7049 unaccompanied children seeked asylum in Sweden during 2014 and 15% of them were girls. The aim of the study was to highlight unaccompanied girls arriving in Sweden and examine their views on integration and belonging. Interviews were undertaken with five former unaccompanied girls in the age of 18-24 through a qualitative approach. The result was analyzed abductively through Rainer Bauböcks’ (1996) Model of Civil Society, David Morgans’ (2011) concept of Family Practices and through Steven Vertovecs’ (2001) concept of Transnational Social Room. Four out of five respondents described that they felt included in the Swedish society. However, according to Bauböcks’ model, the respondents were rather in the process of becoming integrated, since they did not yet fulfill all criteria for integration. Furthermore, the respondents expressed that education was of high value in order to get a job, get integrated and to become independent. Relationships with significant people was also a strong contributing factor to their sense of belonging. The position in transnational social rooms varied among the respondents.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka ensamkommande flickors erfarenheter och upplevelser av integrationsprocessen. Studien avser ensamkommande flickor som har en erfarenhet av att bo på ett HVB-hem i Sverige. I studien har semistrukturerade intervjuer använts med fyra unga vuxna flickor som har kommit som ensamkommande barn till Sverige från olika länder. Studien är baserad på olika teman i syfte till att få en djupare förståelse och bättre uppfattning av intervjupersonernas upplevelse av deras integrationsprocess. Slutsatsen är att språket upplevs vara den viktigaste faktorn för att integreras i samhället. Det innebär att språket är en nödvändig faktor för en vidareutbildning, men också för att få ett fast arbete med goda arbetsvillkor. Förutom goda språkkunskaper är ett socialt nätverk, god relation med (personal, god man, socialsekreterare) och kortare väntetid på uppehållstillstånd några faktorer som främjar en lyckad integration enligt deltagarna. Sammanfattningsvis ger studien en bild på hur dessa flickor har haft det som ensamkommande barn, samt hur de har upplevt deras integrationsprocess i hemmet. Detta med en förhoppning av att ge ökad kunskap och bättre förståelse i bemötandet av ensamkommande barns behov under tiden på HVB-hem.

I gränslandet mellan barn- och vuxenliv ställs ungdomar inför många utmaningar. Under denna komplexa period finns bland annat en förväntan, att denne på ett vuxet och moget sätt, ska hantera och ta beslut om framtida utbildning och karriär. Samtidigt som det sker ett sökande efter identitet och tillhörighet. Om man dessutom tvingas fly, utan sina föräldrar, från ett land drabbat av krig blir dessa utmaningar än fler och ännu större. Socialstyrelsens (2021) statistik visar att 35 369 ensamkommande barn kom till Sverige under 2015. Endast 8% av dessa var flickor. Tidigare forskning åskådliggör ett mottagande, till största del baserat på pojkar och deras behov, vilket gör att flickorna kommer i skymundan och i många fall missgynnas i framtida karriärvägar. I denna kvalitativa studie har fokus varit att studera och analysera karriärvägar för fem ensamkommande flickor från Afghanistan. Ett land med stark könsegregation, där korrupta juridiska system missgynnar landets kvinnor skriver Brunnberg och Darvishpour (2016). Studien tar även del av flickornas upplevelser av mötet med studie- och yrkesvägledning. Resultaten visar att tidigare skolerfarenhet, föräldrars utbildning samt typ av uppehållstillstånd är betydande för flickornas framtida karriärvägsmöjligheter. Således finns det ett stort behov av att vidare undersöka ensamkommande barns väg in i det svenska skolsystemet. Framförallt finns det behov av fler studier som ser till de ensamkommande flickornas erfarenheter och behov. Den här kvalitativa uppsatsen har som ambition att bidra med ny kunskap inom detta område. / In the borderland between childhood and adulthood, young people face many challenges. During this complex period, there is an expectation that they, in an adult and mature way, will handle and make decisions about their future education and career. At the same time as there is a search for identity and belonging. If you are also forced to flee, without your parents, from a country affected by war, these challenges will be even more and even greater. The National Board of Health and Welfare's (2021) statistics show that 35,369 unaccompanied children came to Sweden in 2015. Only 8% of these children were girls. Previous research illustrates a reception, largely based on boys and their needs, which means that the girls are overshadowed and in many cases disadvantaged in future career paths. In this qualitative study, focus has been on studying and analyzing career paths for five unaccompanied girls from Afghanistan. A country with strong gender segregation, where corrupt legal systems disadvantage the country's women (Brunnberg och Darvishpour, 2016). The study also shows the girls experiences of the meeting with studying and career guidance. The results show that previous school experience, parents education and type of residence permit are significant for the girls future career path opportunities. Thus, there is a great need to further investigate the path of unaccompanied children into the Swedish school system. Above all, there is a need for more studies that look at the experiences and needs of unaccompanied girls. This qualitative thesis aims to contribute new knowledge in this area.

This research focuses on unaccompanied or separated adolescent girls who have survived gender-based violence and have sought asylum in Greece. It seeks to explore the interpretations and identities that asylum and psychosocial professionals assign to the girls and to research whether and how the process of the asylum interview may shape the narrative of violence and victimhood of the girls and predefine their self-representation.  The research draws from different theoretical frameworks in exploring the power of the state as reflected in the official discourses on vulnerability and the legal processes of granting asylum; the stereotypical ideations of victimhood and the gendered character it often entails; the intersection of gender, age, migration, and the lived experience of violence.  Two methodological approaches are implemented; semi-structured interviews conducted with five professionals and autoethnography. The data from the interviews were thematically codified and analyzed, while the autoethnographic data fed the construction of two case studies. The recurring themes identified commonly shape a set of concluding remarks and make apparent the need for further research in the field.

The aim of this study is to investigate how women who came to Sweden as unaccompanied children experienced their entry into the Swedish labor market based on six qualitative interviews with woman in the age range of 24-32. The interviews were analyzed and interpreted using social capital as a theory. The results show that the informants turned to their friends consisting of other unaccompanied children, and that this network provided security and answers especially in the beginning of their stay in Sweden. Furthermore, our results show that bonding social capital played an important part as an enabler to search for contacts outside the network. All respondents report that it is difficult to get to know Swedes. The respondents did not attribute any significant importance to their social worker but they all emphasized that a significant key to enter the labour market is to learn the Swedish language.