Att vänta på asyl i Sverige : En studie om hur flyktingar uppfattar bemötandet från det svenska samhället

Sweden is traditionally one of the European countries with the highest number of asylum seekers. The Migration Board is the authority responsible for investigation of asylum cases. Moreover it is responsible for taking care of refugees while they await their decision. The refugees come in contact also with other actors within the Swedish society. Considering the refugees’ difficult situation, it is important that they are received in a dignified manner and met with kind treatment. Is our society good at doing so? This is the object of investigation in this study. It answers the following questions: i) What do refugees need in order to cope with all the difficulties related to being a refugee? ii) In the refugees’ own opinion, what kind of help and support does the Swedish society offer them? iii) In the refugees’ opinion, what effect do the society’s actions have? The study makes use of a theory about the refugee crisis with its development through losses in different categories. In order to answer the research questions eight asylum seekers, living in a camp in Sweden, were interviewed. The result of analyses showed that the participants’ opinions about the Swedish society were generally positive despite having mostly bad experiences with the clerks at the Migration Board. The Swedes acted, in the refugees’ opinion, as kind people, willing to help. They seemed to sympathize with refugees and understand their situation. The result of the study agrees with former research and theories about the refugee crisis. Swedish lessons were the most effective aid from the society. The residence permit was the most desired help which the refugees wanted to have from the Swedish society