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JRS Sweden - sweden(a)jrs.net

Political Developments

More than 24,000 persons (36,210 in 2007) sought asylum in Sweden in 2008, many of who came from Iraq. The general drop in asylum cases was more specifically due to a fall in the number of Iraqi asylum seekers coming to the country. This was largely due to stricter controls by the Swedish government on Iraqi asylum seekers, and an aggreement between Baghdad and Stockholm to return rejected applicants back to Iraq. These controls meant Iraqis sought refuge elsewhere.

Such measures saw Finland witnessing record figures of asylum applicants in 2008. Finnish authorities put the rise down to the tougher policies taken by their Norwegian and Swedish counterparts.

While asylum cases were decreasing in Sweden, family-based immigration was rising. Part of this was due to the fact that Iraqis who came to Sweden as refugees were now getting their family members to live with them.

 

JRS Activities
In Sweden, JRS primarily works in detention centres with detainees. There are five closed detention centres, with all removal centres run by the Swedish Migration Board, and a total capacity of around 150 places.

The biggest centre is Märsta, close to Stockholm International Airport, where JRS is active, and which has a capacity of 70 places.

In 2008 the volunteer group comprised of seven volunteers, including one Jesuit. The main task of the detention visitors group was to give psychological support to the detainees, helping them to get in touch with lawyers and their relatives, or mediating between the detainees and the police or the Swedish migration board.

Confessions and Holy Communion were offered to Catholic detainees. On a case-by-case basis (especially for detainees held under the Dublin II regulation), contacts were established with NGOs or JRS offices in the destination country of the returnee.

On a less structured basis, JRS offered its support and advice to irregular migrants. An important focus of the work was also the continuous training of the volunteers, for example, through the detention visitors support group organised by JRS Europe.


Contact Details

Country office:
Fr Christoph Hermann SJ, Contact Person
Kungstradgardsgatan, 12,  S-11147 Stockholm
Tel: +46 8 505 78006 - Fax: +46 8 611 8808
christoph.hermann(a)jrs.net
sweden(a)jrs.net

To send an email, just replace the (a) with @.
 



 
 

Jesuit Refugee Service Europe - Rue du Progrès (Vooruitgangstraat) 333/2 - B-1030 Bruxelles - Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 250 32 20 - Fax: + 32 2 250 32 29 - Email: europe(a)jrs.net