This thesis is about the situation and possibilities in a refugee situation. The aim is to deepen the understanding of the situation for Colombian refugee children and how they are able to handle the adjustments related to a refugee situation, both in a neighbouring country like Venezuela and in a foreign country like Sweden. First, quantitative data were collected and analyzed in order to obtain a general picture of the situation for the refugee children. Further, grounded theory was used to analyze some of the interviews, which resulted in a generated theory. During the process of developing the theory, a case study was carried out with a Colombian refugee family in Sweden. The interviewed persons are fifty Colombian refugee children (boys, girls, and teenagers) who lived in the border states of Venezuela, and a Colombian refugee family (the parents and their two children) who now live in Sweden. The generated theory deals with how the refugee children are able to relate to and manage the new refugee situation. The core concept is possibility-finding: the developed ability to find possibilities in the refugee situation. It is a way of thinking as well as practical action. The latter is evident in the way the refugee children see the possibilities and deal with the challenges and problems they are facing. By the solutions they find and the results that are developing into growth. All of this influences and helps to build up their personal stability. The foundations that emerge, and which support or strain possibility-finding, are peace, culture, language, and networks like familyship and friendship. There is an emphasis on the importance of peace and dreams in order to handle times of huge challenges.

This study discloses Swedish human service organizations and their methods of integrating unaccompanied children into the Swedish society. The purpose of the study is to investigate how social workers at HVB-homes for unaccompanied children depict their experience in and knowledge of how the unaccompanied children are integrated into Swedish society. The method of investigating the questions raised by the purpose of this thesis has been qualitative analysis of answers derived from interviewing personnel at HVB-homes for unaccompanied children. In doing so we have made use of a semi-structured method of interviewing the above-mentioned personnel. The data derived from these interviews has thereafter been analysed and filtered through the concept of integration and the theoretical formations human service organizations and street-level bureaucrats. A result shown in this thesis is that personnel at the HVB-homes strive towards integrating the unaccompanied children into society. The personnel has, however, experienced problems in describing the integration process, since they feel that they lack in understanding of the concept of integration. The HVB-homes have different methods of integrating the children and they feel confident in their approaches, as they perceive that the children are well integrated into society. The personnel describe numerous factors both promoting and obstructive, which affect each other and influence the integration of the unaccompanied children.

The high prevalence of nutrition-related chronic conditions in children and adolescents is an emerging public health problem. Research has shown that newcomers to Canada (<5yrs) are at a greater risk of experiencing health and nutrition issues compared to the Canadian-born. The literature shows newcomers have better health upon arrival than the Canadian-born. However, as their length of stay in the country increases, their health status declines to that of Canadians or even surpasses them. To my knowledge, there has not been a comprehensive study on health and nutrition issues in newcomer children to Canada. Very few studies distinguish refugees from immigrants, even though they are two very different populations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the health and nutrition of newcomer refugee and immigrant children to Canada. Various health indices were examined. Questionnaires were administered to describe demographics, socio-economic status, physical and sedentary activity levels, and food security. Dietary assessments provided information on food group and nutrient intake and allowed us to develop scores based on Canadas Healthy Eating Index. Biomarkers of disease were also examined and included serum vitamin D, total cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, and total body bone mineral content. Immigrant and refugee children were eligible to participate if they were between the ages of 7-11 years and had been in Canada no more than five years (n=72). Descriptive analyses were conducted for all variables of interest. The prevalence of food insecurity was much higher in newcomers in this study compared to immigrant children from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2008. In this study, 66% of refugees and 39% of immigrants experienced some form of food insecurity whereas the CCHS 2008 found this value to be only 13%. Food security is directly related to income. The majority of participants in this study were classified in the lowest income category and 72% of refugee and 12% of immigrant children lived in a household where neither parent had a secondary level of education. Food insecurity has a negative impact on nutrient intake and overall health. Results from this study showed that immigrant and refugee newcomer children had a higher rate of overweight/obesity at approximately 29% compared to 26% in Canadian-born children. Participants also had lower mean scores based on Canadas Healthy Eating Index compared to their Canadian-born counterparts. Immigrants consumed a greater amount of sodium than refugees, however, still lower than Canadians. Low levels of dietary vitamin D and calcium in immigrants and refugees were consistent with a low consumption of milk and alternatives. Immigrants and refugees were also consuming lower amounts of fibre and folate (DFE) compared to Canadians. Other nutrients of concern for refugees included iron and zinc. Total body bone mineral content of newcomer children was similar to the Canadian-born. Comparing with published data, Canadian-born children had higher serum vitamin D levels than newcomer immigrant and refugee children in this study, 72.5% of whom were vitamin D deficient or had inadequate levels. Blood cholesterol was high in 40% of participants. Blood glucose was high in 7% of participants. In this study, newcomer children, particularly refugee children, were at risk of experiencing negative health outcomes such as higher levels of food insecurity, high prevalence of intake inadequacy of key nutrients, overweight and obesity, and vitamin D deficiency and inadequacy.

The high prevalence of nutrition-related chronic conditions in children and adolescents is an emerging public health problem. Research has shown that newcomers to Canada (<5yrs) are at a greater risk of experiencing health and nutrition issues compared to the Canadian-born. The literature shows newcomers have better health upon arrival than the Canadian-born. However, as their length of stay in the country increases, their health status declines to that of Canadians or even surpasses them. To my knowledge, there has not been a comprehensive study on health and nutrition issues in newcomer children to Canada. Very few studies distinguish refugees from immigrants, even though they are two very different populations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the health and nutrition of newcomer refugee and immigrant children to Canada. Various health indices were examined. Questionnaires were administered to describe demographics, socio-economic status, physical and sedentary activity levels, and food security. Dietary assessments provided information on food group and nutrient intake and allowed us to develop scores based on Canadas Healthy Eating Index. Biomarkers of disease were also examined and included serum vitamin D, total cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, and total body bone mineral content. Immigrant and refugee children were eligible to participate if they were between the ages of 7-11 years and had been in Canada no more than five years (n=72). Descriptive analyses were conducted for all variables of interest. The prevalence of food insecurity was much higher in newcomers in this study compared to immigrant children from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2008. In this study, 66% of refugees and 39% of immigrants experienced some form of food insecurity whereas the CCHS 2008 found this value to be only 13%. Food security is directly related to income. The majority of participants in this study were classified in the lowest income category and 72% of refugee and 12% of immigrant children lived in a household where neither parent had a secondary level of education. Food insecurity has a negative impact on nutrient intake and overall health. Results from this study showed that immigrant and refugee newcomer children had a higher rate of overweight/obesity at approximately 29% compared to 26% in Canadian-born children. Participants also had lower mean scores based on Canadas Healthy Eating Index compared to their Canadian-born counterparts. Immigrants consumed a greater amount of sodium than refugees, however, still lower than Canadians. Low levels of dietary vitamin D and calcium in immigrants and refugees were consistent with a low consumption of milk and alternatives. Immigrants and refugees were also consuming lower amounts of fibre and folate (DFE) compared to Canadians. Other nutrients of concern for refugees included iron and zinc. Total body bone mineral content of newcomer children was similar to the Canadian-born. Comparing with published data, Canadian-born children had higher serum vitamin D levels than newcomer immigrant and refugee children in this study, 72.5% of whom were vitamin D deficient or had inadequate levels. Blood cholesterol was high in 40% of participants. Blood glucose was high in 7% of participants. In this study, newcomer children, particularly refugee children, were at risk of experiencing negative health outcomes such as higher levels of food insecurity, high prevalence of intake inadequacy of key nutrients, overweight and obesity, and vitamin D deficiency and inadequacy.

The aim of this study was to explore refugees experiences of an introduction program in a small Swedish municipality. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with six refugees and was conducted to explore how the introduction program contributed or has not contributed to feelings of being integrated. Our informants have got different backgrounds but have all been forced to flee their home country to Sweden. The interview data was interpreted through earlier research, theories about social exclusion and concepts which were relevant for our study. Our study showed that the informants felt kindly received in the small municipality. The informants emphasizes the small village where segregation among Swedes and refugees was less of a problem. The different parts of the introduction program was of importance, according to the informants, but they also stressed that the introduction program, in itself, isn’t enough to become integrated in the Swedish country. The informants explained that the individual person must take responsibility for its own integration beside taking part of the introduction program. The study showed that the most difficult problems occur when the introduction program is ended and the time to find “established” employment has come.

The problem investigated in this exploratory research is that, with the increasing numbers of students with refugee status enrolled in Arizona's schools, there is no information about the preparation school counselors receive in serving populations specific to students who have refugee status. No hypotheses are proposed in this study. Instead, research questions inquire about how school counselors in Arizona perceive the educational experiences and opportunities of refugee youth, the counseling relationship of students with refugee status and school counselors, and school counselors' attitudes toward working with refugee youth in school counseling programs. The results of this study provide insight into the perception of school counselors in Arizona and their need for additional skills or training to work with refugee youth at their schools.

This thesis evaluates Canada‘s compliance with human rights-based complementary international protection. Through an analysis of the roots of international refugee protection, it first links the evolution of the latter with the development of human rights law instruments. It then defines complementary protection as the corpus of legal bases for asylum claims outside of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It uses various human rights instruments to outline international protection obligations, which take three different forms of complementary protection. The first one consists in independent protection mechanisms outside of the Refugee Convention, the most important being the formulation of non-refoulement in the Convention Against Torture. The others are rights that expand the application of existing protection mechanisms, and protection mechanisms established by the UNHCR outside of existing international treaties. This thesis argues that Canada‘s application of these norms reflects partial compliance with its obligations, as it acknowledges important humanitarian concerns regarding international protection, while attempting to preserve its prerogative to exclude individuals based on national security.

This study explores the interactions of four Liberian youth with the public education system in Ontario since their arrival as refugees. Using life histories developed with each participant, I have sought to understand and engage with the ways that these students negotiate their social and personal identities within the context of the majority discourses and practices of education in Ontario. By foregrounding the experiences and voices of the participants, it becomes possible to critically analyze the power relations that exist both to limit and empower these youth as they navigate their social and educational contexts. It becomes clear in the life histories that society’s dominant discourses of normalcy work to ignore or make irrelevant the complex identities that these youth inhabit and exhibit in their daily lives. However, they creatively exercise their individual agency to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities they feel are available to them in Canada.

This study explores the interactions of four Liberian youth with the public education system in Ontario since their arrival as refugees. Using life histories developed with each participant, I have sought to understand and engage with the ways that these students negotiate their social and personal identities within the context of the majority discourses and practices of education in Ontario. By foregrounding the experiences and voices of the participants, it becomes possible to critically analyze the power relations that exist both to limit and empower these youth as they navigate their social and educational contexts. It becomes clear in the life histories that society’s dominant discourses of normalcy work to ignore or make irrelevant the complex identities that these youth inhabit and exhibit in their daily lives. However, they creatively exercise their individual agency to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities they feel are available to them in Canada.

The susceptibility of individuals to illness and disease is greatly influenced by context specific social determinants of health (SDH), yet there is a dearth of literature pertaining to SDH among refugees, particularly those residing in urban areas. The purpose of this study was to identify and generate empirical evidence on SDH among female refugees in Malaysia. It focused specifically on Rohingya refugees, a stateless and persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar. Intersectionality formed the theoretical foundation of the study, which utilized a qualitative research design and employed an exploratory, applied research approach. Document review provided background and contextual information for primary data, which were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was undertaken in affiliation with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and had two primary outputs: it provided UNHCR with information and recommendations to inform context-specific program and policy development, and it generated rich empirical findings that contribute to the nascent evidence base on SDH in the context of forced migration. Results indicate that key factors affecting the health and wellbeing of Rohingya women include: their journey from Myanmar to Malaysia, income, employment, food security, transportation, the physical environment, UNHCR, security issues, education, religion, healthcare, and social capital/the social safety net. These interacted, overlapped and compounded each other, forming a ‘web of interrelated factors’ that affected participants’ health. Findings provide insight into the instrumental role of the sociopolitical context in structuring the lives of urban refugee women, and emphasize the importance of extending current discourse beyond refugee women’s needs and vulnerabilities to consider their resilience and agency in situations of significant hardship. / Graduate / 0573