Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

It is common by states to deny asylum for asylum-seekers with the argument that the applicant could find protection within their own country of residence instead of receiving international protection. This is called internal protection alternative (IPA). This research is a comparative case study and aims to explore and compare two neighbouring countries, Sweden and Norway, on how their immigration authorities differ in their assessment on both the security situation and IPA in Afghanistan. Furthermore, this thesis aims to compare the Swedish and Norwegian immigration authorities with international laws, agreements and guidelines which, therefore, is the conceptional framework for this research. This study concludes that IPA is not mentioned in the 1951 Refugee Convention and that there are no clear directives on how to apply it. States tend to interpret the already existing laws and guidelines in their own way. The result of this is that there are differences between states practice and the consequence could be that asylum-seekers could receive different assessments and decisions from different countries. This research is, therefore, highly relevant from a humanitarian- and academia perspective as it highlights differences in national practice which is crucial since these differences will affect the refugee situation of individuals and the possibility of obtaining asylum.

This research project aimed to conduct a strategic analysis of the implementation of a supervised injecting facility (SIF) in Montérégie. Using a mixed design, we first completed a portrait of the injection drug user (IDU) population. We then explored the perceptions of IDU and stakeholders with regard to the relevance of implementing a SIF in the region. Although some similarities were found with the IDU populations of Montreal and the province of Quebec, this population in Montérégie is characterized by a lower frequency of injections in public, less homeless people and lower rates of HIV and HCV infections. Despite these differences, the IDU population in Montérégie was found to have important physical and psychosocial needs. Although the relevance of a SIF in Montérégie is undeniable, improvements regarding the accessibility, continuity and appreciation of the actual services dedicated to IDU remain a priority. / Ce projet de recherche visait à réaliser une analyse stratégique de l’implantation d’un service d’injection supervisée (SIS) en Montérégie. Utilisant un devis mixte, son premier volet consistait à tracer un portrait de la population usagère de drogues par injection (UDI) montérégienne, alors que le second explorait les perceptions des UDI et des acteurs stratégiques œuvrant auprès d’eux quant à l’implantation d’un SIS dans la région. Bien que similaire aux populations UDI montréalaise et du Québec, celle de la Montérégie s’en distingue par le fait qu’elle s’injecte moins souvent dans des lieux publics, qu’elle soit sans domicile fixe à moindre proportion et par ses taux inférieurs d’infection au VIH et au VHC. Elle présente toutefois des besoins physiques et psychosociaux importants. Bien qu’un SIS soit jugé pertinent en Montérégie, une amélioration de l’accessibilité, de la continuité et de l’appréciation de l’offre de services actuelle dédiés aux UDI est considérée comme prioritaire.