The number of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in Sweden is decreasing

The number of young Moroccan asylum seekers in Sweden fell by 20% compared to last year, said Swedish newspaper SVT Nyheter, quoting data gathered by the Swedish Migration Agency.

Only 55 minors have applied for asylum this year, according to statistics compiled by the government agency. «One of the reasons behind this change is the new agreement signed between Sweden and Morocco, which allows border police to match the fingerprints of unaccompanied minors with data provided by Morocco», the same source explained.

«Once identified, they leave the country and go to other cities in Europe, such as Barcelona or Paris [because] they do not want the police to know who they are so as not to be arrested and expelled to Morocco», Christian Frödén, group leader at the Stockholm Border Police, told the same newspaper.

These fingerprint tests show that «only 10% of people checked are under 18», while the rest of them are adults.

SVT Nyheter recalls that Swedish social authorities and police have created new networks to help these children. «Many children under the age of 18 who used to live on the street have been sent to family homes or other homes», he added. «Sometimes we have to use forced care to slow down the destructive lifestyle» of these minors, Christian Frödén said, referring to drugs.