Arnhem mayor asks Asylum Minister for more help, guidance for troublemaking Syrian teens
Several municipalities have noticed an increase in incidents involving Syrian teenagers getting into fights and causing other types of trouble. Mayor Ahmed Marcouch of Arnhem is asking Minister Marjolein Faber of Asylum and Migration for more support to offer these children some perspective, De Gelderlander reports.
“We see that more young people are causing problems,” Mayor Marcouch told the newspaper. “It is difficult to get a good picture of it. We do not know how large that group is.”
According to Marcouch, many Syrian teenagers come to the Netherlands alone and therefore do not have family around to care for and look out for them. They also have little connection to others in the city, and with long waiting lists at the immigration service IND, sometimes have to wait two years before finding out whether they can stay in the Netherlands and will be reunited with their family.
“These are often minors. They are often here alone and not in their familiar environment. Moreover, they have often already experienced a lot, such as traumas. As a result, they have learned a certain mentality,” Marcouch said. “If you cannot offer that young person a perspective, then it is difficult to provide them with good guidance now.”
Arnhem is taking action against nuisance and violations, the Mayor said. “But it cannot be the case that the only response is a criminal one.” Like other mayors, Marcouch appealed to Minister Faber to pay more attention to this group of children, especially after the many reports in recent years showing that the care for unaccompanied child asylum seekers is below par.
Marcouch also asked for attention for another group - young people from “safe” countries like Morocco and Algeria who stand little chance of getting asylum in the Netherlands. “You see that these young people quickly develop a mentality: I have nothing to lose. If you cannot earn your income legally. What do you do then?” He asked the Minister to deport young people who have no prospects as quickly as possible.
