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HADDILE'S DEPORTATION BATTLE

DEPORTATION

Toddler Haddile granted residency in Sweden

Two-year-old Haddile, who faced deportation after being abandoned in Sweden and assaulted by her stepfather, has been granted a two-year residency permit, migration authorities said on Monday, in a case that has engaged tens of thousands of Swedes and generated a great deal of media interest.

Toddler Haddile granted residency in Sweden

“The rationale and the goal is to arrange a reunification between Haddile and her biological parents. In addition, we can ensure that Haddile’s foster family can support Haddile during this process,” Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) general counsel Fredrik Beijer said in a statement.

The case of two-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, sparked outrage among Swedes when news of the case emerged in September 2012.

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 stepfather 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.

But when the Migration Board tried to deport Haddile to France to reunite her with her mother, tens of thousands of Swedes signed a petition condemning the move, prompting the agency in October to delay the deportation decision.

As Haddile had been born and raised in Sweden, only knew the Swedish language, and had bonded with her foster family in southern Sweden, many questioned whether deporting her was in her best interests.

In addition, her foster parents had expressed their interest in adopting her.

In November, a DNA test revealed an Algerian couple as Haddile’s birth parents

According to the Migration Board, it’s “important that Haddile is given the opportunity to get to know her parents, something that both social services in Lund and her foster parents are working toward”.

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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