Invandraren

Mentally asylum seekers have no choice but to deal with the harsh reality of the pressure they face in a number of ways. Many asylum seekers say that approximately half of their time they always think about their cases and situation. Each day cannot pass without one not thinking about their present situations. Many say they constantly think about their asylum cases and their future. Here is what some had to share:

‘Everyday I think of my case and my future. I think about it even when I’m asleep. Sometimes I dream being deported, being bundled for deportation, being tortured and sometimes I wake up during the night and start thinking about my case.The pressure becomes even worse when some of my colleagues receive acceptance letters of their cases, in some way it gives me hope.’

One asylum seeker from Lebanon tells a different story of how she tries to cope with the pressure. She says she tries to keep herself busy with the SFI and the praktik. She avoids having discussions with other asylum seekers on the asylum related matters as mostly the discussions are based on the ‘hear-some’ information which mostly turns out to be false. from.She thinks its more crucial that she avoids thinking about her situation all the time. Worsestill, she has stayed for one year three months without being apponited a lawyer.

Abbas an asylum seeker from Iraq says the pressure of waiting has killed all his spirit of setting up his future in Sweden. ‘When I came here, they received me with the open hands and I had believed the process will be fast, but I have given up.I will just accept whatever comes next. I had a pizzeria in Iraq and wanted to open one here. But I have lost those prospects opening one. The pressure is too much for me and even if you try to avoid it, its unavoidable because our daily activities are routined along this pressure’, says Abbas.

These testimonials are a true reflection of the daily pressure asylum seekers have to cope with. Those already rejected is already worse as they some now live in hiding, not knowing how to bring bread and butter on the table and what is next for them. The situation is even worsened by the fact that some whose cases are rejected even for the first time but have appealed cannot continue taking SFI lessons which are crucial in keeping their minds away from all this pressure. Some think it’s a way of frustrating them so they can probably decide to leave the country voluntarily.

Many asylum seekers say they prefer not to have translators for their cases. It is the procedure that they are given a translator when they present their case to their lawyer. This is to make sure that the asylum seeker’s information is collected to the best of what he/she has said. This also helps the migration authorities to make a fair decision. The translator is to translator what the asylum seeker says about his application for asylum to the lawyer in the best possible neutral manner as it can.

However, some asylum seekers are dissatisfied with this procedure. They assume that sometimes the translators may not translate everything they say. Some are of the feeling that if the translator hates you, he/she can leave out the most important parts of the case deliberately.Some have complained of the uncomfortableness they feel when they go for medical examination at the hospitals where they have to use a translator. Obviously there are further difficulties with translation through a third party. The person may simply not reveal crucial information because he or she is too embarrassed. It is difficult enough sometimes for people to talk about intimate bodily functions to a doctor. Imagine what it might feel like for the person if the translator was non-medical or a member of the opposite sex. Imagine even further that the translator became embarrassed by the content of the information being discussed. Here is what some had to say:

‘I come from Ethiopia. We have a problem we Ethiopians as we sometimes are appointed translators that can be someone from Eritrea because they can speak our languages as well. On one hand, Ethiopia and Eritrea at the moment are in a cat and dog situation. Surely how do you expect a neutral translation in such a case. Yes, it’s good to have translators but on the other hand we have many complaints about them from many asylum seekers.’

‘I come from Iraq, from the Kurdish part, North Iraq. Imagine they appoint me a translator from Iraq but he is Shiite from Central Iraq. We have major differences that some of them today are still causing the conflicts you see on the media everyday. I really don’t feel 100% satisfied with a translator of this kind. Given a choice, I would prefer not to have one.’

‘To have a translator I feel it’s a good idea. You can have everything translated. Of course, we have to bear in mind that translators too are human beings too. They are bound to make mistakes but I think they have professional ethics which they are compound to. If they make mistakes, I would say the frequency is close to none. I have heard many complaints about them amongst asylum seekers but I’m not sure if it’s true because after the interview the asylum seeker has to sign the contents of the interview that what is contained in the interview is what he/she has said, so you can’t sign to agree to something you didn’t say.’

There is need to build the trust amongst asylum seekers of the translators. They have to be educated about the professional ethics they follow when translating. Besides, after the translation, the asylum seekers get a copy of what they said which they have to agree to it. If they disagree, they are allowed to contact their lawyer and say what they don’t agree with, which the lawyer in turn informs the migration authorities. So, surely there are minimal chances that they can be foul play during the translation process. There is need for asylum seekers to avoid relying on the ‘hear say’ information from their fellow countrymen which many at times turns out to be wrong.

There have been continous complaints to the SFI Borås school from individuals within companies and organisations that share the same building with the SFI school Department.
Most of the complaints have been levelled on the immigrants attending language classes there. There have been accused of littering the entrance and other surrounding places to the building. They have been accused of littering with cigarette stubs, throwing chewing gum on the floor, spitting all over among other things.
This has not gone well with the responsible authorities for the SFI who decided to take the issue to the students to explain to them the complaints that have been levelled against them. They had to explain and give demostration lessons to the students on how they should litter their cigarette stubs, where they should spit and the general upkeep of the surrounding.
They were further told this only doesn’t tarnish the image of the school but leads to negative consequences if they are caught doing that by the law enforcers. They were previous complains of food for the SFI teachers dissapearing from the kitchen and cutlery as they share the kitchen with the students. One teacher even lost his eye glasses. Now the questions to ask are: Why do immigrants do this? Is it because of the habits they are used to from their own countries? Is it because of hunger? or can it be because they are not well oriented about taking responsibility and the application of laws in this country?

I will try to answer the above questions myself without claiming to be the knowledgeble person and the right person to answer than those that have come before me or those who will come after me.
There are several possible answers to the first question. It is possible that immigrants do this deliberately. It is possible that immigrants do this out of frustrations pending their cases. It is possible that they do this because they are not fully oriented about taking responsibility in this society comparable to their societies they come from. It is possible that there might be a small group or even an indivudual trying to tarnish the image of immigrants by doing this. It is possible that it’s not only the immigrants to be blamed for littering but also the locals.For example some streets in Borås are littered with all sorts of litter one can imagine and does this mean its the immigrants? Surely, no both parties are to blame. It’s always easy to put blame on all the ills that we see on immigrants, but then this is not solving the problem but worsening it instead!
The second question is tricky but however, it is true that part of this behaviour can be due to non orientation of taking responsibility as a citizen in Sweden. Some immigrants like me come from countries where people just litter everywhere and this end up becoming a habit, so a habit is dangerous because one carries with whererever one goes.
Of course the question of hunger is out. Most immigrants can buy enough food to last them till the next allowance comes, so I would obviously say that’s out.
I would like to end my oracle by advising the host societies to belt up for such unusual behaviour from not only immigrants but also the locals. However, they should not fall by wayside by being unable to accept the behaviour they experience but understand the differences of the societies people come from and that with the case of new immigrants as soon as they become part and parcel of this society they will orient themselves along the right and wrong.

Conflict is one of the everyday life of many asylum seekers within the residential areas they reside. The conflicts are usually amongst themselves or sometimes with other locals in the neighbourhood. But the questions to ask is what are the causes to these conflicts and what are the solutions?

Conflicts can arise whenever people live together, especially in close quarters that many asylum seekers are placed. This applies to both Swedish citizens and asylum seekers alike. Living with conflicts is certainly a realistic challenge. However, solving conflicts non-violently is absolutely essential.
Most of the conflicts according to asylum seekers interviewed are due to differences within the living quarters. These may include hygienic factors such as using the toilet, cleaning the house, dishes and the general cleanliness in due respect to other occupants too. Furthermore, some said most conflicts are due also to noiseness amongst some colleagues who may be disturbing the peace that they want to enjoy.

The other most common mentioned one is noisy usually in the form of group talking as many have a habit of grouping in one apartment and then speak very loud. Secondly, talking on the mobile too loud when others maybe needing a peace of mind. The laundry is also one place where they have been reports of conflicts particularly with sticking to the washing time table on the asylum seekers. They have been reports that many asylum seekrs wash anytime they want. Some accuse them of causing breakdowns to the machines and staeling globes. This has not only created conflicts with the residents but also hatred and certain extents racism. Below is what a few had to say about conflicts from where they stay:

‘ We have had conflicts many at times from where we stay. Almost once a week there is a conflict. Some days we can go for a week without talking to each other because usually after we have a conlict no-one wants to admit the guilteness. So we all adopt the silent solution until one of us decides to speak. It continues like that time and again. Its now a trend we have come to accept to live with. It’s like a cycle.’

‘Each day is different! You always have to read the mood of your colleagues because sometimes they have been angered by the situation back home and you speak to that person only to realize you have brough more problems by just talking to him. So you got to be careful and think of what to say. On the solution part, we don’t quickly try to apologize because we usually say we are the same, no-one is a boss in these quarters, so you can’t tell me what to do. I decide for myself.’

‘Well, we have many disputes each day. This usually happens when I want to tell my colleague to do a duty or to clean the toilet. The result of that is usually a conflict and hatred thereafter. Unfortunately some of them can be very violent. Most of the times we don’t apologize to each other because no-one wants to admit the wrongness, so we keep quiet or not talk to each other forever. I don’t speak to my room mate anymore because I told him that he has to check if the toilet is clean after use but he got mad with me.’

The fact that asylum seekers face restrictions and have to deal with frustrating situations is no excuse for violence and such conflicts. It is important to educate asylum seekers more on living within the neighbourhoods with other asylum seekers and local residents. They have to know that such behavior not only makes living conditions worse for all residents, causing everyone to suffer, it also makes asylum seekers look less acceptable to Swedish citizens, whose tax money is used to accommodate and care for asylum seekers.

During these difficult times of stress, trauma and long waitings asylum seekers should instead make each other’s life easier through mutual consideration. They must be reaffirmed that as asylum seekers in Sweden they abviously are entitled to unrestricted rights to protection from bodily harm that might arise due to the already mentioned conflicts. They are advised to report such conflicts especially when they result in violence to the police.

Immigrants that has been granted the permission to stay in Sweden cry foul of the employment sector in Borås. They complain that besides that they might be equally qualified with the locals, many at times find their applications being turned and this they suspect it might be to their foreign backgrounds.

‘I am a computer technician and have worked for an International well known IT company in Iran but I have never got an offer besides that I apply time and again. I’m told that some employers just look at the name and if it sounds foreign, they turn down the application. They want their own citizens. On the other hand you understand them. They have their own people who are unemployed. If I was in the same shoes probably I would have done the same.’

‘Well I understand that the Swedish market is a tough one. The Swedish themselves are struggling to snatch the jobs too. However, I feel where we qualify we should be given a chance. We should be given a chance to prove to the locals that we didn’t come for social benefits but we too are prepared to work and pat taxes to relieve the municipalities’ burden on keeping us on the social welfare. I was a chef in my country working for a bigger restuarant in Sri Lanka, but I find the labor market hard here.’

‘It’s tough being an immigrant in the labour market. I have a problem with my profession which mainly fits in the private sector. I have tried applying many times but I have been turned down. Maybe if I was say a teacher, nurse, doctor then I could get a job in the public sector. I feel the private sector discriminates immigrants more than the public sector.’

While it might be true of what the immigarnts say, it is very important that immigrants understand clearly the Swedish market. That Sweden has had a high unemployment rate which now the government is addressing, so every Swede is too trying to grab every job that comes to the labor market. Immigrants further need to be educated about the labor market in Sweden. They need to do away with the habit that since they are immigrants they should be helped in everything but instead they should adopt ways of working hard to make it into this tough labor market.

Migrationsverkert has changed the procedure for asylum seekers when they want to contact their social assistants through telephone calls. Now asylum seekers are supposed to call a new number 0771-235 235 with effect from the 12th of September 2007 in Linköping. When they call they are to mention that they want to speak to their social assistants, mention the name and place where he/she is based before being put through. In short they are to say in Swedish:

‘Jag vill prata med min handläggare. Hon/han heter…. Maria/Lars på migrationsverket i Borås/Linköping/Malmö etc’

The system is meant to cut calling costs for asylum seekers as the calling system will be subsidized by the Migrationsverket. However, there were mixed feelings to this amongst asylum seekers. Many welcomed the move saying it will go a long way in helping cut the calling costs particularly that most of the time when they call, they spend a long time as they have to explain many issues to their social assisants. They need explanations from their assistants too. On one hand, some felt they might find it hard to get through the number as they assume the number might be congested.

Asylum stress is better than staying home, but the stress of being uprooted back is the most painful one to bear. This is the feeling amongst asylum seekers in Borås that have received a first negative on their cases and are awaiting a second chance.
It is true that most asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their cases suffer severe stress, compounded by the different problems such as political violence, war etc that has led to their physical and psychological problems. On the other hand, when they have escaped as far as Sweden many find their hopes of living in peace being replaced by the continued stress. Worse still, more than they experienced back home.
Many find themselves living in fear of being returned especially when they don’t receive decisions sooner than they had anticipated. This feeling of being returned is quite destructive and is leading to emotional/behavioural problems. Below is what some had to say about this stress:
‘I have stayed in Sweden for close to two years. I had my interview two weeks after I had arrived but a few months later I received a negative and I immediately appealed. However, I have been interviewed in Gothenburg for the second time but up to now I haven’t received the decision. I live in stress due to fear of being returned. The stress is worse than when I came, as a negative this time means they are scooping me out. I can’t be more stressed than to think of what will happen to me when I’m returned to Ethiopia.’
‘I have waited for the outcome of my second interview close to one year. They said what I’m telling them its not true. They say right is might and I say might is right. Obviously when they say I lied, to me its a response that tells me they will take me out. It stresses me each day. I check the post everyday and I’m tired now. I will just live within hope that they understand that returning me to Iran will be like sending back a coffin to the grave yard for burial. Its better to be stressed by the fact that I’m an asylum seeker than to think of being returned.’

The above reflects the wider feelings of a large number of asylum seekers who today are not yet sure if they will be protected. It reflects how dangerous it can be to keep people guessing for too long on serious issues such as being granted asylum. Lets bear in mind that some of these become members of this society after waiting this long. But the problem is that the damage has been done already. The psychological and emotional problems experienced during this long period becomes a permanent syndrome amongst some of them.

Immigrants who have been granted permanent residence have complained of having to wait for too long before they are placed into new homes. Many are urging the municipalities to speed up the placement programme for those that have been granted the permission to stay. Many are crying foul of the responsible authorities that the process takes too long before the municipality gets them a home.

‘I have been granted permanent residence permit five months but I still don’t have a house to stay. They tell me to wait. I need to bring my family. I need to start planning how I will shape my future here.’

‘When I got the permission to stay, I thought it was going to be fast with the placement to a new home but alas everything is slow here. It’s been three months now. I need to move from where I am right now because we are four people sharing a bachelor’s apartment. But anywhere I’m grateful that my life has been protected, the rest will come by itself. I will till I get the home’

‘Well, I have waited too long but I understand the authorities’ explanations that there have a back log due to many who are on the waiting list. But it’s important that we be placed as quick as they can so we can start planning our future here. You have a peace of mind when you are in your own home. Now I’m still sharing with other asylum seekers and we have so much differences. I wouldn’t wait to move to my own new home and have my family joining me.’

Many will agree with the fact that dispersal of newly arrived immigrants to different homes around Sweden is not a good idea.
Dispersal of immigrants to all communities has led to the out-bursts of hate and racism to immigrants. Immigrants have been blamed for all the ills in this society. It’s not all municipalities who are willing to accept immigrants with open arms. Some already feel that there have too much pressure to provide health and social services to the new immigrants as they are already struggling to provide these services to long term residents. The ideal solution here is not to make it an obligation for the municipalities to receive immigrants as most of them have concrete arguements to receiving immigrants.

One obvious argument is that they maybe no opportunities for work within that specific municipality, therefore, chances of having the new immigrants in the labour markert are none. What it therefore means is that, it strains the municipality to keep these immigrants. For example, in the North of Sweden, there isn’t much work in many of the municipalities, so how do such municipalities provide social welfare and health services to the new immigrants. Worse still, some had problems of housing and it becomes a more burden for these municipalities to try to cater for the new arriving immigrants and their long term residents. One typical example of such a municipality is Malmo.
Furthermore, some municipalities clearly don’t have the interest to have new immigrants within themselves. This may be influenced by the society and politicians within those different municipalities. So then why make it an obligation that such hostile municipalities receive new immigrants. Instead, it should be a matter of choice within the municipalities. Undoubtedly, they will be tensions and uncooperation between these two parties and this leads to resistance and violence. Remember resentment can lead to regrettable actions. Some immigrants have been victims of racism the whole of their lives because they were dispersed to anti-immigrant municipalities. Besides, many immigrants prefer to round others who have similar situations. They go on to build their own small communities, supporting one another from the horrors many have left behind, so dispersing immigrants to many municipalities doesn’t give them a choice. They should be placed where they can access the best support services available for thier language, religion, culture among other things.
However, one may argue that dispersing immigrants to different municipalities could develop inter-racial relations, ease burden on the entry port towns and cities, foster a great degree of integration in our society rather than keeping them in one place (refugee camps) and that dispersal may discourage the emergence of religious based ghettos which are counter-productive to sound ethnic relations. While it is true, there is need to review the issue of making it an obligation to every municipality in Sweden to receive and cater for new immigrants. It will be better if if they are dispersed to selected municipalities, selected on the basis that the resident society and the municipality itself are all willing to accept them, they have work opportunities and available housing.

Many newly arrived immigrants get suprized when they discover that library services such as internet and being a member are free unlike in many countries. There is so much enthuasism that comes with such discoveries and as a result, the library becomes the most favourite spot. Some even have realized they can meet fellow country men in the libraries.

Discussions about migration matters are held here amongst the new immigrants, with the most questions being… ‘have you got paper?… lawyer?… do you go to school?… praktik?… do you have buses from where you stay and many other issues. Everyone seems to be searching for information everytime. Every new immigrant knows the library most than anything else. One library experiencing this frequence is the Borås Kommun library.

Before the library opens, one often sees a number of people waiting outside for the library to open. Most of these are immigrants. When the library opens, it becomes a ‘rush hour’. There is a rush to be the first to book the computer, to get newspapers and so on. But the main rush is to the computer area where you find sometime up to three people around the same computer all trying to read news about the situation back home and news from their families and other things. Some try to acces information regarding immigrants in Sweden.

Some jostle for the newspapers. It has now become a routine thing that when they finish classes at the SFI, the next destination is the library. They have to get updates about their families and relatives and update them about the developments on their situation in Sweden since calling is usually too expensive for many compared with the allowance they receive at the end of the month.
When they read newspapers they try to find articles that has news related to the problems that brought them to Sweden and these are printed out. They are to be used as evidence for their cases when they meet their advocates from the migration authorities. However, there is always a problem with the time allowed for them to use the computer, which is usually an hour. They cannot read and get all the information they try to get. Most of them get frustrated by this. They cannot afford to use internet cafes either. They try all possible ways of reaching to their families cheaply.

There is need that there be a system that could be implemented through partnering with libraries where certain indivuduals could be employed by the municipalities could help new immigrants access information could be posted in the libraries. Their task would be to be observe the new immigrants as they come and approach them to ask if they need help.
The assumption is that they are new comers, they don’t know what kind of resources the libraries have for them. They need information about migration, education in Sweden, seeking employment and recreational activities. Unless they are assisted, chances are that they will never be able to access such kind of information especially through the modern day library information access services where one has to use the computer. They have to be shown how to use and access such kind on information. This can be a programme that can be a complementary partnership between migration and libraries.