The Finnish government wants to tighten certain rules on the right of asylum seekers to work. The government is proposing that asylum applicants without valid travel documents not be allowed to work until they have been in the country for at least six months.
At present, asylum seekers awaiting a decision in their cases can take up jobs after being in the country for three months.
Tougher regulations are also being proposed on the reunification of families. The draft revisions would give underage asylum seekers the right to be joined by family members only if they are minors at the time that a residence permit is granted. Currently, the right is based on a minor's age at the time of application.
Another change that the government wants written into law is legal status for a forensic determination of age. This could be done in cases in which there is cause to believe that the asylum applicant has lied about his or her age.
The government's draft does not take a stand on the definition of a nuclear family -- for example, if grandparents should be granted the same rights as parents, children or siblings.
YLE
Friday, 13 November 2009
Saturday, 24 October 2009
UPDATE: SAF - Mariehamn 2010
Next year, the Åland Islands will witness the first ever African festival on the island. Hej Åland is behind it and so far the city of Mariehamn has expressed their willingness and desire to make it happen.
A project proposal has already been drafted and the cultural committee of the city is going through it. The festival would start on the 9th July 2010 with an official opening ceremony and fashion show at the prestigious Alandica Cultural Centre. There would be a masquerade parade from the city council building, through torgatan (street) to Alandica.
The next day, 10th July, would be the Open Mic night. More than ten DJs and musicians from Sweden, Denmark and France would take the stage to exhibit their talents. One of the popular musicians expected to perform is Mary N’diaye, a young Swedish with Gambian and Senegalese parents.
Hej Åland blog would soon be transformed to a website and there you could read all the latest information about SAF 2010-Mariehamn. If you live on Åland and would like to be part of the organising team, you are highly welcomed. The festival is all about promoting diversity!
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Many Immigrant Youths Consider Leaving Finland
Immigrant youths often want to leave Finland, according to a new survey. Networking and linguistic ability are factors helping them move away while racialism and prejudice accounted in Finland often provide the springboard.
According to a survey carried out by TAT Group, SEK PRO Oy:n and 15/30 Research, integration of young immigrants into Finnish society is a long process. For many building a life in Finland is not on their agenda.
Youths with a Russian, Estonian or Somali background often do not consider themselves as Finns, even if they have resided in the country for most of their lives and are Finnish citizens.
On the contrary, they maintain a strong individual cultural identity and an awareness of where home is. Youths say they are from Russia, Estonia and Somalia and are proud of the fact.
Finland is not an easy environment for all young immigrants. Public structures present a picture of equality while in reality racialism and prejudice remain fundamental problems.
Those interviewed said they often experienced racialism from older people and inebriates but they also singled out the media.
Somali youths were, in particular, the target for racial abuse. However, Estonians felt more at home in Finland with a much smaller cultural gap.
Hopes and expectations regarding working life were the same as those of Finnish youths. Of prime importance was getting a job in line with one’s education and training, job satisfaction as well as a pleasant working environment. Immigrant youths also possess a high motivation to gain training. The research also shows they have strong linguistic abilities and possess a wide international social network.
Estonian and Russian youths place great faith in their individual ability to get employment in Finland. However, Somali youths feel they are at a disadvantage owing to their background.
Many Ready to Move Abroad
Youths interviewed for the survey would easily be prepared to leave Finland. They cite the lengthy duration of integration as well as racialism. Other factors prompting departure included internationalism, a desire to travel and a desire to develop themselves.
Somali youths had the greatest willingness to leave and often wanted to return to their homeland. They cite a common desire of the Somali community to be able to someday return to their country of origin or live in a Muslim country. In addition, Finland is perceived as being prejudiced and unequal in working life. Somali youths often feel they cannot achieve their goals in Finland.
Estonian and Russian youths do not actively consider a return home. They usually feel that Finland could be their future home or they plan to move elsewhere.
Youths aged between 15 and 21 from Somali, Russian and Estonian backgrounds were interviewed by 15/30 Research as well as a comparison group of Finnish youths. Some 55 young people took part in either individual or group interviews.
YLE
According to a survey carried out by TAT Group, SEK PRO Oy:n and 15/30 Research, integration of young immigrants into Finnish society is a long process. For many building a life in Finland is not on their agenda.
Youths with a Russian, Estonian or Somali background often do not consider themselves as Finns, even if they have resided in the country for most of their lives and are Finnish citizens.
On the contrary, they maintain a strong individual cultural identity and an awareness of where home is. Youths say they are from Russia, Estonia and Somalia and are proud of the fact.
Finland is not an easy environment for all young immigrants. Public structures present a picture of equality while in reality racialism and prejudice remain fundamental problems.
Those interviewed said they often experienced racialism from older people and inebriates but they also singled out the media.
Somali youths were, in particular, the target for racial abuse. However, Estonians felt more at home in Finland with a much smaller cultural gap.
Hopes and expectations regarding working life were the same as those of Finnish youths. Of prime importance was getting a job in line with one’s education and training, job satisfaction as well as a pleasant working environment. Immigrant youths also possess a high motivation to gain training. The research also shows they have strong linguistic abilities and possess a wide international social network.
Estonian and Russian youths place great faith in their individual ability to get employment in Finland. However, Somali youths feel they are at a disadvantage owing to their background.
Many Ready to Move Abroad
Youths interviewed for the survey would easily be prepared to leave Finland. They cite the lengthy duration of integration as well as racialism. Other factors prompting departure included internationalism, a desire to travel and a desire to develop themselves.
Somali youths had the greatest willingness to leave and often wanted to return to their homeland. They cite a common desire of the Somali community to be able to someday return to their country of origin or live in a Muslim country. In addition, Finland is perceived as being prejudiced and unequal in working life. Somali youths often feel they cannot achieve their goals in Finland.
Estonian and Russian youths do not actively consider a return home. They usually feel that Finland could be their future home or they plan to move elsewhere.
Youths aged between 15 and 21 from Somali, Russian and Estonian backgrounds were interviewed by 15/30 Research as well as a comparison group of Finnish youths. Some 55 young people took part in either individual or group interviews.
YLE
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Fadayel's Family Vows to Battle Case in Highest Court
The Christian Democrats appealed to Parliament on Wednesday to change laws governing residence permits. The party has joined in a Vantaa family's fight to keep their Egyptian mother, Eveline Fadayel, in Finland. The family, which is contesting a deportation order, says it is prepared to take its battle to the highest courts.
Eveline Fadayel's family is appealing the authorities' decision that calls for deporting her by the end of the month. All three of Fadayel's children live in Finland, and all six of her grandchildren are Finnish citizens. Her sons say she won't manage by herself in Egypt.
The Lutheran Parish of Vantaankoski has rallied behind the family, offering the woman sanctuary based on humanitarian reasons.
Under current law, a foreign elderly relative must be totally dependent on her family to be allowed to stay in Finland.
On Wednesday, the Christian Democratic parliamentary group said it would work to amend legislation. Under the law, extended family members, like the parents of adult children living in Finland, are rarely granted residence permits. The Christian Democrats argue that the definition of family should include parents.
Meanwhile, Fadayel's family will appeal the decision to the Supreme Administrative Court, and says they'll continue to the European Court of Human Rights, if necessary.
Culled from YLE
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Multicultural Marriages and its Challenges
Study indicates mixed marriages end much more often in divorce
Cultural differences, speedy marriage, and prejudices hamper relationships
By Ann-Mari Huhtanen
Marriages made across cultural lines have appreciably smaller chances of succeeding than those made within the mainstream Finnish population.
This is the rather grim prognosis for mixed marriages in Finland, where a union between a Finnish and a foreign partner is almost three times as likely to end in separation and divorce as one in which both spouses are of Finnish origin.
The less than appealing numbers have come from Elli Heikkilä, Research Director of the Institute of Migration, and Tarja Niemi, Chairman of the Union of Multicultural Families, who have carried out a study of mixed marriages.
At the same time, they only confirm calculations made by Statistics Finland from 2007.
For every 100 marriages between two Finnish partners, the figure for divorces in a single year was 1.3. The corresponding figure for mixed marriages was nearly three times greater.
Of the marriages celebrated in Helsinki in 2007, a total of 14.4% were between a Finnish citizen and a foreigner.
Nearly half of all multicultural knots in Finland are tied in the Greater Helsinki area.
Gender does seem to matter in the divorce statistics: if the man is a Finn and the woman a foreigner, the relationship is more likely to break down than in the case of a Finnish wife and a foreign husband.
"The more distant the culture, the more often a marriage ends in separation", comments Elli Heikkilä, by way of an explanation for the imbalance leading to Finnish men parting more often from their foreign wives.
Finnish men tend quite often to find a foreign spouse from the Philippines or Thailand.Russian brides are also quite common.
Finnish women, on the other hand, tend to marry "outside of the fold" with men from Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East and Turkey.
"Roughly 60 per cent of the immigrants coming into Finland do so for family reasons, accompanying a spouse", says Tarja Niemi.
Multicultural unions are forged more quickly than marriages among the mainstream Finnish population.
The time to get to know the other partner is often quite short, when the path to marriage is speeded up in order to secure a residence permit.
The depressing divorce statistics cannot be explained away merely by indecent haste over getting married, by cultural differences, or by questions of values, however.
Relationships are also buffeted by pressures from the surrounding society, and by prejudices and entrenched attitudes.
"Friends and relatives do not necessarily warm to the new spouse or give their approval very quickly. Acceptance depends on whether a common language can be found and common interests", Niemi goes on.
The local bureaucracy does not help overly much. A spouse who does not speak Finnish requires his or her partner's help in getting residence documents, language training, and in applying for work.
"The authorities also tend to rely on the fact that a Finnish spouse will always be on hand to help out in practical matters", notes Niemi.
The Finnish partner in the marriage often tires of looking after the other. By the same token, the situation is hardly pleasant for the foreign spouse. The sense of not being able to do anything and of being outside the society eats away at the relationship over time.
"A foreign spouse in Finland has to search for his or her role in the society. Back home he has known who he is, but over here he is suddenly nothing", says Niemi.
Pressures on a married relationship are also brought to bear by the suspense over whether or not the other partner will even get a residence permit to live in Finland. Insecurity and long waits while applications are handled are an everyday feature of mixed marriages in this country.
Those who move to Finland for family reasons are often left high and dry without support or advice, even though other immigrants and refugees are provided with help, for instance in adapting to a new culture and society.
Niemi from the Union of Multicultural Families and Heikkilä from the Institute of Migration both call for a greater measure of societal support for multicultural marriages.
At present, help for the marriages and the arranging of peer-group support are seen to be the responsibility of the third sector, in other words voluntary non-profit and non-governmental organisations.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 29.7.2009
Cultural differences, speedy marriage, and prejudices hamper relationships
By Ann-Mari Huhtanen
Marriages made across cultural lines have appreciably smaller chances of succeeding than those made within the mainstream Finnish population.
This is the rather grim prognosis for mixed marriages in Finland, where a union between a Finnish and a foreign partner is almost three times as likely to end in separation and divorce as one in which both spouses are of Finnish origin.
The less than appealing numbers have come from Elli Heikkilä, Research Director of the Institute of Migration, and Tarja Niemi, Chairman of the Union of Multicultural Families, who have carried out a study of mixed marriages.
At the same time, they only confirm calculations made by Statistics Finland from 2007.
For every 100 marriages between two Finnish partners, the figure for divorces in a single year was 1.3. The corresponding figure for mixed marriages was nearly three times greater.
Of the marriages celebrated in Helsinki in 2007, a total of 14.4% were between a Finnish citizen and a foreigner.
Nearly half of all multicultural knots in Finland are tied in the Greater Helsinki area.
Gender does seem to matter in the divorce statistics: if the man is a Finn and the woman a foreigner, the relationship is more likely to break down than in the case of a Finnish wife and a foreign husband.
"The more distant the culture, the more often a marriage ends in separation", comments Elli Heikkilä, by way of an explanation for the imbalance leading to Finnish men parting more often from their foreign wives.
Finnish men tend quite often to find a foreign spouse from the Philippines or Thailand.Russian brides are also quite common.
Finnish women, on the other hand, tend to marry "outside of the fold" with men from Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East and Turkey.
"Roughly 60 per cent of the immigrants coming into Finland do so for family reasons, accompanying a spouse", says Tarja Niemi.
Multicultural unions are forged more quickly than marriages among the mainstream Finnish population.
The time to get to know the other partner is often quite short, when the path to marriage is speeded up in order to secure a residence permit.
The depressing divorce statistics cannot be explained away merely by indecent haste over getting married, by cultural differences, or by questions of values, however.
Relationships are also buffeted by pressures from the surrounding society, and by prejudices and entrenched attitudes.
"Friends and relatives do not necessarily warm to the new spouse or give their approval very quickly. Acceptance depends on whether a common language can be found and common interests", Niemi goes on.
The local bureaucracy does not help overly much. A spouse who does not speak Finnish requires his or her partner's help in getting residence documents, language training, and in applying for work.
"The authorities also tend to rely on the fact that a Finnish spouse will always be on hand to help out in practical matters", notes Niemi.
The Finnish partner in the marriage often tires of looking after the other. By the same token, the situation is hardly pleasant for the foreign spouse. The sense of not being able to do anything and of being outside the society eats away at the relationship over time.
"A foreign spouse in Finland has to search for his or her role in the society. Back home he has known who he is, but over here he is suddenly nothing", says Niemi.
Pressures on a married relationship are also brought to bear by the suspense over whether or not the other partner will even get a residence permit to live in Finland. Insecurity and long waits while applications are handled are an everyday feature of mixed marriages in this country.
Those who move to Finland for family reasons are often left high and dry without support or advice, even though other immigrants and refugees are provided with help, for instance in adapting to a new culture and society.
Niemi from the Union of Multicultural Families and Heikkilä from the Institute of Migration both call for a greater measure of societal support for multicultural marriages.
At present, help for the marriages and the arranging of peer-group support are seen to be the responsibility of the third sector, in other words voluntary non-profit and non-governmental organisations.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 29.7.2009
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Green Light for Åland's first African Festival
Finally i have received my näringsrätt from the Landskapregering. It wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be. I was only asked to submit an application with supporting documents like ämbetsbevis, självrådighetsintyg and hemortsintyg.
The whole process cost me close to 50€ but I am so glad that I have finally got the green light from the Landskapregering to hold my Sabaar African Festival (SAF2010) next summer in the month of July.
Now I am waiting on the Marieham Stad to identify the venue for the festival. The two day festival shall comprise of music performances, fashion show, masquerades parade among other things.
More about the festival in our subsequent editions! If you are interested in getting involved you can contact us on hejaland@gmail.com.
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Alice Bah kommer till Åland
Här är lite information om Alice Bah från wikipedia. Jag är så stolt över henne komma eftersom hennes far är från Gambia.
Alice Bah, gift Alice Bah Kuhnke, född 21 december 1971 i Malmö, är en före detta programledare som är chef för och en av grundarna av tankesmedjan Sektor3[1].
Bah växte upp i Horda i Småland med en mor från Sverige och far från Gambia. Hon gick på friidrottsgymnasiet i Växjö och var under slutet av 1980-talet en av landets bästa kvinnliga sprinterlöpare, med 200 meter som hennes bästa gren. Hennes TV-karriär började 1992 med SVT:s Disneyklubben, tillsammans med Eva Röse och Johan Petersson. Åren 1998-99 hade hon en egen pratshow i TV4.
Efter att Bah lämnade TV har hon bland annat varit verksamhetschef för avdelningen Idéer för livet på Skandia. Åren 2004-2007 arbetade Bah som generalsekreterare för organisationen Rättvisemärkt.[2]
Bah är ledamot av Svenska kyrkans kyrkomöte åren 2006-2010 samt ledamot i styrelsen för Dramaten.
I september 2009 börjar Bah som miljö- och CSR-chef på ÅF.[3]
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