'Love immigrants need help to adjust': Liberals

The government wants to increase support for vulnerable female “love immigrants” who may not know their rights with the aim of helping them better adjust to life in Sweden.

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The proposal comes after Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) ministers Nyamko Sabuni and Erik Ullenhag put forward the proposal in an opinion article in the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper on Wednesday.

The female “love immigrants” - in this case women who have moved to Sweden to marry Swedish men - are often isolated in Swedish society, relying on their husband’s financial support and networks and in the worst cases being exposed to domestic violence.

The new proposal is expected to cost 40 million kronor ($5.7 million),

"The idea is to ensure that newly arrived women learn Swedish as quickly as possible, understand how the country works, as well as values which govern our country when it comes to equality, rights and responsibilities," Sabuni told the TT news agency.

"As a result, the path to the labour market will be made easier."

Some of the women are exposed to violence and for those in that group it can be especially important to know what protections they are entitled to in Swedish society, she said.

“There is already help available today. It’s just that the women are isolated in their homes and tricked by their partners about how things work. They are therefore often scared to ask for help,” she told TT.

The government inquiry looking into ways to reform Sweden's approach to integration was strongly critical of the current rule which puts women at risk of deportation if their relationship ends within two years – however the government claims that this rule indeed does work.

“There are certain criteria that are obsolete and unacceptable, but it’s not time to get rid of the two-year rule. It’s possible though to revise the texts in terms of how the violence is interpreted,” Sabuni said.

While a number of reforms have been examined, the government is awaiting further reviews of the inquiry's findings before taking a stance on the measures.

TT/The Local/og
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