Immigrants Come Full Circle

We're used to being told how desperate many Third World migrants are to reach Europe or the wider Western world.

It is certainly true that many risk their lives and endure appalling conditions in order to make it to the promised land (generally considered western and northern Europe).

It is once they arrive here that the majority of the problems come; however, we are told to accept that the price for diversity and cultural enrichment is worth paying, no matter how steep it is.

Well, a report from Finland suggests that once citizenship or residency is guaranteed and the welfare tap is turned on, many immigrants and refugees decide that their homeland isn't so bad after all, compared to their new home - they send their children back to be 'de-westernised'.

From Islam in Europe:

Officials say they are learning of an increasing number of cases in which immigrant parents in Finland are forcibly sending teens back to their home countries to de-westernize them.

The Finnish Red Cross as well as social welfare offices say that every year dozens of parents who believe their children are becoming too westernized send their offspring back to African, Asian and Middle Eastern states.

Leena-Kaisa Åberg, head of the refugee and immigration section at the Finnish Red Cross, says school teachers rarely question the sudden absence of students with immigrant backgrounds.

“In some cases sports coaches are the ones who look into these disappearances,” says Åberg.

Authorities say these types of matters often fall beyond their jurisdiction, as parents are responsible for minors.

Janne Kanerva, a legislative counsellor at the Justice Ministry, says it’s not a crime if both parents decide to send their child abroad.