This thesis addresses the pervasive influence of coloniality in the lived experiences of asylum seekers in the Netherlands. Based in intersectional and decolonial feminist theories and methodology, my aim was to centre the silenced narratives of this marginalised group. By highlighting the conditional nature of hospitality, which perpetuates the asymmetrical power imbalance between the superior ‘host’ and inferior ‘guest’, the aim was to show how coloniality impacts the social and ethical dimension of the lives of asylum seekers in the Netherlands. Simultaneously, I tried, together with the research participants, to find decolonial options to resist this coloniality, while proposing alternatives for a more humane and equitable decolonial otherwise. After conducting conversations with six asylum seeker men, I found that they face multiple colonial encounters on a daily basis, presenting in exclusionary patterns of racialization and victimisation, systems of control that erode their agency, while leaving them in a liminal state of uncertainty. With the use of thematic analysis, I concluded that decolonial resistance against this means the right to speak out, the right to refuse assimilation and the establishment of community that is grounded in relationality and pluriversality, rejecting the conditional nature of the existing colonial system, while welcoming everybody not as just guests, but as full members who are capable of co-creating a better, hospitable society and decolonial future.

In this thesis, I have studied the United Nations concluding observations on Sweden in relation to international human rights obligations. Specifically, in regards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  The Committee on the Rights of the Child have, in their Concluding Observations from 2023, expressed a deep concern about continued racism and discrimination of many children in Sweden. Meanwhile, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has recommended Sweden to take immediate measures for the purpose of eliminating all forms of racial discrimination.  In terms of critical analysis, the aim of this thesis has been to study how the Swedish state's international human rights obligations for the purpose of eliminating racial discrimination relates to the implementation of children's rights according to the principle of non-discrimination. According to my study, it is necessary for the Swedish state to promote and respect the human dignity inherent in every child, to be able to guarantee every child within the jurisdiction the rights under the CRC. A central example is the child's right to education in alignment with general human rights principles. Therefore, it is required for the state to prevent the normalization of racism in Sweden, in accordance with the international human rights obligations under the ICERD. This includes, for example, the prohibition of racist organizations in national law, for the purpose of eliminating racist hate speech, and the elimination of racial profiling by national law enforcement. Many children's living conditions and access to the rights under the CRC are affected by racism in several ways, through structural and everyday racism, when they themselves are exposed to racism and when people in their close surroundings experience racism. This has led me to the conclusion that active and immediate measures by the Swedish state, for the purpose of eliminating racial discrimination, are necessary for the possibility of guaranteeing the children who are victims of racism their rights in alignment with the CRC.

The aim behind this study was to observe and understand barriers to access the eHealth system equally. The study was conducted in Stockholm based on qualitative data in which semi- structured interviews were conducted among 15 interviewees from different localities of Stockholm. The findings from the collected data revealed that language barriers, lack of knowledge about digital literacy, unawareness of Swedish healthcare services, psychological and social barriers, safety and privacy concerns, and the lack of an e-identification are all major barriers to accessing the eHealth system. From the data, it has also been observed that the main causes of the aforementioned hurdles are based on varied socioeconomic levels, literacy conditions of an individual, cultural background, and age. Another important observation shows that highly qualified people with limited language abilities have a difficult time using eHealth services.  Keywords  Ehealth, Covid-19, nudge approach, digital literacy, linguistic skills, Bank ID, 1177.se, Alltid öppet.

Human Trafficking, also known as Trafficking in Persons, or Modern-Day Slavery, is a multibillion-dollar industry that consumes millions of individuals from diverse social, cultural, racial, national, or gender backgrounds. Human trafficking can take many forms: labor, organ, and sex trafficking. It is a crime where people are treated as objects, goods, and commodities, becoming subjects to mental and physical abuse.  To this day, women and children are the ones receiving the most attention when talking about this crime, for men are neglected and overlooked due to socially constructed gender roles. However, male trafficking victims are often overlooked and under-researched but are just as subjected to physical, forced labor, sexual abuse, or any other form of trafficking as female human trafficking victims.  Therefore, this paper aims to provide an introduction to male trafficking victims through the lenses of structural violence, masculinity, (mis-) recognition, and governance theories. Despite an existing focus on female trafficking victims, this study endeavors to draw upon the experiences of male trafficking victims.  Lastly, acknowledging male trafficking victims could help raise awareness about the main issue and work towards its complete abolishment. Most importantly, it can help break down stereotypes that are circulating around human trafficking and gender roles.

This research examines the impacts and implications of the Philippine labor export migration policy on the human rights conditions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Kuwait, Hungary, and Poland with the specific objectives of determining the adequacy of legal protections provided by the policy. Through the use of a mixed-methods approach, which included qualitative field interviews and quantitative analysis, along with policy examination and an interdisciplinary approach, this research has uncovered alarming patterns of “alienation” and “systematic precarization” of migrant workers. This has resulted in the deterioration of the employment conditions of OFWs. The study, as extensively discussed in Chapters 6 and 7, has shown that the precarization of migrant workers is continuously occurring in Central Europe, specifically in Hungary and Poland. Meanwhile, OFWs in both contexts, Kuwait and Central Europe, have been subjected to highly exploitative and oppressive working conditions comparable to historical servitude and state-induced debt bondage. Notwithstanding the Philippine labor export migration law (RA 10022) designed to protect OFWs, this study has found that it falls short of providing complete protective measures, especially with regard to abusive treatment, systematic alienation, and precarization of migrant workers. The study also shows that OFWs are trapped in a vicious cycle, where the breakdown of employee-employer relationships and enslavement-like treatment result in a violent crackdown on their fundamental rights, leading to their unfortunate fate. Therefore, there is an urgent need for policy reforms to improve the legal dimension of OFWs’ protection abroad. This calls for reconsidering the Philippine labor export migration policy absorbed toward the promotion of just, fair, and inclusive international and national labor migration regulation to meet the challenges posed by neoliberal policies.

ldentity research in relation to ethnicity and migration has tended to focus an younger people whilst identity research in relation to ageing and old(er) age has not focused an migrants. This inadvertent mutual neglect has led to a lack of identity research that examines the identity categories of old(er) age and migrancy together, a lacuna that this dissertation aims to redress. This dissertation departs from a social constructionist understanding of identity as situationally accomplished in the interplay between how one defines oneself (internally) and how others define one (externally). The questions raised by this perspective and addressed in this dissertation are: When (in what situations) and in relation to whom do old(er) age and migrancy (respectively) seem to become meaningful for identification? How do the identity categories of old(er) age and migrancy seem to be negotiated? The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews with 24 older migrants (13 men, 11 women) aged between 55 and 79 who have been living in Sweden for 18 to 61 years. Interviewees come from 12 different countries that vary in perceived cultural distance from Sweden. The findings suggest that identifications with old(er) age and migrancy seem to be dynamic and flexible rather than necessarily permanently meaningful, thus gaining meaning in specific situations and in relation to particular Others. External definitions furthermore do not always seem to match with internal ones. Regardless of how old(er) age and migrancy are constructed, they seem to be negotiable. This dissertation thus contributes to identity research by studying old(er) age and migrancy together and furthermore sheds light onto how the social constructionist lens allows us to see variability where stability otherwise would be presumed. / ldentitetsforskning rörande etnicitet och migration har huvudsakligen fokuserat på yngre medan identitetsforskning kring äldre och åldrande inte har fokuserat på utrikesfödda. Som en konsekvens därav har identitetsforskningen inte studerat hög(re) ålder och invandrarskap tillsammans, en lucka som denna avhandling avser att fylla. Avhandlingen utgår ifrån en socialkonstruktionistisk förståelse av identitet som situationsbunden och formad genom samspelet mellan hur man definierar sig själv (internt) och hur andra definierar en (externt). Frågorna som väcks genom detta perspektiv och som avhandlingen fokuserar på är: När (i vilka situationer) och i förhållande till vem verkar hög(re) ålder respektive invandrarskap bli betydelsefulla för identifikationer? Hur verkar identitetskategorierna hög(re) ålder och invandrarskap förhandlas? Det empiriska materialet består av djupintervjuer med 24 utrikesfödda äldre (13 män, 11 kvinnor) i åldrarna mellan 55 och 79 som har bott i Sverige mellan 18 och 61 år. lntervjupersonerna kommer från 12 olika länder med olika upplevt kulturellt avstånd från Sverige. Resultaten tyder på att identifikationer med hög(re) ålder och invandrarskap är dynamiska och flexibla snarare än nödvändigtvis permanent meningsfulla, och får därmed betydelse i vissa situationer och i förhållande till särskilda andra. Externa definitioner verkar inte alltid stämma överens med interna definitioner. Oavsett hur hög(re) ålder och invandrarskap är konstruerade så framstår de som förhandlingsbara. Avhandlingen bidrar därmed till identitetsforskningen genom att studera hög(re) ålder och invandrarskap tillsammans och belyser dessutom hur det socialkonstruktionistiska perspektivet tillåter oss att se variation och föränderlighet där stabilitet annars förutsätts.

BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of children with a refugee background in the Netherlands. All of these children who are under 18 years of age must go to school, but they face many barriers towards inclusion. Appropriately educating this diverse group of children presents schools with challenges. Supportive programs are needed to overcome these barriers and challenges. AIM The aim of this paper was to explore what supports are put in place to foster refugee students’ inclusion in school. METHOD A systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize research on school-based programs and practices. RESULTS A broad range of supports were identified. Most studies addressed access barriers to learning by offering emotional and educational support, while fewer studies focused on opportunity barriers such as negative attitudes and lack of parental involvement. CONCLUSION It was concluded that schools can play an important role in supporting the inclusion of refugee children and their families because of their accessibility, but that more high quality research is necessary in order to assess the effectiveness of supports that minimize barriers towards learning and promote their inclusion in school.

This study explores the coping strategies amongst international students who moved to a medium sized city in Sweden to study. The aim is to explore how international students cope with loneliness and their perceptions and experiences related to loneliness. The method is qualitative and inductive, with deductive properties such as the topics related to loneliness, coping, resources and technology. We conducted semi structured interviews with six participants. The theory used is a strength-based perspective focusing on the resources and coping of the participants. The results show the participants express various accounts of experienced loneliness and coping strategies. The themes found were a New university and country, Social life, Society and culture, Self-agency, and Coping strategies. International students cope with loneliness by talking to family and friends, often using ICT. Other sources of support come from within the university environment. Most of the support utilized comes from the students acting themselves.

This study investigates how Levantine Arabic-speaking immigrant parents´ language ideologies, i.e how they think and feel regarding heritage language maintenance, and language policies influence heritage language maintenance or loss for their children. This overarching topic is explored by examining the following questions; (1) What do parents think about maintenance of heritage language for their children? and which concerns do they have? (2)How do they talk about and describe their children´s readiness or resistance to learn/maintain their heritage language? (3) What do parents believe their role is in maintaining heritage language? (4) In which way, according to parents, does maintenance of heritage language influence children´s construction of identity and sense of belonging? In order to answer these questions, I conducted five semi-structured interviews with five Levantine Arabic-speaking immigrant parents, from Palestine and Syria, residing in Sweden and analysed recurring themes using Braun´s and Clarke´s (2006: 87- 93) thematic analysis method. The study findings show that parents attached great significance to preserving their children's heritage language due to its close relationship with their cultural, religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds as well as strengthening their success opportunities in future. Furthermore, parents stated that their children did not resist maintenance of heritage language. Instead, results show that children were actively involved in discussions about heritage language maintenance and language practices. Parents confirmed that Arabic language is their children's heritage language. In relation to influence of heritage language maintenance on constructing children´s identity and sense of belonging, parents´ views varied between emphasizing its role in strengthening children´s sense of belonging to their Arabic background, allowing them a flexible ability to belong to two different cultures or communities, and that maintenance of heritage language is not the major influencer on constructing children identity. Participants discussed the methods they use to enhance Arabic language among their children, challenges they encounter, and potential solutions.

This case study investigates perspectives and changes in gender roles in household activities from a gender (in)equality context in Tarime, northern Tanzania. The participants in this study part-took in a previous project called the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem Project (SEMA) which aimed to integrate gender perspectives and sustainable livelihoods in rural parts of Tarime. Women in these areas often bear the primary responsibilities of caring for the household. The area is also controlled by male authority, and women are daily exposed to oppression and physical violence. Statistically, girls in the study area often miss the chance to higher education since boys are prioritized. Instead, girls risk the chances of early marriage and are exposed to female genital multination. So far, there has been little research on gender roles in household activities in these areas. Therefore, this case study strived to provide such material for future project operations. The main goal of this study was to investigate gender equality in households, focusing on how women and men describe norms linked to equality and gender roles in households, if norms and roles have changed after the project and if so, which circumstances have led to such a change. Both men and women were interviewed through semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and informal interviews. The empirical data was later analyzed through the lens of the social role theory. Research findings showed that women are still living subordinate to men and unequal distribution of household duties still exists. However, education on equal rights and women empowerment from the SEMA project has changed people's perspectives on the matter, inspiring both women and men to fight for a sustainable change. The study explores root causes that hinder the implementation of equal rights. This study can contribute to more understanding of cultural traditions and finding new ways to sustain the implantation of equal rights. / Nyckelord: Fallstudie, könsroller, Tarime, norra Tanzania, ojämlikhet mellan könen, genusperspektiv, Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem Project (SEMA), hållbar försörjning, förtryck, fysiskt våld, kvinnlig könsstympning, hushållsaktiviteter, utbildning, jämställdhetDenna fallstudie undersöker perspektiv och förändringar i könsroller i hushållsaktiviteter i Tarime, norra Tanzania. Deltagarna i denna studie deltog i ett tidigare projekt kallat Serengati-Mara Ecosystem Project (SEMA) som syftade till att integrera genusperspektiv och hållbar försörjning på landsbygden i Tarime. Kvinnor i dessa områden bär ofta det primära ansvaret att ta hand om hushållet. Studieområdet kontrolleras också av manlig auktoritet och kvinnor utsätts dagligen för förtryck och fysiskt våld. Statistiskt sett saknar många flickor högre utbildning eftersom pojkarna är de främsta prioriterade. I stället ligger fokus på att flickor ska bli bortgifta och undergå kvinnlig könsstympning. Hittills har det gjorts lite forskning om könsroller i hushållsaktiviteter inom dessa områden. Därför strävade denna fallstudie efter att tillhandahålla sådant material för framtida projektverksamhet. Huvudmålet med denna studie var att undersöka jämställdhet i hushållen, med fokus på hur kvinnor och män beskriver normer kopplade till jämställdhet och könsroller i hushållen, om normer och roller har förändrats efter projektet och vilka omständigheter som i så fall har lett till sådan förändring. Både män och kvinnor intervjuades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och fokusgruppsintervjuer. Den empiriska datan analyserades senare genom teorin om sociala roller. Forskningsresultat visade att kvinnor fortfarande lever under manligt styrande och att det fortfarande finns en ojämn fördelning av hushållsuppgifter. Utbildning om lika rättigheter och kvinnors egenmakt från SEMA-projektet har dock förändrat människors perspektiv på frågan, och inspirerat både kvinnor och män att kämpa för en hållbar förändring. Studien utforskar grundorsaker som hindrar genomförandet av lika rättigheter. Denna studie kan bidra till mer förståelse för kulturella traditioner och hitta nya sätt att upprätthålla införandet av lika rättigheter.