Somalis Fear Children Will Falsely Claim Abuse

Submitted by Nicky Philip (India), Jul 21, 2008 at 08:36

Unaccompanied children live in a shadowy land of false identity and isolation. Once a separated child has been given asylum on the basis of the story they give at the port of entry, they must stick to that story - or face the threat of deportation. Asylum status can be revoked if there is any evidence that it was gained on pretence. In the case of separated children, who are frequently forced to give a false identity, this has serious implications. It means they must, as teenagers and adults, continue to live with it. "We need a new word for 'lying'", asserts psychologist Marie Hessle, who works with unaccompanied children in Sweden. Hessle and other professionals suggest that separated children need a legal and psychological mechanism that allows them to "confess" their real identity.
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Nicky Philip

Addiction Recovery Ohio

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