A teenager shows off the new gloves he has just received from a charity. UNHCR / H. Caux

Press Release, Friday 18 June 2010

New UNHCR study on Afghan children in Sweden

Can you imagine that I have travelled for 36 hours under a truck, can you imagine that I, without food or water, have tried to cling to a little bar and can you imagine every little stone jumping towards your face, the pain it would cause you if it just happened once; how much it hurts to travel during all these hours…can you imagine that you just want to let go and give up."

18- year-old Afghan boy originating from Ghazni

The UNHCR Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries today releases a new study that is based on in-depth interviews with unaccompanied Afghan refugee minors in Sweden.

The study "Voices of Afghan Children" examines the reasons for leaving Afghanistan, the routes the children take, and their reception on arrival. The children describe the journey to Sweden via Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, France and other European countries. They tell stories of how they are mistreated by smugglers, migrants, border guards and police on the way. Some die on the way or are left behind.

- We wanted the children's own stories to be told in the study, says Rebecca Svad, who conducted the study.

The study highlights the necessity of a holistic approach in addressing the needs of unaccompanied children.

- Sweden has a very good practice for dealing with unaccompanied minors who seek asylum here. Nevertheless it is always good to be reminded of how complex it is to determine asylum claims from children. There are other dangers for children than for adults, says Hans ten Feld, head of the UNHCR Regional Office. He stresses that the childrens' fears, feelings of guilt and difficult experiences create traumas that need to be kept in mind both before and after the claim for asylum is assessed.

In the last couple of years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the Nordic countries. Last year, 2,250 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in Sweden, of these 780 were Afghans. In the EU, the total number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum was around 15,000 in 2009.

The study was undertaken at the initiative of UNHCR's Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries, with financial support from the Swedish Migration Board, and done by an independent consultant.
Voices of Afghan children - a study on asylum-seeking children in Sweden.

UNHCR also released a study on Afghan asylum seeking children in a number of other European countries earlier this week.
Trees only move in the wind - A study of unaccompanied Afghan children in Europe.