Mass migration into Europe has been notable for the heavy percentage of unaccompanied young males. Sweden has accepted among the highest percentage of such migrants relative to its population, causing not only a massive crime and sexual assault problem but also violent reaction from native Swedes.

Due to the huge numbers of young males entering the country, Sweden now shows a greater imbalance between genders than does China.

The BBC reports:

There is something odd going on with the ratio between boys and girls in Sweden. The latest estimates suggest there are 123 boys for every 100 girls among 16 and 17-year-olds. That’s an even greater imbalance than in the same age group in China. The natural “sex ratio at birth” is 105 boys for every 100 girls, according to the World Health Organization – and official statistics show that in 2014, there were 108 boys for every 100 girls among Sweden’s 16 and 17-year-olds. But the country now has 123 boys for every 100 girls in this age group, according to Valerie Hudson of Texas A&M University. If this is correct, it will be quite something. China’s one child policy and a preference for sons led some couples to opt for sexually selective abortions, contributing to a sex ratio there of 117 boys for every 100 girls aged 16 and 17.

Not only does Sweden have more refugees seeking asylum than any other country in Europe, but these refugees are largely young men at or over the age of 16.

BBC continues:

Sweden has received more asylum applications per capita than any other country in Europe – 163,000 last year. The country’s population is just 9.7 million. What is surprising is that if you look at the breakdown of the ages of applicants in Sweden, there’s a huge bump in the figures at the age of 16 – often unaccompanied minors arriving without a parent or guardian. And 92% of unaccompanied minors aged 16 and 17 years old are male.

The explanation, the BCC explains, is Sweden’s generous policy regarding both benefits and family reunification.

“If you’re underage, first of all, you get housing, you get more financial resources. You also have a lot of staff around you helping you with different issues,” says Hanif Bali, a member of the opposition Moderate Party in the Swedish parliament – which is on the centre right of the political spectrum. “If you need food, clothing, everything, you can go to the municipality and demand this money.” But there is another even bigger benefit, which Bali believes is significant. “You have the right to family reunification. So you can bring all of your family to Sweden, if you are underage.” So there are huge incentives for getting to Sweden before you turn 18. This might explain why many young people make the journey at this point in their lives.

The largest number of refugees seeking asylum in Sweden come from Afghanistan. It is believed that news of Sweden’s policies has filtered back to Afghanistan and that many older men are claiming to be under 18 . . . a claim that is not checked by Sweden.

Interestingly, when you break down the data by nationality, the bump of applicants aged 16 from Afghanistan is particularly noticeable. There are about seven or eight times more 16-year-old refugees from Afghanistan than from Syria; the ages of those applying to stay in Sweden from Syria and Iraq are more evenly spread. Bali believes that news of the benefits of presenting yourself as under 18 has filtered back to Afghans on their way to Europe. So do some young men lie about their age? “We don’t check for age so we can’t prove that,” says Bali. “But in Nordic [countries]… a very big amount of those who are tested do not have the correct age. Some friends of mine, who have taken care of these unaccompanied refugees, are saying, ‘We took care of one kid, and we found out he was about 28 years old.'”

There doesn’t seem to be much talk about changing these policies as it is hoped, apparently, that “as refugees under 18 can invite their immediate family to join them, it’s possible that their sisters will one day also travel to Sweden.”

Sweden has announced plans to deport those refugees who’ve applied for and been refused asylum.

Watch the report:

The Guardian reports:

In . . . Sweden, interior minister Anders Ygeman said on Wednesday that the government was planning over several years to deport up to 80,000 people whose asylum applications are set to be rejected. “We are talking about 60,000 people but the number could climb to 80,000,” he told Swedish media, adding that, as in Finland, the operation would require the use of specially chartered aircraft. He estimated that Sweden would reject around half of the 163,000 asylum requests received in 2015. Swedish migration minister Morgan Johansson said authorities faced a difficult task in deporting such large numbers, but insisted failed asylum seekers had to return home. “Otherwise we would basically have free immigration and we can’t manage that,” he told news agency TT.

It seems a bit late to acknowledge they can’t handle the flood of refugees they’ve encouraged, but at least they are going to do something about those who’ve been denied asylum. It’s a start.

The problem is far more wide-spread than just Sweden.

Politico reports:

According to official counts, a disproportionate number of these migrants are young, unmarried, unaccompanied males. In fact, the sex ratios among migrants are so one-sided—we’re talking worse than those in China, in some cases—that they could radically change the gender balance in European countries in certain age cohorts. But fear of terrorism might not be the only reason to be leery of highly abnormal sex ratios among the young adult population. As my co-author Andrea Den Boer and I argued in our book, societies with extremely skewed sex ratios are more unstable even without jihadi ideologues in their midst. Numerous empirical studies have shown that sex ratios correlate significantly with violence and property crime—the higher the sex ratio, the worse the crime rate. Our research also found a link between sex ratios and the emergence of both violent criminal gangs and anti-government movements. It makes sense: When young adult males fail to make the transition to starting a household—particularly those young males who are already at risk for sociopathic behavior due to marginalization, a common concern among immigrants—their grievances are aggravated.

This is something about which we in America should also be concerned as the number of proposed refugees increases.

Politico explains:

As many governments, including in the United States, debate how many migrants to accept onto their shores, they would be wise to take gender balance into consideration. That might sound sexist on the surface, but years of research has shown that male-dominated societies are less stable, because they are more susceptible to higher levels of violence, insurgence and mistreatment of women. In Germany, scores of women recently reported being attacked on New Year’s Eve by men whom the authorities describe as of “North African or Arabic” descent.

[Featured image via The Local]



