Sweden sees record spike in child-refugee admissions

Child refugees are fleeing to Sweden in record numbers, with an estimated 12,000 on their way to the Nordic country this year.

One-fifth of child refugees seeking asylum in Sweden are children who travel alone, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on Friday, citing over 1,000 child refugee arrivals per month recently.

"A couple of years ago, we thought 300 children in a month was a high number. Now we're receiving that many every week," Kjell-Terje Torvik at the Swedish Migration Board told the paper.

Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea are the most common countries of origin of the children, who are typically between 13 and 17 years of age.

"This could be a temporary peak, in that the trafficking networks are focusing more on Somalia and Eritrea. It's too early to say," said Helena Carlestam, an analyst at the migration board.

Child refugee admissions have been on the rise across Europe in recent years. The numbers usually surge in summer months as higher temperatures enable travel along common routes such as the Mediterranean Sea.

"Often, the children come first, and then the rest of the family. Perhaps one thinks it's easier for children to be awarded asylum. Or people send their children with hopes of them getting a better future," Carlestam said.

Routes to Europe such as those through Turkey, Greece and the Balkan countries have recently opened up and Sweden has become the primary recipient of children seeking asylum.

The receiving country's admission criteria, education system, and level of unemployment also play a part in the surge, Torvik told the paper.

"The trafficking networks know very well what the conditions are in various countries and the changes that are underway," he said. Endit