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HADDILE'S DEPORTATION BATTLE

ALGERIA

Algerian couple shown to be Haddile’s parents

A DNA test has shown that an Algerian couple are indeed the birth parents of Haddile, a two-year-old who faced deportation after being abandoned in Sweden and assaulted by her step-father, a lawyer for the couple has said.

Algerian couple shown to be Haddile's parents

“They’ve received an answer from the Swedish embassy that the DNA test proved they are Haddile’s parents,” the couple’s lawyer, Fatima Benbraham, told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

She expects the couple to come to Sweden on December 7th.

Carl-Olof Lindberg, who represents Haddile, told TT he has warned the social services administration in Lund to be ready for every possible scenario when the toddler’s birth parents arrive.

“The Algerian couple might just come here to simply pick up the girl and say thanks a lot for your time. It’s going to be terribly traumatic for her because she doesn’t have any memory of her parents, has never been to their home homeland, and doesn’t speak their language.”

The social services office’s investigation will ultimately determine if Haddile should continue to be cared for by the foster parents with whom she has lived for nearly her entire life.

The case of 2-year-old Haddile, who was abandoned by her mother shortly after her birth and then allegedly abused by her stepfather before being taken in by foster parents, has outraged and captivated Swedes.

The girl’s mother, who is Algerian but has French citizenship, disappeared 20 days after giving birth at a hospital in Lund in the south of Sweden.

Haddile’s step-father took care of her when the mother disappeared but he was accused of abuse after the baby girl was admitted to hospital with serious brain damage at the age of four months.

The child then ended up in foster care and her foster parents have said they are willing to adopt her.

A move by the Migration Board (Migrationsverket) to deport the child to France in an effort to reunite her with her mother resulted in a petition signed by tens of thousands of Swedes, prompting the agency to put a temporary delay on their deportation decision as the search for her parents continued.

If social services decide that the girl should be reunited with her birth parents, Haddile’s case would no longer be a matter for migration authorities.

Citing a report from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Lindberg fears that, since Haddile was born out of wedlock, she will be traumatized and suffer for the rest of her life in Algeria.

TT/The Local/dl

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INTEGRATION

New Danish rules announced for family reunification of children

Denmark’s Ministry of Immigration and Integration has announced new rules regarding the family reunification of children, after controversial cases in which children were deported caused public outcry.

New Danish rules announced for family reunification of children
File photo: Asger Ladefoged/Ritzau Scanpix

Foreign residents of Denmark who want their children to move to the country to live with them must apply for this as soon as possible and no later than three months after being granted residency, the ministry announced.

Meanwhile, an existing demand for good “long-term integration prospects” for children applying for family reunification will be scrapped.

The government has agreed with the Danish People’s Party and Social Democrats over the proposed rule change and will now formulate a bill, according to a ministry press statement.

Rules on the area have seen heavy debate in recent months, particularly in relation to a case involving 13-year-old Atcharapan “Mint” Yaungyai, who in October last year left Denmark, where she lived with her mother and Danish stepfather and stepbrother.

Mint, who moved to Denmark in 2017 and attended school at seventh grade, the normal level for her age, was refused permission to remain in the country due to not fulfilling Immigration Board (Udlændingenævnet) requirements over integration. She was deported to Thailand, where she was accompanied by her mother.

The reason given by authorities for her deportation was that she was considered have lived in Thailand for too long to become integrated in Denmark. Several politicians spoke publicly to criticise the outcome of her case.

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The aim of the new rule is to stress the importance of early application, according to the ministry press statement.

“If a parent wishes to live and reside in Denmark with their child, they must bring their child here immediately,” immigration minister Inger Støjberg said in the statement.

“Children should not just be left in home countries for several years,” Støjberg also said, adding that this constituted a risk that “the child could, for example, end up at Quran school”.

No elaboration was given in the statement as to why Islamic schools were cited, but Støjberg has previously backed assessment of children’s ability to adapt to Danish society.

Such a measure can prevent parents choosing to leave them in home countries for years with the aim of preventing them from becoming 'too Danish', according to the minister.

Current rules in the area have resulted in a number of cases such as that of Mint, who attended state school in Denmark and speaks fluent Danish.

The new rules will apply to cases in which one parent lives in Denmark while the other remains in the home country or a third country.

The rule change will not affect Mint’s case and will only apply to future cases, Støjberg has previously confirmed.

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