Interview with Marie Eidem from Caritas Sweden

Tell us about your organisation

Caritas Sweden is a Catholic organisation and part of the international Caritas network. I lead our community meeting place in Stockholm, Mötesplats Caritas Stockholm, and am also responsible for the national direction and development of our community meeting places.

Our Stockholm meeting place is based in Älvsjö and welcomes between 60 and 80 visitors each week. We have been working alongside people in vulnerable situations for more than ten years. People come for Swedish lessons, legal advice, practical help, medical advice, psychological support or simply company and a cup of coffee. We welcome people regardless of religion or legal status, including Swedish citizens.

Often, someone comes with a letter they need help understanding. As we get to know them, other concerns emerge: their children, their health, a difficult living situation or something they have not felt able to tell anyone. Our strength is that people can bring their whole situation, even when they do not know exactly what help to ask for. Our staff, volunteers and professional partners help them understand their options and find appropriate support.

Regarding the Pact on Migration and Asylum (“the Pact”), has national implementing legislation been adopted in Sweden? If not, has draft legislation been presented?

Yes. Parliament adopted legislation adapting Swedish law to the Pact in June, with most changes taking effect on 12 July. Sweden also introduced a new reception law on 1 October, including geographical restrictions and attendance requirements for asylum seekers.

The Pact is being introduced alongside extensive national changes to migration policy. It is important to distinguish between requirements arising from EU law and choices made by Sweden. For the people affected, however, these changes arrive together. Understanding what applies to their own situation can be very difficult.

How has the situation for people seeking protection in Sweden changed since the entry into application of the Pact on 12 June?

From our daily work, I cannot yet identify a clear change attributable specifically to the Pact. Many of the difficulties we encounter began before June, and several reforms are now taking effect at the same time.

What we do see is people living with prolonged uncertainty and struggling to understand a changing system. Some have been in Sweden for years. They are trying to make decisions about their families and everyday lives without knowing what their future will look like.

We meet people who are afraid of the authorities and keep their distance. They may rely on information from friends or social media, and fear grows around things they have heard but cannot verify. An important part of our work is helping them to find reliable information and understand their options.

In meetings with the authorities, I have stressed the gap between giving information and someone being able to understand and act on it. A person who is frightened, exhausted or affected by trauma may struggle to take in what is being said. Language, cultural expectations and previous experiences of authorities also matter. Sometimes, we need to sit down together, go through a letter carefully and return to the same questions more than once.

Some people face several barriers at once: uncertainty about their legal position, difficulty accessing healthcare, lack of money and fear of approaching an authority. Anxiety, sleeplessness and difficulty concentrating come up in our conversations; sometimes the distress is much more serious. A meeting place like ours can listen, build trust and help someone find appropriate support, but we cannot replace healthcare or qualified legal advice.

Reception conditions are a particular concern. The Swedish Institute for Human Rights has documented insecurity, lack of privacy and inadequate access to education and healthcare at reception and return centres, with particular consequences for children and people with disabilities. These are important conditions in which the new system is being implemented.

One observation from a recent Swedish conference on asylum law stayed with me: the staff work in the children’s home; the children do not live in the staff’s workplace. That should shape how these centres are organised and how people are treated there.

What are your biggest hopes and fears about the situation for people seeking protection in Sweden in the future?

We are watching how the new reception arrangements will work in practice. I am concerned that geographical restrictions and attendance requirements will leave people more isolated and make it harder to maintain relationships and reach support. Being able to visit someone you trust, attend an activity or get help outside your accommodation can mean a great deal.

Children need school, friends, play and a sense of belonging while their families’ cases are being considered. Describing accommodation as temporary does not stop months or years of their childhood passing there. Their safety, privacy and access to everyday life must carry real weight in decisions about reception.

I also worry about what can be missed when procedures move quickly. People do not always disclose exploitation, violence or other serious experiences in their first interview. Sometimes an important part of their story only emerges after several conversations. Identifying vulnerability requires trained staff, time and co-operation between authorities and support organisations.

The speed and volume of legislative change are another concern. Rules need to be carefully prepared, clear and understandable. Otherwise, uncertainty falls on the individual and on everyone responsible for applying them.

My hope is that the authorities will listen to people affected and to those working closely with them, and make changes when problems emerge. In our contacts with authorities, I see opportunities for useful co-operation. We can help reach people who are reluctant to approach authorities, correct misunderstandings and make contact possible. That work depends on trust, which takes time to build.

People must be able to understand the procedure, obtain qualified advice and have their individual circumstances properly considered. They also need access to healthcare and a clear route to help when something goes wrong. Those needs do not disappear when someone receives a refusal.

At Caritas, we will continue to sit down with people, listen and help them work out what they can do next. Whatever the outcome of their case, they should be treated with dignity and have a real opportunity to understand and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

For more information about Caritas Sweden, please visit their website.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.