THIS STORY WAS UPDATED
The Helsingin Sanomat headline of the newly appointed Ombudswoman for Children, Elina Pekkarinen, says it all: “the new Ombudswoman for Children knows the needs of Finnish children. OK, fair enough. Newspapers decide on the wording of the headline. Even so, there is not one word mentioned how the new ombudswoman will protect the rights and situation of non-white Finnish children.
One gets the view after reading the article that only white children who live in Finland matter. These cliens are served by other white officials who smile in pictures.
But all of this could be a mistake, right? Here is Migrant Tales overreacting again.
I visited the Ombudswoman for Children website and all the pictures portray the ideal family and smiling authorities who are all white.
If the webpage was anything to go by, there are no non-white children and parents living in Finland.
Read the full story (in Finnish) here.
The fact that the article is all smiles and all white tells me which groups calls the shots in Finland. It is another example how non-white children are treated and represented as second- and third-class members of Finnish society.
Comments Christian Thibault, Liikkukaa CEO: “Although we have to give Elina Pekkainen the benefit of the doubt, the attitude displayed in the HS article must raise eyebrows. Over 20% of the children in the Helsinki-Vantaa-Espoo region have at least one parent who was born in another country than Finland. It is naive, or even negligent, to maintain color blindness towards the situation of those children.”
And adds: “The statistics about discrimination and experience of violence by children [of color] with at least one immigrant parent speak volumes.”
Ahti Tolvanen, chairperson of the Forum for Foreign Scholars, writes on Facebook: “What exactly is the condition of underaged children seeking asylum in this country? Seems many are kept with their parents in the same substandard reception centres in overcrowded conditions. Are suspect kids of parents with asylum refusals often get separated from their parents just like in the US? This lady has an assignment waiting for her.”
Susannah, a member of Migrant Tales who writes on condition of anonymity, writes: “The constitution also guarantees rights to migrants. One of these rights is not to be returned to a country where your life would be in danger.”
Congratulations on your appointment, Elina Pekkarinen, but what are you going to do about improving the plight of non-white Finnish children and families? This question is not addressed in the Helsingin Sanomat article.
Just asking.
See also:
- When will we know the truth about what happened to a 10-year-old Muslim girl who was violently attacked? (January 11, 2019)
- The United States and Finland must stop incarcerating migrant children (May 29, 2018)
- Twitter: UNICEF criticizes Finland over the detention of asylum-seeker children (March 21, 2018)
- Ombudsman for children: Finland has failed third culture children and youths (November 28, 2015)
- THL survey in Finland says first-generation migrants more likely to experience bullying, physical and sexual harassment (September 17, 2014)
- hat Finnish school children from a small town think about racism (March 30, 2014)
- Migrants lag two years behind ethnic Finns in Pisa results (March 9, 2014)
- PS MP blames immigrants for Finland’s disappointing Pisa result (December 5, 2013)
- Migrant Tales sory sheds more light on a wider problem at schools in Mikkeli (May 3, 2013)
- Sara speaks out against the racist bullying her son endured at a school in Mikkeli (April 28, 2013)
So you are telling my niece isnt finnish even if every picture in there matches? Her mother is foreign. Her mother passes duck test tho.
Finland is 99.??% white and there is only handful of people who clearly arent ethnic finns. She is for finnish kids, not travellers or anything other and as i said, how many non white
Is my nephew non finn because she is not 100% finn, she is most of helsinki area, Why you are racist?
Awaiting moderatin, nothing happens.