Thousands of refugees fled from the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and found their rescue in Sweden about two decades ago, where they are very well integrated today.
Many people had to leave their homes and find shelter in Sweden during the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s. During the year of 1992, more than 100,000 people came to Sweden and 72,000 of them requested asylum. This was a record year for asylum seekers until that record was broken in 2015.
More than two decades later, refugees from the former Yugoslavia are a great example of successful integration into society. The study conducted in 2016 showed a very high share of Bosnians in the total number of employed population in Sweden, especially in relation to other immigrants. Most of the employees originating from BiH are persons between 25 and 29 years of age.
The success of refugees from the former Yugoslavia in Sweden is not only recorded in the statistics, but a significant number of them are in important positions in the state.
But what kind of a lesson can Sweden learn from their successful integration? Probably the largest fact is the good relationship between the people and their new country. One thing confirmed by all the experts is the harmony between the refugees and the level of development in Sweden. The same levels of education are crucial for a success on a long run.
“We are very well positioned in relation to other countries that have students from BiH, who came there to study, which is very important. I am not just talking about high qualifications. Our primary and secondary schools are also very high quality. We have a strong educational system in BiH that puts very high demands on children at an early age. Everyone had a different experience, it was difficult for some people here, but considering the high demands in BiH, most people felt normal in secondary schools in Sweden. We came to a highly developed country and this means that we can really develop,” said President of APU Network of Associations for Students, Entrepreneurs, and Artists of BH Origin, Emina Pasic.
Besides easier adaptation in schools, due to the higher education level, refugees from BiH found jobs in Sweden in a much easier way.
Today, Sweden has problems with refugees from Syria, Iraq and other places who are poorly educated or not educated at all. That kind of people can hardly integrate into society and cannot make some large contribution to the economy, as refugees from BiH did, and who are now equal residents in Sweden, as concluded by The Local.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
