Children lack space to play in Sweden’s return centres

Children in Sweden’s reception and return centres lack space to play and study, Save the Children warns. The Migration Agency says it knows about the problems and is working to improve safety.

Sara Skoog, a psychotherapist with Save the Children in Malmö, told Sveriges Radio on Saturday that children’s childhoods were being put on hold. Her warning comes as more centres are due to open.

The concern extends beyond one site. An August rights report drew on interviews with residents at several centres and visits to two. It found insecurity, inadequate privacy and failures to meet children’s needs for play, rest and development.

The Swedish Institute for Human Rights also found that residents lacked clear ways to complain. Several feared negative consequences if they raised problems.

The centres house asylum seekers and people awaiting departure after rejected applications. The Migration Agency says it is responsible for providing a safe environment for children, including rooms for play, activities and study.

DailySweden

DailySweden's desk of editors, reporters, researchers and investigative journalists. We bring readers factual, truthful and objective reporting on the issues that matter to them.

Contact the editorial desk ›