1. Missing Unaccompanied Minors in Sweden 7th of December 2016 Amir Hashemi-Nik

2. The County Administrative Boards of Sweden
21 counties in the country, 291 municipalities
County governors appointed by the government
Representing the national government on regional level
Ensure national policies have regional impact

3. Number of Asylum Seekers in Sweden Since 2013
asylum seekers in 2015 (of which UAMs)
asylum seekers so far 2016 (of which UAMs)

4. Government Assignment 2016 – 2017 The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
Undertake a national study on missing UAMs
Suggest a national action plan, in cooperation with other actors
Spread methodology and good practice on cooperation (MoUs)
Consult children in the process

5. Coordination on All Levels and Across Sectors
Swedish
Migration
Agency
The County
Administrative
Boards of Sweden
Ombudsman for Children
National Action Group
The National Board
of Health
and Welfare
Swedish
Police
Swedish Association
of Local Authorities
and Regions
Swedish National
Agency for Education
Action plan
The CABS
21 County
Administrative
Boards
Skåne v
Stockholm v
National Study
Local/ Regional Actors
Local Police
NGOs
Legal Guardians
Municipalities
Handbook on Cooperation (MOUs)

6. Report on Missing Unaccompanied Minors in Sweden
Published 17 November 2016

7. Numbers of Missing UAM’s 2013 – 2016
4% Boys

8. Nationalities of Missing UAMs

9. Geographical Distribution
Highest average
Norrbottens län 6,4 %
Dalarnas län 5,7 %
Östergötlands län 5,4 %
National Average 4,0 %

10. Identified Patterns in Disappearances of Unaccompanied Minors
Every child that disappears from our reception structures, is at risk of exploitation
Many children that disappear, do so because of fear and uncertainty
Some disappearances can be directly linked to trafficking and exploitation
Both push and pull factors in play

11. Some of the Push Factors Identified
Questionnaire –
(answered by 255 of 291 municipalities)
Asylum application rejections
The perceived risk of such a rejection
And the fear of being deported
Also:
Changes to legislation in several areas in the past year have entailed greater insecurity => greater risk of disappearances

12. Indications of Pull Factors
1. Report from December 2015
Suspected child trafficking cases 2012 – 2015
210 cases identified
64% identified as unaccompanied minors
2. Law enforcement agencies and NGO’s report sexual exploitation and exploitation in the black labor market

13. Concluding Thoughts
Restrictive national policies to stop migration flows creates…
more vulnerability for children…
…and more disappearances
The role of the CAB in Sweden
Coordination on all levels and across all sectors
Integrated Child Protection Systems
Children’s own voices and experiences
Partnership with NGO’s that meet undocumented children
Integrating their stories in all parts of the process (invisible friends)

15. Thank you! Amir Hashemi-Nik Amir.hashemi-nik@lansstyrelsen.se
@Twit_bit
@LansstyrelseSTH
Thank you!