Protecting the Kids or Forcing Syrians to Leave Sweden?

Swedish social services are accused of intentionally separating Syrian kids from their families amid a wave of public anger after a video of a Syrian boy emerged on the internet.

The video which was widely shared online shows a Syrian kid who was taken away from his family in Sweden crying and telling his story as authorities banned him from talking or even visiting his family.

In another story, a Syrian family appealed for human rights organizations to help after social services took their four children, aged between three and nine, over 3 years ago. The couple, Diab Talal and his wife Amal Sheikho, came to Sweden in early 2017 as part of the United Nations resettlement program for Syrian refugees, the Middle East Eye said. 

According to sources, the four Syrian kids were subsequently taken away by social services after their 7-year-old daughter said they had beaten her. 

The Syrian family gained huge sympathy on social media where thousands of people have shared the hashtag “#Stopkidnappingourchildren - #اوقفوا_خطف_اطفالنا”. People have urged the UN to interfere and ask Sweden to return Syrian kids back to their parents.

Activists and human rights advocates have strongly denounced the Swedish social services for taking away Syrian kids from their families. Others claimed that Sweden is just trying to pressure Syrian families to leave the country by depriving them of their kids.

In response, Swedish authorities defended separating the kids saying that Social Services is there to take care of children’s rights as these kids were taken under cases involving physical and psychological violence, and parental ineptitude claims.

A person Public Prosecutor in Sweden commented on the topic clarifying that “First of all; Sweden has very strong legislation in order to protect the welfare of children.”