Dear Editor
Tom Radley (Letters, December 19) writes that Sweden, "... has taken a far higher number of immigrants relative to its population than has New Zealand." Many, he says, come from countries where violence against children is acceptable, hence Sweden's ongoing problem with child abuse despite smacking being banned in 1979.
In 2007, of the children who began receiving care and protection services in Sweden that year, almost two thirds had one or both parents born in that country.
The problem of child abuse and neglect is not confined to Sweden's immigrant population which is, by the way, proportionately much smaller than New Zealand's.
Lindsay Mitchell
6 comments:
Holidaying in Denmark a couple of years ago I decided to look up the family my parents left behind when they came to gods own in 1952.
Instead of a quaint cottage in downtown Copenhagen, I found a Turkish Kebab house with all the charm of downtown Istambul.
Asking the Turkish proprieter what happened to the Danish family who lived there? She replied in broken english, she was Danish and had always lived there. What did I mean? she asked.
Dirk.
Dirk, My abiding memory of Copenhagen in the late 1980s was Tivoli Gardens and the old crones presiding over the pokies in darkened caverns (she says switching to another screen to see what won the last at Addington:-))
Sweden has something like 1.5 million immigrants, mostly all from Muslim countries in the last two decades. I think visiting Malmo might change your views on things there.
Saw lots of ethnic people gathering under a bridge in scenic Malmo. Being nosey I had a butchers. They were busy smoking crack. Scarey looking people. Give me south Auckland anytime.
Got ripped off over a cup of coffee and chose not to complain to the 7 foot tall Russian guy at the cash register.
Dirk.
Change what view?
I am just relaying the statistics. Minority immigrant populations are similar to minority indigenous populations in profile. They skew statistics but don't entirely dominate them.
Off-topic, but Happy Christmas Lindsay, and thanks for some great reading in '08.
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