Bishop: The churches are speaking on deaf ears – and the next step is a reporting law
Published 2023-09-09 06:30
Riksdag decision has transformed Sweden from a country where people on the run are welcome to a country that builds walls. And the shift in values continues, writes Fredrik Modéus, bishop of Växjö diocese.
DEBATE. There are words that feel empty of content. Words that recall something that once was, but no longer is.
Solidarity. Humanity. Human value.
The beautiful words have in many ways shaped modern Sweden, from the dawn of the folk home until today. In our time, they are more important than ever.
In 1928, Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson coined the term people’s home. He intended a large “people’s and citizen’s home” where one does not look down on the other and which is characterized by “equality, consideration, cooperation and helpfulness”.
From the public home, the strong community emerged during the record years. From long being a country that people emigrated from, Sweden became a country that people immigrated to.
With solidarity and humanity as the basic chord, we received those who sought to come here from war and oppression. In the 1970s from Chile, in the 1990s from the former Yugoslavia and in the 2010s from Syria.
But something has been lost. In recent years, our migration legislation has been successively tightened. It is now, along with its counterpart in countries such as Hungary and Denmark, among Europe’s most restrictive.
The Church of Sweden has continuously criticized proposals that reduce the opportunity for people on the run to stay in Sweden. Sweden’s Christian Council has repeatedly argued for humane migration legislation with the right to family reunification and permanent residence permits.
But the churches have spoken to deaf ears. Riksdag decisions have transformed Sweden from a country where people on the run are welcome to a country that builds walls. And the value shift continues.
During the late summer, part of the Tidö Agreement has sparked debate; the so-called notification act, or in politicians’ Swedish: “conditions for an effective exchange of information where municipalities and other authorities within the framework of their activities inform the Migration Agency or the Police Agency”.
An investigator must investigate the possibility of mandatory rules, so that teachers or doctors may be required to release information about an undocumented student or patient.
Many have already declared that they are opposed to the proposal, which goes against both professional ethics and fundamental values in our society. There are other ways to strengthen the opportunities for authorities to know who is staying in Sweden without a permit.
The shadow society the measures aim to counteract will likely spread more when those already hidden have to hide even more, and don’t even dare to seek emergency medical care when needed or send their children to school.
Since the beginning of the 2010s, undocumented children have had the right to schooling, care and medicine. And undocumented adults have had the right to emergency care and, for example, care that counteracts a more serious health condition. Rights that apply without the school or the care provider being allowed to report the undocumented person to the authorities.
Statutory laws bring to mind totalitarian states where legislation is drafted without regard to basic human rights. Already today, the Swedish migration policy conflicts with the Convention on the Rights of the Child regulation on children’s right to be reunited with their families.
The proposal that is now being discussed would mean new departures from the convention that Sweden has not only ratified, but inserted into Swedish legislation.
That everyone has the same value is what we refer to as the principle of human dignity. Basically, it is a Christian thought that every human being is created in God’s image with the same rights as everyone else. We humans belong together.
In the same way that others extend a helping hand to us, we have that task towards them.
So don’t look away when your neighbor is in need. Do not remain silent when the shifts in values threaten the foundations of our social construction. Raise your voice for what must be more than beautiful words of yesteryear; solidarity, humanity and human dignity. In our time, they are more important than ever.
Fredrik Modeus, bishop in Växjö diocese
Join the debate and comment on the article – like Aftonbladet Debatt on Facebook.