The issue of integration of children of asylum seekers and immigrants living in the Czech Republic is the theme of the thesis. I have chosen the topic because I find it very interesting and an up-to-day subject which is in the way of all citizens of the Czech Republic. I have focused the theoretical part on clarifying some concepts, such as: asylum seeker, immigrant, foreigner, refugee, unaccompanied minors, integration and other ones. The aim of the thesis is to find out obstacles for the integration of children of asylum seekers and immigrants living in the Czech Republic. For the implementation of the research part of the thesis, I have chosen the qualitative type of research - the method of interview - the technique of interview. A sociometric test has been chosen as a complementary method. The research was conducted in Permon, a facility for foreign children, from January 2011 to March 2011. The Research Group No 1 consisted of ten immigrant children from 7 to18 years old (in case of students their age could be 21 years at the utmost). The research of asylum seeking children was not enabled. The facility is obliged to protect the children and does not provide any information about them. I have processed the results through the form of case studies. For the purpose of the research implementation, I have divided the integration into five areas (language, culture, housing, social relations and needs). A questionnaire designed by PhDr. Kovařík and Prof. Dunovský was another independent part of my research. In the area of language, it came in sight that most immigrant children communicate in Czech language which they learned from their parents or, and it is very rare, in detention facilities for foreigners. The most frequent problem in this area is writing (spelling). In the area of culture, it came in sight that despite the possibility to observe customs of their original countries, very few respondents cherish them here in the Czech Republic. Customs and traditions differ from country to country, but it does not hinder the integration of children of immigrants. As for the area of housing, all respondents are living in the facility for children ? immigrants. They travel home, if there is the home, only at weekends or according to capability of their parents. All but two respondents are happy at home. In the area of social relations, it came in sight that if respondents need any help, they mostly approach teachers and educators but also friends and parents. In the last area, the area of needs, it came in sight that the most frequent need is to be with their families and then the need for greater freedom. The additional questionnaire for children revealed that what respondents are the most worried about is that they will not see their families any more. On the other hand, weekends spent with their families and leaving the facility are the two things that they are looking forward to the most. It is possible to say that respondents feel that the facility is a barrier which prevents them from integration into mainstream society and deprives them from their freedom. The sociometric test was performed in one secondary school and in one primary school in the town of Písek in February and March 2011. The Research Group No 2 consisted of students of different grades and age (7-17 years old) including foreigners. The test was performed in five classes. The test results showed that foreign children have no problem with their integration. Based on the results of the sociometric test, it is possible to take the assumption that the origin of children is not an obstacle in communication with other children. This assumption can be a basis for more extensive research. It is possible to use the thesis as a basis for any quantitative research. What is more, the thesis can serve the general public to increase their awareness of this issue.

The purpose of the study is to understand/investigate how unaccompanied boys from Afghanistan experience their identity and identity development in interaction with Swedish culture and Swedish society. Qualitative data collection methods have been used in the form of semi-structured interviews. The material has been analyzed on the basis of identity development theory and the theory of ethnic identity. Based on the study's gathered empirical data and analysis, important results found that experiences of identity development in unaccompanied boys are strongly influenced by Swedish society and Swedish culture. The majority of the informants expressed that their identity has been affected and changed a lot during the time they lived in Sweden and that influence has helped these young people to develop a new identity. In order to be a part of the majority society and integrate well into society, this influence on identity has been positive and important for the informants. The study’s results also show that the informants have managed to find a balance between the new identity and their ethnic identity.

Titel: Att stå i hallen och vilja vara med: Ensamkommande flyktingbarn och deras behov. En kvalitativ studie om behoven bland dessa barn och ungdomar. Författare: Lotta Nilsson   Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka vilka behov som finns bland ensamkommande flyktingbarn som kommer till Sverige både som nyanlända och efter utflytt från HVB-hem. Det har också varit att jämföra deras behov med de tänkta behov som formar mottagandet i Sverige. Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär med semistrukturerade intervjuer av fem stycken unga män från Afghanistan, Somalia och Ryssland samt integrationsutvecklare på Länsstyrelsen och lärare vid integrationsprogrammet. Resultaten visar på att behoven varierar mellan informanterna men att behovet av tillhörighet och längtan efter familjen i hemlandet är något som förenar samtliga. Vad som också blir tydligt är hur olika behov påverkar individens val och förmåga till koncentration och fokus. Mottagandet av nyanlända å andra sidan har formats efter den svenska mallen där utbildning och språk ses som en förutsättning för en lyckad integration och tillhörighet. Något som visat sig inte helt stämmer överens. Teorierna som denna studie bygger på är bland annat Maslows ”A theory of human motivation” och van Genneps ”passageriter”. / Titel: To stand in the hallway and wishing to join in: Unaccompanied minor refugees and their needs. A qualitative study about the needs among these children and youths. Author: Lotta Nilsson   The purpose of this study has been to investigate what needs unaccompanied minor refugees have, both as newly arrived and after leaving a HVB-home. The purpose has also been to compare their needs with the perceived needs that form the basis for the reception process in Sweden. The study is qualitative with semi-structured interviews with five young men from Afghanistan, Somalia and Russia, as well as with an integration officer at the county administration and teachers working with the integration program. The results show that the needs vary between the informants, but that the needs for belonging and longing for the homeland are needs that they all have in common. What also becomes apparent is how different needs affect the individual choices and the ability to concentrate and focus. The reception of newly arrived on the other hand has been formed after a Swedish model where education and language are seen as preconditions for successful integration and belonging. This connection is not entirely correct. The theories used in this thesis are, among others, Maslow’s ”A theory of human motivation” and van Gennep’s ”rites of passage”.

Att integrera individer i samhället är en förutsättning för befolkningens välbefinnande. Stadsdelsförvaltningarnas arbetar med att integrera ensamkommande barn och ungdomar i samhället bör därför uppmärksammas. Forskning kring integration av ensamkommande barn är ännu bristfällig, dock har studier visat att ensamkommande barn löper en större risk att drabbas av psykisk ohälsa än övriga samhällsgrupper. Denna studie undersöker hur medarbetarna i Rinkeby – Kista stadsdelsförvaltning upplever sitt arbete kring integration av ensamkommande barn och ungdomar i samhället. En kvalitativ metod tillämpades i studien där forskningsprocessen och innehållsanalysen genomfördes med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det var totalt fem informanter som deltog från Rinkeby- Kista stadsdelsförvaltning. Studiens resultat visa att det var viktigt som medarbetare att ha förförståelse och kunskaper om olika kulturella bakgrunder för att bemöta olika behov som förekommer bland de ensamkommande barnen och ungdomarna. Samverkan mellan stadsdelsförvaltningen och andra aktörer som psykiatrin (BUP), ungdomsmottagning, arbetsförmedlingen, familjehem etc. upplevdes positiva och ansågs bidra till en framgångsrik integration. Medarbetarna upplevde hinder och möjligheter med integrationen. Hinder som framkom var språksvårigheter, familjeåterföreningar och fördomar. Möjligheterna som ansågs stärka integrationen var goda relationer mellan medarbetarna och de ensamkommande barnen och ungdomarna, trygghet, delaktighet, stöd och gemenskap.

Over the last couple of years, more than a million unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) have made it to the European Union. Their journeys have been long, tough, and hard and each unaccompanied minor refugee has a unique story, but they all share one thing. The traumatic events they have witnessed and experienced along the way have affected their mental health. Mental health issues, often symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are very common among UMRs. Untreated issues can lead to chronic PTSD, which could impact them for the rest of their lives. UMRs need support to process the traumas they have experienced, and one possible intervention is NET, Narrative Exposure Therapy. NET is an evidence-based, short-term, individual form of therapy. Supported by a therapist, the individual talk through his/her whole life while putting emphasis on the traumatic events aiming to work through and past them. The adapted form of NET that is used to treat children is called KidNET. Based on the hypothesis that KidNET has positive effects, reduces symptoms of PTSD, and strengthens mental health, the aim of the study is to show the effects of KidNET when treating traumatized children diagnosed with PTSD. Further objectives are set to see how effective KidNET is when compared to control groups, and if KidNET can be recommended as a suitable intervention to use among UMRs suffering from PTSD in Greece. A narrative literature review is chosen as the research method to reach the aim. The review revealed overall positive effects when using KidNET as an intervention targeting traumatized children with PTSD in various settings in different parts of the world. Positive effects found were better daily functioning, an ability to engage in meaningful activities, a reduction in feelings of guilt, stigmatization, and suicidal ideation, a decrease in the severity of PTSD and depression symptoms, and a full recovery from major clinical depression and PTSD. No negative effects were found in any of the studies included in the review. Several studies were limited by small sample sizes, no passive control group and not enough follow-up assessments. However, the overall outcome shows successful results and KidNET is found to be a suitable intervention when treating PTSD among UMRs in Greece, but further studies are recommended. / <p>On Zoom</p>

The main objective of this study is to investigate the practical treatment of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees (UMR) in Ghana and South Africa, and to explore whether such treatment is in accordance with existing international norms and standards for the protection of refugee children. The study will focus on the realisation of children’s socio-economic rights in order to measure treatment. This study also seeks to address the obstacles which prevent the full and proper treatment of UMR, and to make recommendations as to how the international community can better regulate the treatment of UMR. In essence, this paper aims to investigate whether there is a discrepancy between the rights of child refugees acknowledged in international law and the situation of UMR in practice, and, if so, how this can be remedied. This paper seeks to show, through the case studies of Ghana and South Africa, that UMR are, to a certain extent, lost in the system / A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Mr E.Y. Benneh of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

This study examines how the new temporary law (SFS 2016:752) guarantees the child’s right to mental health; focusing on the asylum-seeking unaccompanied minor. This subject is examined since the Swedish law that regulates migration got reduced to the minimum standards that can be found in the EU and in international conventions when Sweden received 163 000 asylum seekers during 2015. 35 400 of them were unaccompanied minors. This leads to the question if the new regulations jeopardize the child’s right to mental health. To answer that, this study’s theoretical ground that will be used is legal positivism. By practicing a legal-judicial method and law-based sociological method the study follows three questions; 1. What is Sweden bound to guarantee according to the Convention on the Right’s of the child, associated with the mental health of children and the provisions of the temporary law? 2. Does the temporary law constitute grounds for existential uncertainty, and is it thereby violating the child’s right to mental health? 3. What does the situation look like, related to the mental health of asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors? In relation to the Convention on the Right’s of the Child this temporary law, and the impact of it, is examined. In the discussion it is clear that not only article 24 (the child’s right to health) is fundamental to the question of mental health, but several other articles. The result of this study has shown that the temporary law clearly violates the asylum-seeking unaccompanied child’s right to mental health.