– We try to visit them at least once a week, if not we have telephone contact, says Susann Smestad. She works at Kongsvinger asylum reception and is out to visit the children who live with an adult who is neither mother nor father. A small bicycle is lying on the grass. Inside the peeling, red wooden house lives a pair of Syrian siblings aged 7 and 15, together with an uncle. Susann is an extra resource hired after the reception received extra money to be able to better monitor the children. Photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / news Today the boys are not at home. So she moves on. To a Syrian seven-year-old with a broad smile and a slightly too big unicorn bag, who lives with an aunt. Other rules for Norwegian children – We are very worried about the children who come with an accompanying person because we do not know who the accompanying person is, says Gro Anna Persheim, subject manager at UDI. 136 children currently live in an adult reception together with an “accompanying person”, according to figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). There has been a sharp increase in the past year. One of the reasons is the war in Ukraine. – It can be anything from an exceptionally good grandmother or grandfather with whom the child has grown up, to a human trafficker or abuser who is looking to sell or prey on the child, says Persheim. Gro Anna Persheim, subject manager in the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. Photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / news Recently, news told about a nine-year-old who came to Norway with his aunt, who suddenly disappeared. At reception, the accompanying person is responsible for the day-to-day care – without them being examined by the child welfare services. For Norwegian children, there are stricter controls. The representatives react to this. news has spoken to several people who fear that the children are not being looked after well enough. In a report of concern that news has seen, it is announced: “We accept, without investigating further, that the companion will be the children’s closest carer from day one. This despite the fact that they cannot show documents on who they are, or what relationship they have to the children.” Offenses uncovered at reception In the spring, the State Administrator sounded the alarm after a visit to Kongsvinger asylum reception. They were supposed to check whether the children living there with an accompanying person received proper care. In the supervision report, they concluded: “Great risk that the children may experience abuse, neglect, serious incidents and disappearance from the reception.” They recently notified the Norwegian Health Authority. Entrance to the reception at Kongsvinger asylum reception. Photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / news Previously it was the UDI that controlled this itself. Now, for the first time, the State Administrator has led the inspection. Offenses and deviations that were uncovered: The reception says that they have experienced that accomplices are young, struggle with mental health and exploit the children for financial gain. Several of the children did not know the staff, and none had a special contact. The staff aim to be with the children once a week, but have not managed this. There is a great risk that the children may experience conditions related to neglect, abuse, serious incidents and disappearance from the reception. Insufficient childcare expertise and staffing to ensure proper care. Sana, who runs the reception, responded to the report: “It worries us that ongoing violence and abuse can continue to be facilitated in our receptions. Cf. Human trafficking and child marriage.” They discover in reception that the police do not map well enough who the accomplices are. Furthermore, they believe that either 24-hour receptions must be set up, or the child welfare agency must approve the accompanying persons as carers. Unable to uncover abuse After the inspection, Kongsvinger received extra money, which they themselves had requested. And the number of children with an accompanying person has now been reduced from fifteen to five. So now they manage to visit the children at least twice a week. But it is not good enough if you are going to be able to uncover neglect and abuse, says Persheim from the UDI. – I think they should stop by and have contact once a day, she says. Persheim believes the reception has received enough money to implement this. Jon Ivar Bergersen, reception manager at Kongsvinger asylum reception. Photo: Ronald Hold Fossåskaret / news Jon Ivar Bergersen, who is the manager at the reception, does not agree. Adult receptions have no staff in the evening or at weekends, as at receptions for children and young people. – During the day, the children are at school, so this is what we manage with the resources we have been allocated. If you are going to have qualified staff in the afternoon and evening, it costs more money, he says. Bergersen believes that they have control over the children who live with a companion today, but that it could become problematic if they have 5–10 more children. And the arrival numbers are constantly rising. Last week, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) was at the Storting and informed that one must be prepared for many new asylum seekers in the future. “Alarming” Jon Ole Martinsen of the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) believes that the report to the State Administrator shows how children’s rights, care and need for security are not taken care of. Jon Ole Martinsen, spokesperson for the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) Photo: Silje Rognsvåg / news – That the reception has so little contact with the children they are responsible for is alarming, he says. What will UDI do to ensure that these children are looked after? – Right now we are thinking about establishing our own units that have more time to observe, talk to and give advice. Furthermore, we want to further strengthen ordinary receptions that receive unaccompanied minors with their accompanying person, says Gro Anna Persheim. Response from the Police’s Immigration Unit (PU) Svein Arne Hansen, section leader of the Common Enher for ID clarification in the Police’s Immigration Unit, replies in an e-mail to news: PU has the national responsibility for registering asylum applications. It is important to be aware that these are asylum seekers who come voluntarily and report to the police. PU compares the information provided by the accompanying person and the child and conducts separate interviews with the child and the accompanying person. It gives the child an opportunity to talk freely with the police and tell about their situation. Any documentation brought with you is checked to see if it is possible to clarify in more detail what the relationship is between the child and the accompanying person. There is generally no requirement that the minor and accompanying person have a family relationship. In any event, it will vary whether applicants provide documents and whether these documents provide any information about the relationship. It is important to emphasize that PU is only one of the actors in the asylum process. Although PU must always look for and assess police conditions at each and every arrival and asylum registration, there are several other public bodies that have the main responsibility for the unaccompanied minor children and have more extensive contact with these children and accompanying persons. Illustration: Tom Bob Aronsen/KI / news
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UDI and reception are concerned about 137 asylum children who live with “companions” – news Vestland
