How can we better integrate unaccompanied minor asylum seekers?

Dear Mr Pocas

The integration of underage asylum seekers is closely linked to child protection and migration policy. Under Swiss children’s rights legislation, the best interests of every minor must be guaranteed, regardless of their origin. However, research shows that this is not always the case for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs). 

Challenges in supporting unaccompanied minor asylum seekers

For young asylum seekers and the social workers supporting them, the uncertain outcome of the asylum procedure is one of the greatest challenges. They do not know whether the unaccompanied minors will be able to remain in Switzerland once they turn 18. Young asylum seekers are usually granted “provisional admission” status. As soon as they turn 18, they often receive a negative asylum decision. This makes it difficult to make plans for the future. It is difficult to find an apprenticeship if employers are uncertain because the person does not have a long-term residence permit. There may be a lack of motivation to learn the language if one might have to leave the country again in two years’ time. Consequently, social workers also focus on achieving short-term goals that can positively influence an asylum decision.

Long-term support for unaccompanied minors beyond the age of 18

As most unaccompanied minors are between 16 and 17 years oldwhen they arrive in Switzerland, they benefit from the special protection afforded by children’s rights for barely two years. But integration takes time: learning the language, making new friends, understanding the system… all of this takes years. It is therefore essential for the support of unaccompanied minors that they continue to be looked after beyond the age of 18. After all, you don’t simply become independent and an adult just because you’ve turned 18. To support their integration, unaccompanied minors (UMAs) should not be moved to asylum accommodation for adults at the age of 18 (as is often the case), but should continue to be supported by youth workers until they are independent.

“Relational” Vulnerability

A further difficulty is that unaccompanied minors have very different needs. In a study, we observed that social workers generally have to take on too many tasks in the young people’s day-to-day lives. As soon as they reach the age of majority, these young people feel overwhelmed when they suddenly have to do everything on their own (arranging doctor’s appointments, shopping, keeping their flat tidy, paying rent, etc.). Some UMAs are very independent and are happy to manage many things on their own and even want to live alone. Meanwhile, other UMAs need someone to take on the ‘parental role’. This is referred to as ‘relational vulnerability’ – a vulnerability that manifests itself differently depending on life experiences.

Social integration

Social integration means that the newly arrived person is able to build lasting social relationships. Language acquisition plays a central role here (see also my post elsewhere on this subject). But language is learnt more effectively through social contacts than just in a language course (you probably find this is the case for you too). It would therefore be very important for unaccompanied minors to come into contact with other Swiss young people as soon as possible. However, they are often housed in separate asylum accommodation for underage asylum seekers (rather than with other young people) and frequently in rural areas, where they tend to keep to themselves. 

Summary

In summary, it can be stated that the protracted asylum procedure, the precarious status of provisional admission, as well as accommodation in rural areas hinder the social integration of unaccompanied minors. The integration of UMAs should be conceived in the long term beyond their 18th birthday and greater attention should be paid to the individual needs of these young people. The social integration of unaccompanied minors depends on how open society is to welcoming these young people and providing them with opportunities for personal and professional development. It is crucial here to create spaces for interaction with the local population. One example of this is the PUMA association in Basel (https://www.vereinpuma.ch), which promotes partnerships between unaccompanied minors and the local population.

Further reading:

If you are interested in this topic, here is an article I wrote with a colleague: Gilliéron, G., & Jurt, L. (2017). A transition fraught with challenges: experiences of former unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. Soziale Passagen, 9(1), 135–151. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s12592-017-0253-6

And here is the text on ‘relational vulnerability’; pages 5–14 provide a very vivid account of the experiences of two unaccompanied minors: Mörgen, R., & Rieker, P. (2021). Experiences of vulnerability and the development of agency: Settlement processes of young refugees. Society – Individual – Socialisation. Journal of Socialisation Research, 2(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.26043/giso.2021.1.3