Denmark: Asylum and immigration (4)
01 January 1991
Denmark: Asylum and immigration
artdoc November=1994
The integration debate
An association for ethnic minorities, IND-Sam, has called on the
government to establish a commission to investigate fully Danish
refugee policy, claiming that efforts to integrate refugees into
Danish society have failed. "The Danish system makes refugees
clients," said Joseph Obeng, chair of IND-Sam, criticising, in
particular, regulations that prevent asylum-seekers from working.
District social services directors, concerned at the high
proportion of refugees on the dole, agree. "It can't be right
that refugees have to wait until they are fourth or fifth
generation before they become integrated in the labour market,"
said Jane Torpegaard, chair of Greve district council (Jyllands-
Posten 11.2.95).
Refugees must work for social security payments
The local authority in Aarhus has brought in a new policy which
means that refugees will have to work for social security
payments.
According to the new regulations, refugees will spend 20 hours
a week working within private or public workplaces in order to
gain work "experience, and also have to attend ten hours of
Danish language classes a week. Those who fail to comply,
including women with small children at home, will have social
security payments stopped.
The Danish Immigrant Association Against Racism (IDFAD)
welcomed the plan, saying that "For years people have talked
about refugees' rights in Danish society. Now they are beginning
to talk about their obligations - and it's about time. The plan
may mean refugees become a positive factor in society rather than
a negative one." But the production director of a local company
was less enthusiastic. "We don't take people in because they are
free labour," said Per Joergenson. Companies have a greater need
for qualified workers than refugees on social security (Jyllands-
Posten 17, 18.2.95).
Political parties demand tough action on asylum
Permanent asylum for Bosnians contested
Liberal, Conservative and Progress parties, as well as many of
Denmark's mayors, have protested against a decision to allow
18,000 Bosnians, currently resident in Denmark on temporary
residence permits, the right to apply for permanent asylum. This
will lead to housing shortages and integration problems, the
politicians say.
The Danish Red Cross has announced that 14 asylum centres
for Bosnians are to be closed and refugees moved on to other
centres and special refugee towns where the conditions are better
(Jyllands-Posten 11, 12.1.95).
Calls for HIV - screening for immigrants and asylum-seekers
Liberal, Conservative and Progress parties have called for
greater testing of immigrants and asylum-seekers, particularly
from central Africa, for the HIV virus. The Progress party
has gone further, calling for routine testing of all asylum-
seekers (Jyllands-Posten 16.2.95).
Serbian extremist received information on asylum-seekers
A law professor at Copenhagen University has criticised the
Danish Foreign Ministry for sending, sensitive information about
asylum-seekers from the former Yugoslavia to a Serbian lawyer,
closely connected to a wanted Serbian war criminal.
Up until 1993, when a refugee applied for asylum in Denmark
and his papers could not be confirmed, they were forwarded to the
Danish embassy in Belgrade to be assessed by local lawyers. At
this point, Igor Pantelic, who was in close contact with Zelijko
Raznajatovic Arkan - leader of the Serbian special forces which
drove Muslims out of Bosnia, was one of these lawyers. Pantelic
had also stood with the Serbian extremist as a parliamentary
candidate for the Serbian Unity party.
The Foreign Ministry has now severed its connection with
Pantelic. But asylum-seekers in Denmark have still not been
informed whether their papers have been in Pantelic's hands
(Jyllands-Posten 27.2.95).
Iranians fight deportation