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Denmark’s biggest party wants expelled children cases sorted

Christian Wenande
December 12th, 2018


This article is more than 6 years old.

Socialdemokratiet unveils proposal in wake of dubious rulings

Over 60 kids have been kicked out since last year (photo: Pixabay)

The two high-profile cases involving Yiming and Mint have prompted political action.

Both girls were about the same age at the time of their residence application – Yiming (from China) was 13 and Mint (from Thailand) was 12. Both have an Asian mother with full custody, a Danish stepfather and a biological father in their homeland who they don’t have much contact with.

Both girls have spent most of their lives in their homelands. They both arrived in Denmark after their mother arrived and they had both attended Danish schools for 14-17 months by the time Immigration Services makes a decision on their cases.

But despite the glaring similarities of the cases, Yiming (then 15) was allowed to stay in Denmark, while Mint (then 13) was told to leave the country within a week because she was evaluated as being unable to attain an acceptable level of connection to Denmark.

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Presented today
Yiming still attends her school here in Denmark, while Mint has been forced to move back to Thailand with her mother, while her stepfather and half-brother remain in Denmark.

The cases are not unique, according to Immigration Ministry figures, which show that of the 120 children evaluated for their prospective integration ability, 58 were approved, while 62 were denied.

READ MORE: Brexit border-dash: I can’t become a Dane

S stepping up
Now, Socialdemokratiet (S) party has had enough of the opaque processing procedure and has put forward a proposal that aims to avoid cases such as with Mint and Yiming.

“We propose a law that is based on objective and transparent criteria so we can clearly inform parents that their children can come here if they adhere to four or five specific criteria,” Mattias Tesfaye, the spokesperson for integration issues for S, told TV2 News.

The proposal will be presented to Parliament today, as well as proposals from other parties, including Venstre and Dansk Folkeparti.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”