Denmark: New refugee law planned
01 January 1991
Denmark: New refugee law planned
artdoc June=1993
Home Secretary, Birte Weiss says that a new refugee law will soon
be presented to parliament. Asylum application processing time
is to be reduced from two years to nine months, an equal
opportunities council introduced and asylum seekers will be
allowed to remain at the same asylum centre while they await the
outcome of their asylum applications (Jyllands Posten 3.4.93,
28.4.93).
Refugee organisations have expressed concern about the role
of the foreign ministry in assessing asylum applications. One
problem identified is the foreign office's use, in deciding what
are `safe countries', of anonymous sources, which often give a
much brighter picture of the situation in certain countries than
that given by Amnesty International or the UN.
For instance, Afghanistan has been listed as a safe country,
although the UN found last December that summary executions were
still taking place and that opponents of the current regime were
being imprisoned.
Figures from the beginning of 1993 show the number of
recognised refugees has increased by 10 per cent within a year.
Refugees now account for 0.9 per cent of the population
(Politiken 16.3.93, 23.3.93).
Refugee protests: Bosnians occupy bus
Bosnian refugees occupied a tourist bus for 15 days in protest
at being shifted from one asylum centre to the next (Jyllands
Posten 16.4.93). The 32 refugees, including 11 children, were
furious when, instead of being given permanent lodgings at Hampen
in mid-Jutland, they were moved to another temporary home at
Avnstrup on Zealand. They feared that regular moving around would
keep them at the back of the queue for permanent accommodation
(Jyllands Posten 16.4.93).
Children hide to halt deportation
Four Romanian children, between the ages of eight months and six
years, have gone into hiding in various Danish homes to prevent
their parents from being deported to Romania.
After the family's residence permit expired on April 6, the
parents decided not to risk their children being sent to an
uncertain future in their former homeland. In reality, the family
is stateless as they are only in possession of the so-called blue
Romanian passport, held by people who have promised to settle
abroad. Three years ago, the family was refused a Romanian
residence permit and were told never to set foot in the country
again (Jyllands Posten 7.4.93).
Kurds granted asylum
A group of 14 Kurds have been granted permanent residence
following a 27-month wait in a Red Cross asylum centre in
Fredericia.
Although the authorities had long recognised the Kurds as
political refugees, they had earlier ruled that Poland was the
Kurds first country of asylum. If returned, however, the Kurds
had feared being sent back to Iraq, a policy adopted by Poland
in the build-up to the Gulf war (Jyllands-Posten 20.2.93).
Public debate around refugees and immigrants
During a debate on `How do we solve the refugee problem' between
the Home Secretary, Birte Weiss and Per Madsen, mayor of Ishoej,
the Home Secretary has indicated that immigrants and refugees
must learn Danish before their applications for Danish
citizenship is granted.
Whilst the debate focused on the need for refugee children to
learn Danish, teachers at a school in the Farum district have
reacted angrily to a decision by the local authority to cut
special provision for teaching Danish by a third. Following the
announcement, the board of Stavnholt school sent a letter to the
council saying that they would not take part in the systematic
production of social losers consisting of second generation
Turks. They have set up special classes to give foreign children
special Danish teaching.
Meanwhile, Gasvaerksvejens school, with 90% non-Danish pupils,
may become Denmark's first school for refugee children.
Politicians are divided as to whether this would be a healthy
move (Jyllands-Po