Refugee children overwhelm the federal government

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Far too few supervisors, far too little space. The sharp increase in unaccompanied youth is not only pushing the cantons to their limits, but also the federal government.

In a recent report, the Commission for the Prevention of Torture described the situation in federal asylum centers as worrying. The expert committee accuses the authorities of violating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A social worker for 100 young people

According to the report, one trained social worker is sometimes responsible for 70 to 100 unaccompanied youth in one day. Staff at the center in Balerna TI told the commission that the youths were “left to fend for themselves and out of work”.

According to “Observer”, some young people can no longer go to school because there is a lack of school places. 16 and 17 year olds are treated as adults, although they are entitled to special care. The conclusion of the anti-torture commission is clear: authorities and politicians must act.

“We don’t have to be ashamed”

For SP country council member Samira Marti (29), the findings of the anti-torture committee are an “alarm signal”. “Many young people are traumatized by war, violence and fleeing. They need a safe, quiet environment.” Overcrowded, understaffed, and zero-employment federal asylum centers are “a disaster for the teens.”

Central National Councilor Marco Romano (40), on the other hand, finds the harsh criticism of the anti-torture commission unjustified and exaggerated. He is chairman of the state political committee of the National Council, which deals with the asylum system. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is doing “everything it can to find solutions”, he emphasizes. For example, during the summer months, children at the Federal Asylum Center in Balerna TI could attend a nearby agricultural school during the day, where they would have more room for activities. “In Italy, children sleep on the street. We have nothing to be ashamed of compared to neighboring countries,” says de Ticino.

You also have to take into account that the young people are only briefly received in federal asylum seekers centers, says SVP Landsraadmember Martina Bircher (39). On average that is 90 days – after that they are assigned to a canton that takes care of the housing.

There is a lack of money and personnel

According to the SEM, more than a third more full-time jobs than are currently available for youth care would be needed to meet its own guidelines. Annual costs: 38 million Swiss francs. Opening new asylum centers to adequately accommodate the underage refugees would be even more expensive.

But cost is not the only problem. The organizations that run the federal asylum seekers’ centers have long struggled to find qualified personnel. As of March, more than 60 full-time positions in child refugee shelters were unfilled, according to the SEM.

As long as the number of unaccompanied youths is so high, the situation in federal asylum centers will remain realistically precarious.

Source:Blick