Immigrants In Sweden

Sweden has a melting pot of ethnicities. The number of immigrants in Sweden has steadily risen in the past two decades. Approximately eight percent of Sweden's population is first generation immigrants. In twenty years, every fourth child is born in Sweden will have an immigrant background. Sweden's liberal social policies have allowed minority groups to maintain their cultural heritage while also participating in Swedish citizenship.
The Swedish government goes to great lengths to make sure that the immigrant children get the same priveleges as other children and that they feel comfortable and welcome in Sweden. Because of the many foreign children, Finnish, Turkish, Greek, Latin American, and African, there are many languages represented in Sweden. The schools are aware of this and offer these immigrants students a chance to study their native language in Swedish schools. The schools also provide special services and keep a close watch on these immigrants students, more so than the Swedish children.

Cultural and Language Barriers

There are many cultural and language barriers that exist which therefore cause numerous problems. Children that have a home language different than Swedish are more likely to have difficulty in school. Immigrant children are also more likely to be truant and to commit criminal crimes. Another problem with immigration is that there are some cultural barriers. Some immigrant parents have a different way of handling punishment with their children. They use more force when dealing with behavorial problems with their children, which contradicts the ban on corporal punishment. The Swedish government tries to do a lot for the children of immigrants and is always looking for ways to improve their quality fo life.

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References:
Lewis,M.(1996). "Denmark and Sweden: A Nordic Approach." Integrating Services for Children at Risk Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom(England And Wales)(pp.15-24). France: Head of Publications Service.
Persson, I.(1990).Generating Equality in the Welfare State. Norwegian Press: London.
Ronstrom, A.(1989). Sweden's Children Ombudsman: A Spokesperson for Children. Child Welfare,LXVIII(2),123-128.
Ziegert, K.(1983). The Swedish Prohibition of Corporal Punishment:A Preliminary Report. Journal of Marriage and The Family, 45: 917-926.

The purpose of this page is to educate browsers about the diversity in Sweden. This page was created by Kate Harris, Magda Hayes, and Sheri Goldberg as a collaborative website project forTulane University's href="http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids.htm">Children and Society Freshman Writing Seminar. You can view the other country websites by going to Childhood Around the World. The class was instructed by Professor April Brayfield.