M.A. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities (Forced Migration Studies), 2012 / Background: This research investigates the psychosocial needs of cross-border unaccompanied minors (UAMs) within urban Johannesburg, a city that attracts nearly half of all the cross-border migrant population in South Africa (Landau and Gindrey, 2008). The focus of the research is dual; firstly, it explores what the prime psychosocial needs of UAMs are by eliciting them from the UAMs themselves via participatory research workshops. South Africa, by law, has an obligation to all UAMs to provide for them. By ascertaining these needs, this study reveals discrepancies between existing psychosocial programmes designed and provided by the government or service providers and the needs of the UAM. Secondly, the research examines how UAMs are trying to satisfy their psychosocial needs. Identifying the psychosocial needs of UAMs and their coping mechanisms gives us a better understanding of the nature of the issues UAMs face, as well as their subjective perception of and priority they place on those issues. This can consequently contribute (a) to providing constructive suggestions on designing psychosocial programmes by governmental, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and non-profit organisations (NPOs) and (b) valuable input to further research on livelihood-seeking UAMs, a group that is currently under-represented in cross-border UAM studies, unlike asylum seeking or refugee UAMs. Aims: The aim of this study is to understand the psychosocial needs of UAMs and how they are meeting those needs in Johannesburg. This will provide insights on the nature of the psychosocial needs of UAMs that will ultimately be helpful both to government agencies as well as NGOs and NPOs responsible for programme planning, legislation, and execution of policies regarding cross-border UAMs. Finally, the study aims to draw attention to livelihood-seeking UAMs and to encourage further research on this particular group of UAMs. Therefore my research question is: what are the psychosocial needs of cross-border UAMs in Johannesburg? Methods: In this study, a qualitative research approach is used with the aim of uncovering the psychosocial needs of cross-border UAMs. This was done by using participatory action research and a visual methodology. The data was elicited via two participatory workshops, the first with 36 cross-border minors participants and the second with 12 cross-border UAM participants. This was followed by a series of group discussions after the workshops. Afterwards, a comparison between the participants’ visual inputs with their narratives and responses allowed me to extrapolate their psychosocial needs and ways in which they meet those needs. Adding to the study, 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with service providers from various organisations, both non-governmental and governmental. Finally, the data was compiled from both the cross-border UAM s and service providers to answer the research question and objectives. Conclusion: This research identifies and discusses the following psychosocial needs of crossborder UAMs: family, a care-giver, documentation, fitting-in with their South African peers, security, schooling, better life quality (economic and social advancement), counselling, and playing. The four themes in bold text represent psychosocial needs, which continue to be unmet or unfulfilled by service providers current responses. Although the basic (ontological) needs of cross-border UAMs seem to be met (i.e., food, housing, clothing), psychosocial needs - those needed for emotional well-being - are undermined because service providers do not see them as fundamental as basic needs. One conclusion from my study is that NGOs can better cater to UAMs’ psychosocial needs due to their flexible infrastructure that can accommodate personalisation and prompt redesigning of programmes offered, in contradistinction to the recalcitrant governmental infrastructure. Currently service providers, such as governmental departments, NGOs and NPOs use the law (such as the Children’s Act (2008)), regulations or psychosocial programmes to aid cross-border UAMs, but these laws and programmes are manufactured for either homogenous groups or very specific groups such as refugees and asylum seekers. However, there are persisting gaps in the services available. These gaps are due to the varied nature of psychosocial needs that each ‘child’ has to meet, which is also contingent on their own background and personality. Under the Children’s Act (2008), minors are categorised as a homogeneous group and therefore individual needs are overlooked. Organisations both governmental and non-governmental have tried to incorporate child friendly practices, although in most of the interviews it was mentioned that policy, such as the Children’s Act (2008), is not necessarily ‘child’ or ‘family’ friendly. Overall this research indicates that NGOs and NPOs are well-equipped to cater to the psychosocial needs of UAMs, such as school, family reunification and basic needs. Certain psychosocial needs, however, such as ‘fitting-in’, are still unmet. In these cases, UAMs resort to catering to their own needs (lke living on the street in selfappointed families), relying on service providers for emotional support and/or basic needs.

Swedish parliament in a bid to curb the large numbers of unaccompanied minors who are denied asylum status – came up with a law which is famously known as Gymnasielagen. The aim of the study was to explore how professionals in upper secondary schools setting and social services perceive the implementation of this law and how it contributes to integration of unaccompanied minors in Sweden concerning school environment.  Through semi structured interviews, professionals in contact with unaccompanied minors (UAMs) expressed their perception on the Gymnasielagen and its impacts on the lives of UAMs. The advantages and disadvantages of the law together with its contribution to integration of UAMs were investigated.  The results showed that the law renewed hope for UAMs and gave them the chance to start life afresh after the long wait for asylum. There were however significant discrepancies in the law that makes it difficult for UAMs. The condition to get permanent employment after school completion does not seem achievable and puts pressure on them. They are forced to choose courses from a limited number of technical courses that would possibly get them permanent employment.  Integration was also found not to be optimum because of uncertainty among the UAMs.

Denna kvalitativa studie syftar till att genom kritisk diskursanalys analysera Socialstyrelsens handbok för arbetet med ensamkommande asylsökande barn och unga. Analysen syftar till att kartlägga hur ensamkommande asylsökande barn framställs och kategoriseras i diskursen. Studien avser även att undersöka om det råder strukturella missförhållanden när det gäller samhällets insatser för dessa barn och om dessa missförhållanden synliggörs i diskursen. I studien har jag använt mig av Faircloughs tredimensionella modell för kritisk diskursanalys, både som teori och metod samt teorier om socialkonstuktivism, makt, normer, identitet och stigmatisering. Resultaten visar att diskursen skapar identiteter och kategoriserar individer i grupper genom det valda språkbruket. Vidare uppfattas diskursen stundtals som otydlig då argumenten är inkonsekventa och motsägelsefulla. Slutligen visar resultaten på att det förekommer ett missförhållande i maktbalansen mellan myndigheterna och barnen. / This qualitative study aims to, using critical discourse analysis, to analyze The National Board of Health and Welfares manual about work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people. The analysis aims to map how unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are presented and categorized in the discourse. The study also intends to investigate, within the framework of the discourse, whether there is structural anomaly between society and these children. In the study, I have used Fairclough's three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis, both as theory and method and used theories of social constructivism, power, norms, identity and stigmatization. The result shows that the discourse creates identities and categorizes individuals into groups through the chosen language use. Furthermore, the discourse is sometimes perceived as unclear as the arguments are inconsistent and contradictory. Finally, the results show that there is an incongruity in the balance of power between the authorities and the children.

Due to the popularization of Internet technologies in the last two decades, public attention has been directed to issues surrounding online sexual exploitation of minors in Canadian Newspapers. Specifically, newspaper articles have assisted in shaping public perceptions of the nature and scope of Internet child luring. A mixed quantitative/qualitative content analysis methodology is applied to the study’s four Canadian-based newspapers to examine how Internet child luring is constructed between the 1st of January, 2002 and December 31st, 2010. The study highlights the possible influences Canadian print media might have on the perceptions of parents and legal guardians regarding crime prevention and the dangers associated with Internet use by minors. Canadian print media has been instrumental in constructing the perception of Internet technology and its use by minors as harmful, intrusive, and unavoidable while designating parents and legal guardians as primary watchdogs of their children’s online behaviours. / UOIT

In this dissertation, a problem related to Hadwiger's conjecture has been studied. We first proved a conjecture of Jakobsen from 1983 which states that every simple graphs on $n$ vertices and at least (11n-35)/2 edges either has a minor isomorphic to K_8 with one edge deleted or is isomorphic to a graph obtained from disjoint copies of K_{1, 2, 2, 2, 2} and/or K_7 by identifying cliques of size five. We then studied the extremal functions for complete minors. We proved that every simple graph on nge9 vertices and at least 7n-27 edges either has a minor, or is isomorphic to K_{2, 2, 2, 3, 3}, or is isomorphic to a graph obtained from disjoint copies of K_{1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2} by identifying cliques of size six. This result extends Mader's theorem on the extremal function for K_p minors, where ple7. We discussed the possibilities of extending our methods to K_{10} and K_{11} minors. We have also found the extremal function for K_7 plus a vertex minor.

Unaccompanied minors who are fleeing and being sent way from their countries of origin are nothing new. In 2011, 12 225 unaccompanied minors where registered in The European Union, none undocumented minors included. Most of the minors are coming from Afghanistan and Somalia. The aim of this essay is to investigate how The European Union’s migration policies are applied in reality and how United Nation’s Convention on the Right of Children are put in practice by the member states of The European Union and Norway. This will be investigated through a qualitative literature essay. The results of this essay illustrate that unaccompanied minors are being subjects of The European migration policies like Dublin II regulation, and are being held in detention around in Europe. The unaccompanied minors’ fundamental rights are taken from them, rights like education, health care and social welfare. The unaccompanied minors are not seen as children by the authorities; instead they are seen and treated as refugees and illegal migrants. / Barn i Barnhus

Bakgrund: Det finns flera bakomliggande orsaker till att unga konsumerar alkohol. Lagar och förordningar finns till för att hindra minderåriga från att bruka alkohol. Trots detta har ett högt antal minderåriga ett riskbeteende relaterat till användningen av alkohol och dessa individer respekterar inte lagen. Skolsjuksköterskan har en betydande roll i preventionsarbetet mot minderårigas alkoholkonsumtion och använder flera strategier för att främja barn och ungas hälsa. Syfte: Att beskriva skolsjuksköterskans hälsofrämjande strategier mot minderårigas alkoholkonsumtion. Metod: En litteraturöversikt baserat på tio kvalitativa studier. Resultat: Två kategorier kunde urskiljas utifrån syftet: hälsosamtal och familjestrategier. Ur kategorin hälsosamtal urskiljs subkategorierna hälsoenkät och motiverande samtal. Dessa strategier har visat sig vara effektiva i det hälsofrämjande arbetet som skolsjuksköterskan utför. Ett bifynd presenteras i resultatet i form av hinder för de hälsofrämjande strategierna. Slutsats: De hälsofrämjande strategierna som skolsjuksköterskan använder i preventionsarbetet mot minderårigas alkoholkonsumtion är gynnsamma för att individanpassa arbetet och motivera till beteendeförändring. Många sociala hinder samt hinder i organisationen står i vägen för preventionsarbetet. Klinisk betydelse: Genom att studera skolsjuksköterskans hälsofrämjande strategier mot minderårigas alkoholkonsumtion åsyftar studien att kunna utveckla och uppmärksamma arbets-och preventionsstrategier. Detta för att skolsjuksköterskan ska kunna nå ut till de minderåriga som idag utvecklar ett riskbeteende relaterat till alkohol. / Background: There are several causes for the consumption of alcohol among young people. Laws and regulations aim to prevent minors from using alcohol. A high number of minors break the laws and have a risky lifestyle related to alcohol. The school nurse plays a significant role in this prevention and uses multiple strategies to promote children’s and young people’s health. Objective: To describe the school nurse's health promotion strategies against underage drinking. Method: A literature review based on ten qualitative articles. Results: Two categories could be identified based on the aim: health dialogue and family strategies. From the category health dialogue two subcategories where acknowledged: health survey and motivational intervening. These strategies have proven to be effective in health promotion performed by the school nurse. An incidental finding is presented in the results as barriers to health promotion strategies. Conclusion: The strategies that school nurses use as prevention to reduce alcohol drinking among minors is beneficial for individual targeting and to motivate behavioral change. Alcohol prevention from a school nurses perspective is challenging due to social and organizational obstacles. Clinical significance: By studying the school nurse health promotion strategies against underage drinking the study refers to develop and recognize work and prevention strategies. This is because the school nurse should be able to reach out to minors that today develop a risk behavior related to alcohol.

This thesis explores negotiations of belonging among unaccompanied young refugees in Sweden. The thesis further aims to shed light on methodological aspects of bringing out their voices. The analysis draws on postcolonial and poststructuralist approaches to belonging and relates belonging to the concepts of home, place, racialization and notions of “Swedishness”. The thesis analyses qualitative interviews with 17 young people, who arrived in Sweden as unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors and have been granted permanent residency. The interviews are complemented with walk-alongs and photography-based interviews. Paper 1 gives an overview and discussion of research on unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. I argue that there is a lack of their voices in the research, and that their own agency and perspectives are not addressed due to a focus on vulnerability and emotional health (or lack thereof). Paper II, which is delimited to participants in a rural village, shows that they negotiate belonging and a sense of home related to places but that othering is constraining. In paper II and III I suggest that the participants’ belongings and position in Sweden can be understood as conditional due to othering and racialization. In paper III, I argue that expressing gratitude can be understood as a form of impression management and, thus be a strategy to negotiate their position in the interview setting as in the host country. I finally argue that in order to understand the participants’ negotiations of belonging attention has to be paid to their agency as well as the conditioning of belonging in discourses and in interactions on the local level.

This thesis attempts to answer the following question: Is it ever morally permissible to use a minor child as a tissue or organ donor for the benefit of a family member? Those sceptical of using minors as tissue or organ donors for the benefit of a sick family member will highlight two points: the donor will be subject to risks that are not counterbalanced by possible medical benefits, and the minor cannot consent to the procedure herself. / This thesis will present a review of the medical risks associated with bone marrow and kidney donations, as well as a review of the common law dealing with donations by minors and incompetent persons. The final chapter then makes a case for the permissibility of minor donation based on the interests of the family.

El presente trabajo se concibió con la vocación de devenir una aportación al estudio del proceso penal de menores. Por ello, originariamente, se planteó como un análisis de todas y cada una de las fases de dicho proceso. Sin embargo, rápidamente este objetivo se demostró inalcanzable por cuanto, de una primera aproximación a los preceptos de la norma, se aprecia que en la misma, se contiene «algo más» que algunas especialidades o especificidades con respecto a los procesos penales de adultos.Como premisa de partida, cabe considerar que el proceso diseñado por la L.O. 5/2000, al estar concebido exclusivamente para el enjuiciamiento de las conductas delictivas presuntamente cometidas por menores de edad, puede incardinarse en la categoría de los procesos especiales. Esta constatación, sin embargo, no era suficiente, a nuestro juicio, para justificar un proceso en el que aparecían figuras e instituciones procesales hasta el momento inéditas en el ordenamiento jurídico español. Por ello el planteamiento inicial al que se aludía fue sustancialmente modificado, sin que a la postre, ello haya supuesto una alteración sustancial del objetivo primigenio. El trabajo de investigación se inicia con un interrogante, que podría formularse como sigue: Aceptando que la edad es el elemento determinante de la existencia de una rama del derecho penal específicamente dedicada a los menores, ¿hasta qué punto dicho elemento condiciona la acción del legislador en el sentido de establecer un cuerpo normativo significativamente diferenciado del previsto para los adultos?