Afghan refugees attempt suicide after tougher asylum rules in Sweden

TMP – 22/02/2017

According to a report published by Agence France Press (AFP) on 8 February, in the past two weeks seven asylum seekers have tried to kill themselves at different refugee housing centres across Sweden. All were Afghan teenagers aged under 18 and three have been pronounced dead. The surge of suicides are being attributed to Sweden’s stricter asylum rules.

Last year the Swedish Migration Board reassessed some regions of Afghanistan and determined them to be “less dangerous” than they once were. The assessment has made it easier for authorities to deport rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan.

“There are parts of Afghanistan where one can return,” a spokesman for the Swedish Migration Board said. The spokesman also confirmed that rejected asylum seekers under 18 will not be sent back to Afghanistan if they do not have family members or acquaintances to take care of them. Last year, Sweden rejected 600 Afghan minors asylum.