Social introduction for children who have applied for asylum (protection) in Sweden. The information is aimed both at children who have come to Sweden with parents/legal guardians and those who have come alone.
All children have the right to be free from violence. No adult is allowed to strike, kick, push, pull your hair, or threaten you.
Contact the police by calling 114 14 if you are being subjected to violence. If you are in acute danger, call the police at the number 112.
Different countries have different age limits for when you are considered an adult and when you are considered a child. The rules for getting married also differ from country to country.
In Sweden, you are a child until the day you turn 18, and before that you cannot get married.
This is because it is believed that children should not bear the responsibility of a marriage. Early marriages can make children feel bad both physically and psychologically, because a child can be prevented from developing into their own, independent person and living the life to which they have a right.
Once you have reached the age of 18, you decide for yourself whether you want to get married and, if so, to whom. No one is allowed to force or trick someone into marriage. It is illegal to try to force or trick a child into travelling to another country to get married. This is a crime that can lead to imprisonment. It is also illegal to force a child to live in a relationship similar to a marriage. When an adult has sex with a child under the age of 15, it counts as rape.
If either of the people in a marriage were under the age of 18 when they married, the marriage will not be valid in Sweden.
If you are under the age of 18 and apply for asylum together with the person that you are married to instead of with your parents, you are considered an unaccompanied minor. You will then be appointed a guardian who will help you in your contact with the authorities.
Read more this and watch videos about what a guardian does (in Swedish) External link.
If you have questions or need help, you can talk to a teacher, counsellor or healthcare professional. You can also contact the Swedish Migration Agency or social services. If you have a guardian, you can also turn to them.
If you are afraid that you or someone you know will be married off, you can call the police at 114 14.
In some families and extended families, it is important that the family maintain a good reputation. There may be rules about what clothes you can wear, who you can hang out with, that you cannot be together with and marry whomever you want, study what you want, or pursue the profession you want.
These rules tend to be the strictest for girls, but there are also rules that apply to boys. If the rules cause you to be poorly treated or punished, this is known as “honour-related violence and oppression”. The poor treatment or punishment may include beatings, threats, or being called mean names. Exposing a child to honour-related violence and oppression is a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Swedish law.
Sometimes children are forced to control their siblings because the family is worried that rumours about them will spread. But all people have the right to live their own life, the way they want to live it. This applies regardless of your religion or cultural background, what country you come from, or who your family is. All children have the right to live their own lives, and should not have to control anyone else.
If you or someone you know is being subjected to honour-related violence or oppression, you can turn to a teacher at your school, the social services in your municipality, or the Swedish Migration Agency for help. There are also various organisations that can provide support and information about honour-related violence and oppression.
Tris – Girls’ Rights in Society (in Swedish) External link.: Here you can get support if you feel limited by your family or relatives or are subjected to threats or violence when you try to make your own choices. Call 010‑255 91 91.
In Sweden, there are many laws that state that all people are equal and have the same rights. We are entitled to have the same rights and opportunities in life no matter who we are, what we look like, where we come from, what we believe in, who we fall in love with, or how we function.
There are laws to prevent someone from being discriminated against or having their rights violated. As human beings, we are allowed to feel, think and believe as we please, but we are not allowed to do whatever we want. The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression states that all people have the right to express their thoughts, opinions and feelings, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of someone else. We must all respect the right of our fellow human beings to their own identity and their own life choices.
Gender equality means that boys and girls are equal and should have the same opportunities in life. It also means that adult men and women should have the same rights and obligations. They should have equal power to influence society and their own lives.
100 years ago, this was not the case in Sweden. Back then, women didn’t have much power to make decisions about their own lives. It was mostly men who got an education and worked while women stayed at home, taking care of the children, cleaning and doing laundry. A lot has changed since then.
In most families in Sweden today, both parents go to work or study and the children go to preschool, kindergarten, school and after-school care during the day. In the home, both parents often help each other to clean, do laundry, shop and cook, and they take care of the children together.
In order for society to be as fair as possible and give women and men equal power to influence society and their own lives, the Swedish Parliament has decided on various gender equality goals.
The goals state that
In Sweden, everyone has the right to their own gender identity and sexual orientation. Your gender identity is the gender(s) you feel you are, regardless of what others expect. Your sexual orientation describes the gender(s) of the people to whom you are attracted and fall in love. You have the right to love and be with whomever you want, regardless of whether the person is the same gender or a different gender than yourself.
You don’t have tell other people about your sexual orientation or gender identity unless you want to. There is no sexual orientation or gender identity that violates the law. On the contrary, it is illegal to treat someone unfairly or inferiorly, for example in school or in an organisation, because of the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Fleeing your home and seeking asylum in another country can be a frightening experience for anyone. Having to do it as a child, without one’s parents, can be extremely stressful.
It is sometimes said that people who apply for asylum, and especially unaccompanied minors, are strong. That if they can get to the other side of the world on their own, they can probably do anything. But even the strongest and most hardened children need safe adults around them, so that they can just be kids. Refugee children are no exception, and when they don’t have their parents with them, or if their parents are exhausted, confused or perhaps traumatised, other important adults are needed to offer these children some security and calmness in an uncertain situation.
Every child is different and every asylum seeker has a unique story. Some asylum-seeking children have been refugees for a long time and may not have seen their relatives for years. Others have been separated from their parents recently. Some have contact with their close relatives, while others do not know where to start looking. All asylum-seeking children carry with them questions and concerns. Some have questions about their situation and ask for help. Others bottle up their worries and dare not ask about them.
As an adult, you play an important role. You are a person who can guide and support the child in their current situation. You can read these pages together with the child. Together, you can review the various stages that you go through when you are an asylum seeker.
An important adult may be
BRIS, Children’s Rights in Society, is an organisation that works for children’s rights. You can contact BRIS if you need an adult to talk to.
Call the BRIS helpline for young people: 116 111
www.bris.se (in Swedish) External link.
Save the Children is another organisation that works for children’s rights.
www.raddabarnen.se/rad-och-kunskap/barn-och-unga (in Swedish) External link.
The Swedish Red Cross is an organisation that works to protect and help people in need. The Swedish Red Cross can help you look for your relatives.
www.rodakorset.se/en/get-help/ External link.
The Ombudsman for Children is an authority that ensures that other Swedish authorities comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Here you can learn more about your rights.
RFSL works to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people. RFSL Newcomers works with asylum seekers and new arrivals.
www.rfsl.se/en/medlem/asyl/ External link.
Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) offers advice and support to women who have been subjected to threats and physical, psychological and sexual violence. The information is available in several languages. You can also call 116 016. They can arrange for an interpreter in just a few minutes.
www.kvinnofridslinjen.se/en/home/ External link.
Kollpåsoc.se is a website with information about your rights and opportunities for support from social services.
www.kollpasoc.se/en/ External link.
Min rätt – Din roll (My right – Your role) is aimed at unaccompanied minors, their guardians, and other actors who play different roles in helping these minors. Here you can get more information about these various roles and what rights you have. For example, you can watch short videos about what a guardian should help you with.
Min rätt – din roll (rfs.se) (in Swedish) External link.
The videos What happens now? is for unaccompanied minors in Sweden and who live in an accommodation or in a family home. In the videos you will find out what will happen during the first time in Sweden, who you can meet and how the asylum process works. You can watch the videos alone or together with an adult. The videos are available in several languages.
Informationsverige.se is a portal for new arrivals in Sweden. Here you can get information about how Swedish society works - for example, in terms of accommodation, education and healthcare.
www.informationsverige.se/en External link.
Learn Swedish is a page on informationsverige.se about how you can learn Swedish on your own.
www.informationsverige.se/en/jag-ar-asylsokande/lar-dig-svenska External link.
2026-06-12
The migration pact is introduced on the 12 June
On 12 June 2026, the EU's Pact on migration and asylum is introduced. Among other things, this means that the EU will have common rules about how migrants will be controlled at the border, and what the procedure is when somebody applies for international protection (asylum).
2026-06-01
New levels of reintegration assistance from 1 June 2026
The EU Reintegration Programme (EURP) provides support for people returning to their country of origin after their application for asylum has been rejected or when they no longer have the right to remain in the EU. The levels of assistance available under the programme are now being revised.
2026-01-01
Now you can apply for the increased repatriation grant
People who have received a residence permit in Sweden on grounds of protection needs and want to repatriate can apply for the increased repatriation grant from today, 1 January 2026. Family members can also receive the grant if they meet certain requirements.
2025-12-04
More Afghans may be able to receive passports from their home country
The Swedish Migration Agency estimates that Afghan authorities are now able to issue national passports to their citizens within a reasonable time. This means that Afghan citizens with a residence permit in Sweden no longer automatically have the right to an alien’s passport. Instead, the Swedish Migration Agency will review each application for an alien’s passport individually.
2025-10-31
The repatriation grant will be increased
The Swedish Government has taken a decision to increase the repatriation grant on 1 January 2026. The amount you can receive depends on whether you are applying as a single adult, as a couple, or as a family with children.
2025-09-11
How you will be affected when extended passports become invalid
We have previously reported that Swedish authorities will not accept extended passports from 1 October 2025. Here we answer frequently asked questions about what this means and who will be affected.
2025-09-09
New payment card for financial aid
In October, the Swedish Migration Agency will replace all bank cards for people receiving financial aid.
2025-09-01
Changed rules on asylum seekers' accommodation
From 1 September, the main rule is that asylum seekers must live in the accommodation allocated by the Migration Agency in order to be entitled to daily allowance and special grant.