique, tous les demandeurs de protection internationale ne sont pas tous vulnérables, seulement certains d’entre eux, à savoir ceux ayant des besoins particuliers, peuvent être effectivement qualifiés de vulnérables. Cette étude de la vulnérabilité en droit européen de l’asile permet ainsi plus largement d’appréhender et de délimiter les contours et la fonction de la vulnérabilité en droit. / At first sight, talking about Vulnerability in the field of European Asylum Law could sound surprising, as the vulnerability of applicants for international protection seems to be inherent to their status and their exile course. The European Court of Human Rights in the M.S.S. versus Belgium and Greece case recognized indeed the vulnerability of the whole group of applicants for international protection. However, this globalizing approach is opposed to the individualized approach set in the instruments of the Common European Asylum System. In many ways, this last approach is the one that reveals the interest of using the concept of Vulnerability in Law. The analysis of Vulnerability, through the research conducted, allows to assert that Vulnerability aims at identifying particularities, individual specificities that require special protection. While demanding an individualization of Vulnerability through the existence of a characterized weakness entailing special needs in terms of reception and procedural guarantees, the EU Law effectively confines the notion of vulnerable person to a limited number of individuals. But, above all, it reflects the principal function of the use of Vulnerability in Law: to ensure an enhanced protection. It is indeed through its function, namely a material and procedural support adapted to the special needs of vulnerable applicants for international protection, that the effectiveness of Vulnerability is revealed in the field of the European Asylum Law. All the applicants for international protection are not per se vulnerable, just few of them are: only those who have special needs can be qualified as vulnerable. This analysis of the concept of Vulnerability in the field of European Asylum Law allows thus to comprehend and delimit its outlines and its functions in Law.

The aim of dissertation is monitoring of system of social methods and services for refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers, which are offered by states and non-states institutions, finding out users opinions on these services and finding the interest of the organisations and social workers for oficial elaboration of these methods. The aim is also try to proposit possibilities of innovation of the existing metodology.

After Sweden, among other European countries, received a record number of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, the public discussion on integration of newcomers to the Swedish society intensified. One of the important means of such integration, as well as one of the fundamental human rights, is access to relevant information – knowledge refugees need to settle at a new place. This study looks into the information practices of one of the largest group of newcomers to Europe – the Afghans – based on the case of Kronoberg County in the Southern Sweden.   Grounded on Reijo Savolainen’s (2008) theory of everyday information practices, this study applies the combination of McKenzie’s (2003), Mwarigha’s (2002), and Berlo’s (1960) analytical models to explore the informational behavior of asylum seekers and check if it is accommodated in the communication strategies of different agencies involved in the integration process. To reach these objectives, a set of interviews was conducted with both Afghan newcomers and representatives of different governmental and non-governmental organizations.   The results of the conducted research and analysis may be summed up to one major topic. While Swedish reception and integration system is effective in reaching out to the newcomers and providing them with task-related information, the structure of the system impedes the provision of general orienting information and guidance, which is in great demand among the asylum seekers. Therefore, development of a parallel system of information can be noticed, with personal relations and authority of the local opinion leaders in the core of it. It is concluded that such division should not be seen as a threat to the integration of newcomers, rather as a supportive mechanism on its intermediate stage. Still, it is important to promote policies that foster active personal contacts between Swedes and newcomers – for example, mentorship programmes.