1990’erne
1991: Somaliske flygtninge
Siden Somalias selvstændighed i 1960 har det fragmenterede land været styret af den militære diktator Siyaad Barre, der med støtte fra Sovjetunionen brutalt har regeret over det somaliske klansystem. I slutningen af 1980’erne mister Barre dog grebet om magten, da militante grupper over hele landet gør oprør mod hungersnød, korruption og krigen mod Etiopien. Og i 1991 lykkes det grupperne at kuppe sig til magten, hvorved Barre flygter ud af landet. Oprørsgrupperne kan imidlertid ikke blive enige om magtfordelingen i landet, hvilket afføder en voldsom borgerkrig, der sender en million mennesker på flugt. En del af disse ankommer til Danmark, og sidenhen er andelen vokset på baggrund af familiesammenføringsreglerne. I dag anses de somaliske flygtninge som den største flygtningegruppe fra Afrika i Danmark og udgør omtrent 16.700 mennesker.
1991: Somali refugees
Since the independence of Somalia in 1960 the fragmented country has been ruled by the military dictator Siyaad Barre. With the support of the Sovjet Union he has brutally ruled the many Somalian clans. But in the end of the 1980’s Barre loses his grip of power and militant groups all over the country rebel against famine, corruption and the war against Ethiopia. In 1991 the rebel groups succeed in making a coup against the military dictatorship and Barre flees the country. However, the rebel groups are subsequently not able to agree on the division of power in the country, which causes a violent civil war with millions of refugees. Some of these arrive in Denmark and since then the number of Somalis in Denmark has risen due to family reunifications. Today the Somali refugees are considered the largest group of African refugees in Denmark and they consist of nearly 16.700 individuals.
1991: Palæstinensersagen
I begyndelsen af 1990’erne modtager Danmark en lang række palæstinensiske asylansøgere, der ønsker at få ophold på grund af forfølgelse i Libanon. Stramningerne af udlændingepolitikken i slutningen af 1980’erne bevirker dog, at asylansøgningerne skal vurderes enkeltvis, hvorfor 315 af palæstinenserne får afslag på asyl og skal sendes tilbage til Libanon. I september 1991 tager en gruppe af de afviste palæstinensiske asylansøgere ophold først i Enghave Kirke og sidenhen i Blågårds Kirke. De næste 154 dage bor asylansøgerne i kirkens kælder. Under opholdet vækker deres ageren sympati hos en række danske organisationer og flere fremtrædende kulturpersonligheder argumenterer også for palæstinensernes sag. I marts året efter vedtager et flertal i Folketinget den såkaldte Palæstinenserlov, der giver kollektivt asyl til de palæstinensiske asylansøgere.
1991: The issue of the Palestinian asylum seekers
In the beginning of the 1990s Denmark receives many Palestinian asylum seekers, who wish to stay due to persecution and suppression in Lebanon. However, the constraining of the Danish immigration and refugee policy in the end of the 1980s results in a new policy towards asylum seekers. All asylum applications must be assessed individually, which is why 315 Palestinian refugees are denied asylum and must be send back to Lebanon. In September 1991 a small group of the unsuccessful asylum seekers take up residence in Enghave Church and later on in Blågård Church. The next 154 days the asylum seekers are living in the basement of the church. During the stay many Danish organizations and conspicuous cultural celebrities sympathize with the asylum seekers and argue their case. In March 1992, a majority in the Danish parliament, Folketinget, passes the so called Palæstinenserlov (law of Palestinians), which provides collective asylum to the asylum seekers.
1992: Opstramning af udlændingeloven
En række opstramninger af udlændingeloven blev introduceret i 1992.
Pligt til at forsørge forældre: Det blev nu gældende, at indvandrere, der henter deres forældre til Danmark, selv skal forsørge dem.
Ægteskab: Udlændinge må kun gifte sig i Danmark, hvis de har opholdstilladelse.
18-års-reglen: Ved familiesammenføring skal begge parter være fyldt 18 år.
Familiesammenføring: Familiesammenføring af forældre nægtes, hvis de har andre børn i hjemlandet.
Ægteskabets varighed og opholdstilladelse: Et ægteskab med en udlænding skal vare minimum 3 år – skilsmisse før de 3 år er gået kan betyde at udlændingen får sin opholdstilladelse inddraget. Disse lovændringer gjaldt dog ikke nordiske statsborgere, EF-borgere eller flygtninge.
1992: A stricter immigration policy
A series of changes are introduced to the existing Alien Act in 1992.
Economic responsibility for dependents: Beginning in 1992, immigrants who brought their parents to live in Denmark had to support them financially.
Marriage: Foreigners could only marry in Denmark if they both have a residence permit.
The 18-year-rule: In order to be able to apply for family reunification, both parties in the married couple have to be above 18 years of age.
Family-reunification: Family-reunification of parents is refused if the parents in questions also had children in their home country.
The duration of the marriage and permanent residency: A marriage with a foreigner must last at least three years in order for the marriage migrant to gain permanent residency after a divorce. Nordic citizens, EF (EU) citizens and refugees are all exempt from the amendments.
1992-1995: Jugoslaverloven og Bosnierloven
I starten af 1990’erne ankommer mange flygtninge fra det tidligere Jugoslavien til Danmark. I alt modtager Vesteuropa omkring 750.000 flygtninge, mens tre millioner er internt fordrevne. Det store antal af asylansøgere sætter de danske myndigheder under pres, og den gængse praksis, hvor hver enkelt asylansøgers sag vurderes af myndighederne, må vige for nye særlove. I november 1992 vedtager Folketinget den såkaldte Jugoslaverlov, der sikrer, at eksjugoslaver kan få ophold i landet i minimum 6 måneder. Den midlertidige beskyttelse betyder dog også, at krigsflygtningene bliver underlagt ringere vilkår end andre, hvilket særligt kommer til udtryk i reglerne for familiesammenføring og indkvartering i særlige flygtningecentre. Da krigshandlingerne i Eksjugoslavien ikke aftager de efterfølgende år, bliver behovet for forlængelse af den midlertidige beskyttelse central. I januar 1995 bliver den såkaldte Bosnierlov derfor vedtaget. Bosnierloven sikrer, at eksjugoslaver, der har opholdt sig midlertidigt i Danmark i minimum 2 år, kan få deres asylsag behandlet og få opholdstilladelse i Danmark.
1992-1995: The Law of Yugoslavs and the Law of Bosnians
In the beginning of the 1990s many refugees from the former Yugoslavia arrive in Denmark. In total, Western Europe receives about 750.000 refugees, while more than three millions are internally displaced. The huge number of asylum seekers puts the Danish authorities under pressure. The former practice of assessing the application of each asylum seeker individually is set aside in favour of new special laws. In November 1992, the Danish parliament passes the so called Jugoslaverlov (Law of Yugoslavs), which provide residence permit for 6 months to all Yugoslav refugees. However, the temporary protection also means poorer conditions to the war refugees, which manifests itself in strained rules of family reunification and accommodation in refugee camps. When the acts of war aren’t decreased the following years, the need for an extension of the temporary protection becomes important. In January 1995, the so called Bosnierlov (Law of Bosnians) is passed. Bosnierlov provides an individual assessment of asylum applications and residence permit in Denmark to all Yugoslavs, who have resided in Denmark for a minimum of 2 years.
1993: Den ubegrænsede dagpengeperiode afskaffes
Frem til 1993 var dagpengeperioden ubegrænset, dvs. at en person i teorien kunne modtage dagpenge resten af deres liv uden at arbejde. På baggrund af stigende arbejdsløshed bliver det besluttet, at dagpengeperioden maksimalt kan være syv år. To af disse kan bruges på orlov eller uddannelse.
1993: Rights to unlimited unemployment benefits are terminated
Until 1993, the time period during which a person can receive unemployment benefits is unlimited, meaning that you could technically be on unemployment benefits for the duration of your life. Due to rising unemployment, it is decided that the benefit period would be reduced to seven years, two of which could be used for a sabbatical or education.
1994: Aktiveringskrav
Pr. 1. januar 1994 træder en arbejdsmarkedsreform i kraft, der påbyder modtagere af økonomisk støtte gennem arbejdsløshedsdagpenge, kontanthjælp mm. at påbegynde en kommunal aktiveringsproces, der blandt andet indeholder muligheder for støttet beskæftigelse gennem fleks- og skånejobs, uddannelsestilbud og orlovsmuligheder. Reformen sætter 288.000 ledige i arbejde, uddannelse eller lign. Mange af de ledige, der kommer i arbejde, er immigranter, hvilket betyder at aktiveringsreformen havde en, om dog sekundær, integrerende og inkluderende profil.
1994: Labour market reform and activation requirements
On January 1, a new labour market reform is introduced. The reform requires recipients of unemployment benefits to enter a municipal activation process aimed at getting them into a permanent position. This reform contains, among other things, opportunities for ‘supported employment’ through flexible- and protected jobs, training and leave entitlements.
The reform gets 288,000 unemployed persons, migrants and Danes alike, into the labour market, education or other types of activation. Many of the unemployed persons who got jobs were immigrants, signifying that the activation reform also had an integrational or inclusive effect.
1997: Fingeraftryk af asylansøgere
I 1997 strammes der op for snyd ved asylansøgninger. Politiet får nu mulighed for at afkræve fingeraftryk af udlændinge, registrere og udveksle billeder med andre landes politimyndigheder og kræve DNA-tests. Disse ændringer sker for at modarbejde den såkaldte ”asylshopping”, hvor en person søger om asyl i flere lande på samme tid.
1997: Fingerprinting asylum seekers
In 1997, it becomes possible for the police to demand fingerprints, DNA sampling and to exchange pictures of asylum seekers with authorities in other countries. These initiatives are taken in order to combat so-called ‘asylum-shopping’, in which a person would apply for asylum in several countries at the same time.
1998-2000: Kosovoloven
I slutningen af 1990’erne modtager Danmark 2823 kosovoalbanske flygtninge fra to lejre i Makedonien. De er på flugt på grund af en århundreder lang stridighed mellem serberne og kosovoalbanerne, der har sit udspring i slaget på Solsortesletten i 1389. Kosovo-området var i mange år været erobret af skiftende serbiske og kosovoalbanske grupperinger, men fra 1974 havde området status af serbisk provins med selvstyre. Da den serbiske nationalist Slobodan Milosevic i 1987 fik magten i Jugoslavien, påbegyndte han en voldsom rettighedsindskrænkning for albanerne, hvilket resulterede i, at kosovoalbanske politikere udråbte Kosovo som selvstændig republik og oprettede en skyggeregering. For at afværge dette igangsatte Milosevic en lang række chikaner, forbud og etniske udrensninger, og i 1998 blev konflikten for alvor optrappet, da NATO blandede sig og truede Milosevic med bombeangreb. Det var imidlertid ikke nok til at stoppe konflikten, hvorfor mange tusinde kosovoalbanere blev sendt på flugt.
Da serberne i marts 1999 nægter at underskrive en fredsaftale, påbegynder NATO et voldsomt bombardement i Serbien og Kosovo. Det medfører imidlertid en intensivering af udrensninger, der sender én million kosovoalbanere på flugt til nabolandene og resten af Europa. Som følge af flygtningestrømmen indføres den såkaldte Kosovolov i Danmark. Særloven for flygtninge fra Kosovo giver to års opholdstilladelse til de næsten 3.000 kosovoalbanske flygtninge. Tilladelserne skal fornys hvert halve år, og flygtningene kam modtage undervisning og arbejde. I år 2000 blev loven ophævet pga. ændrede forhold i Kosovo.
1998-2000: The Kosovo Law
In the end of the 1990s, Denmark receives 2823 Albanian refugees from Kosovo. They are fleeing due to a long conflict lasting several centuries between Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo, which emerges from The Battle of Kosovo in 1389. For many years, Kosovo was conquered by different Serbian and Albanian grouping but in 1974, Kosovo is regarded as a Serbian province with autonomy. When the Serbian nationalist Slobodan Milosevic in 1987 gained power over Yugoslavia, he started a severe restriction of rights for the Albanians, which resulted in an announcement of Kosovo as an independent state by several Albanian politicians and the establishment of a shadow government. To prevent that, Milosevic began a long series of harassments, prohibitions and ethnic cleansings and in 1998, the dispute escalated when NATO decided to get involved and threaten Milosevic with bombing raids. However, this couldn’t stop the conflict and for this reason, thousands of Albanians from Kosovo were put to flight.
When the Serbs in March 1999 refuse to sign a peace treaty, NATO begins a severe bombardment in Serbia and Kosovo. However, this results in an intensification of the ethnic cleansings, which puts a million refugees to flight to the neighbouring countries and the rest of Europe. As a result of the high number of refugees, the Danish Parliament passes the so-called Kosovo Law. This special law for refugees from Kosovo is implemented in Denmark, providing nearly 3,000 refugees from Kosovo residency. The residency permits have to be renewed every six months. The refugees can receive educational training and work during their stay in Denmark. In 2000 the law is abolished due to changing circumstances in Kosovo
1999: Første danske integrationslov
Den første danske integrationslov præsenteres i 1998 og træder i kraft 1. januar 1999. Integrationsloven medfører udover en mere restriktiv kurs over for indvandrere også en restrukturering af ansvarsfordelingen. Med den nye lov overtager kommunerne ansvaret for nyankomne immigranter og det treårige integrationsprogram.
1999: The first Danish Integration Act
The first Danish Integration Act is presented in 1998 and implemented on January 1, 1999. The implementation of the Integration Act results in a more restrictive stance on immigration, but also a realignment of responsibilities. With the new act, the municipalities are given responsibility for the newcomers and management of the new three-year integration program.
