(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In May, Immigration Minister Listhaug presented the Government's integration message "From reception to working life – an effective integration policy". I am one of those who disagrees with much of the content. In some areas it does not go far enough: That municipalities can adding a day care center for two- and three-year-olds, not just four- and five-year-olds, should be changed so that all children – including children on reception – should have a statutory right to daycare. In other areas, it goes too far. This applies, among other things, to the strict requirements for family reunification.
From the definitions in the Great Norwegian Lexicon, the term "integration" can be understood as an arrangement for groups, such as immigrants, to be incorporated into the larger community. Laws, guidelines and financial priorities are therefore important here. The term "inclusion", on the other hand, is not just about facilitation. Inclusion is about the actual participation in the community, and it is about a person's experience of being part of the community.
We are against them, once again. I want an integration message that makes integration easier, but also contributes inclusion.
An amendment to the Kindergarten Act, where children on reception should have a statutory right to a kindergarten place in the municipality, will facilitate integration: Asylum children are bypassed other children and are included in the majority community. At the same time – whether children on reception experience not only being integrated, but also inclusive, depends on social relationships and how they are met by other people in Norwegian society.
For what do children who come from Afghanistan, Syria or Eritrea meet and who grow up in Norway? And what are your kids meeting again? The debate before May 17 is descriptive: "No flag other than the Norwegian," "only the national costume" and "can they not celebrate their own culture another day?"
Language training, kindergarten, school and work are obviously important for integration, but such measures alone do not overcome ignorance and xenophobia. In the integration report, one can read the following: “The population is more complex than before, and people have different lifestyles and customs. The government wants everyone who is to live in Norway to experience that they are accepted for who they are and have the opportunity to feel at home. They should feel safe and treated fairly. " And further it says: "The government sees no contradiction between being a loyal and active citizen, and at the same time having a connection and belonging to many environments, cultural communities and countries."
Language training, kindergarten, school and work are obviously important for integration, but such measures alone do not overcome ignorance and xenophobia.
This sounds both nice and great, but when the Minister of Immigration also uses phrases such as that refugees and immigrants should not be "carried on a golden chair", that they should "perform, not enjoy" and that training in Norwegian laws and customs is referred to as "courses in folk customs », measures for integration are undermined. What the Minister implicitly says is that refugees and immigrants who come to Norway may not want to work so much; that they may want to spy on the Norwegian welfare state; that they treat women badly. Therefore, "we" must be strict with "them".
Isolated youthyears. In 2015, more than 30 asylum seekers came to Norway. There are still 000 waiting to have their asylum application processed. The integration report states that people living in reception centers who have been granted residence must be incorporated into integration activities at an early stage. What happens to those who wait, but do not get to stay? You risk sitting passively at the reception for several years before your application is rejected and sent out – either home or to a so-called safe third country. People who stay in Norway, whether they are waiting to be settled in a municipality or awaiting consideration of the application, should have the opportunity to participate in mainstream society to a much greater extent than is the case today.
In reception for unaccompanied minors, the majority are boys in their late teens. These boys deserve as good and meaningful a youth as youth with a Norwegian or Swedish passport. Concepts such as equality of opportunity and equality of results are important Norwegian hangers-on for how little a child's social background should play for its future opportunities, ie that parents' (lack of) income and education should go beyond the children as little as possible. This principle seems to be forgotten when we have to remove the golden chair, get "them" to perform, and thus allow younger asylum seekers to sit in reception with only employees and volunteers as social sparring partners.
Responsibility. Fear and skepticism are in many ways natural in a time when large streams of people are moving. But attributing to people who move, obviously negative qualities, is neither good inclusion nor good integration policy. How can our Minister of Immigration believe that focusing on austerity, parasites and anchor children will lead to an inclusive climate for those who come? The inclusion of people fleeing war and oppression should be rooted in solidarity and the idea that "it could have been me." Inclusion goes both ways – from majority to minority and vice versa. But much of the formal power lies with the majority, and with that comes a moral responsibility.
Aspelund is the leader of Norwegian People's Aid Solidarity Youth. leder.solungdom@folkehjelp.no
