RED CROSS

Debate contribution in Jyllands Posten August 2023. Written by Niels Svankjær Christiansen, head of integration efforts at the Red Cross

Uncertainty and worry can overshadow all other considerations, because what will happen, and when will it happen? With no prospect of an immediate end to the war, we owe the Ukrainian refugees a clarification of what will happen when their residence permits are about to expire – for the benefit of the individual, but also for our society.

A year and a half has passed since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, sending millions fleeing across Europe. In Denmark, we received the largest number of refugees since the Second World War in the weeks and months that followed, and Today, almost 30.000 refugees from Ukraine are registered in the country's municipalities.

There is no doubt that the political support and the goodwill of the population secured resources that enabled us to exceptionally manage to prepare and enter into a close and managed to go into emergency mode and enter into close and flexible cooperation between authorities, municipalities, civil society organizations and private actors. Against this background, we were able to best welcome the many thousands of refugees who arrived over just a few weeks and months. And from a political perspective, a special law was introduced that was to guarantee the refugees protection and easy access to live and reside in the municipalities. The special law was, among other things, focused on ensuring quick access to the Danish labor market, and expectations were high at the time for the Ukrainian refugees, who were seen by many as a gift for the industries in Denmark that lacked hands.

Today, a year and a half later, a large proportion of Ukrainians have also found jobs. According to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration's integration barometer, 53% are in work. and fulfill important functions in our society. But unfortunately, expectations have only been partially met. Challenges of a linguistic nature but also both psychological stress and – for some – social problems have proven to be much more difficult to handle than many had imagined.

This raises the question of whether we are doing the right thing and, by extension, what we can do to strengthen the participation of Ukrainian refugees in Danish society. Because we know that for many, being employed is an important expression of contributing to the country in which they have been received, and that it naturally has a number of positive spin-off effects, including independence, freedom in a better economy and, for many, also the maintenance and even building of important skills that can be used in connection with returning home and rebuilding Ukrainian society or perhaps continuing here in Denmark.

But it is also clear that the efforts for refugees here in Denmark should go hand in hand with us giving them clarification about their continued stay in Denmark and thus the secure position that will be needed for continued development and participation in society. This can overshadow all other considerations if the basis for residence is not in place, and right now Ukrainians in Denmark are looking into the last period of residence permits under the two-year special law.

Need for clarification

We are thus facing a crucial time for the Ukrainian refugees in Denmark, and with no prospect of an immediate end to the war, we must prepare ourselves for the fact that while most will have a strong desire to return and contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine, there are also many who will not return for the time being. Initial studies in both Denmark and other European countries show that a relatively high proportion of Ukrainians desire to remain in the countries that have received them. Here at home, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, in a broad survey among Ukrainians in Denmark earlier this year, revealed that this applies to four out of 10 refugees.. We might as well prepare for that situation. Also because all experience indicates that wars and international conflicts, and thus also refugees' stays in recipient countries, usually last considerably longer than was initially assumed by both the recipient country and, for that matter, by the refugees themselves. In Denmark, for example, we have the reception of the Bosnian refugees in the 90s to draw on as historical experience.

In the short term and as soon as possible, a political position should be taken on what comes in the wake of the special law, which expires in seven months. We know from many years of experience with refugees in Denmark that temporaryity and uncertainty for a longer period are devastating for people. Because where does the future lie? How dare you bet on being with your family before you get an answer? In the worst case, this very insecurity undermines the incentive for the individual and thus also counteracts the ambitions that everyone shares about the participation of Ukrainians in the Danish labor market and in social life in general. All refugees deserve a longer perspective on their stay in Denmark, and it will ensure the security for Ukrainians to know that the process to give them certainty about the future has begun.

Focus on mental well-being and lasting solutions

In the coming period, we as a society should focus on helping the last Ukrainians get off to a good start and look at what new initiatives may be needed. From our previous experiences of receiving in the Red Cross, we know that refugees have different needs and that the support they need can vary over time. In recent years, it has been documented that Among other things, learning the Danish language can be a big challenge at the same time that for many it is the key to entering and functioning in the Danish labor market. It has also been clear, especially in the past six months, how the Red Cross' various language training offers are experiencing great interest from, among others, Ukrainians. On our digital platform Sprogland alone, we typically hold up to 50 individual conversations a day focused on language training. Every single day.

In relation to the mental well-being of Ukrainian refugees, we are eagerly awaiting a large study at the University of Copenhagen, the results of which will be available this autumn. We expect that it will confirm our assumption that the mental well-being of many is challenged. We are already seeing this in our many efforts. And with the ongoing war in the homeland and a great longing for both the familiar and for family members who are not in Denmark, it is not so strange. But it is still an under-exposed area that it is important to learn more about and also take targeted action against. This is precisely why there is great potential in this area in the interaction between the public authorities in the municipalities that are responsible for integration, and with the involvement of civil society resources and important communities.

After the decision has been made on the special law for Ukrainians, which is expected to be extended for another temporary period, it will be important to find more lasting solutions for the many refugees – families and children of all ages – that we have received in Denmark. For their sake and Denmark's, there must be no question of a life of permanent temporaryity.

This applies to all refugee groups.