A new UNHCR-commissioned study provides an overview and analysis of how Sweden has implemented the Temporary Protection Directive for refugees from Ukraine.
In the report “The Temporary Protection Directive and the implementation of temporary protection in Sweden” (”Massflyktsdirektivet aktiveras – tillfälligt skydd i Sverige”), the Swedish Refugee Law Center provides an analysis of the Swedish implementation of the decision to activate the Temporary Protection Directive in the response to the refugee flows from Ukraine.
The new study is commissioned by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and focuses on the situation in terms of access to temporary protection, the right to seek international protection, the right to family reunification, and the social and economic rights of the persons granted temporary protection.
One key recommendation from the report is to ensure that persons with temporary protection are entitled to the same level of social support and access to health services as other refugees in Sweden. The report highlights that people fleeing Ukraine are only entitled to “healthcare that cannot wait” and only receive a very limited daily financial allowance on the same level as asylum-seekers, which is considerably lower than the support granted for recognized refugees.
While Sweden’s response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive, UNHCR shares the concerns expressed by a broad range of civil society organizations that people fleeing Ukraine are not provided the same rights as other refugees in Sweden. In addition, UNHCR believes that financial aid and social support must be at a sufficient level to ensure a dignified standard of living.
It is UNHCR’s hope that the report from the Swedish Refugee Law Center will contribute to a continued dialogue with relevant stakeholders, including the Swedish government, to strengthen the economic and social rights for persons granted temporary protection.
Find the report here.
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