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

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

Number of Asylum Seekers in Sweden Since 2013 163 000 asylum seekers in 2015 (of which 35 000 UAMs) 26 000 asylum seekers so far 2016 (of which 2 000 UAMs)

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

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)

Report on Missing Unaccompanied Minors in Sweden Published 17 November 2016

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

Nationalities of Missing UAMs

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

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

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

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

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)

Thank you! Amir Hashemi-Nik Amir.hashemi-nik@lansstyrelsen.se +46-10-2231676 @Twit_bit @LansstyrelseSTH Thank you!