Opinions
NORWAY: Is welfare system destroying Somali families?
August 20, 2010 · 28 Comments
SAN FRANCISCO (Somalilandpress) — Somali-Norwegian activist, Kadra Yusuf thinks that the Norwegian generous welfare system paradoxically may destroy the Somali families in Norway and lead to misuse of public funds.
In a provocative feature article published in Norwegian newspaper, VG, Yusuf argues that many Somali families artificially live apart in legally; while they live in same household in reality. Majority of Somali families are registered as a single parent household. Figures from Norwegian government statistics show that there are 2.5 times as many single parents among Somalis than in other migrant families. According to the same statistics, three of four Somali women do not work; one of the three are divorced and half have more than three children.
In the article Kadra Yusuf asks, “Why people who come from a conservative Muslim country suddenly decide to divorce in Norway?”
Yusuf reasons that many Somali immigrants declare to be single parents to benefit from generous assistance that is provided by the Norwegian welfare system.
She believes the Norwegian welfare system encourages married couples to divorce and reward single mothers with many children. Yusuf argues this lead to poverty trap for Somalis. Somalis should be required to do more than just live off welfare, she says
Politicians are afraid of stigmatizing, but they should be willing to take on the dreary debates too. Benefits for single parents is a social benefit that many use, but it’s being abused and Somali children are the losing end of this sytem, says Kafra Yusuf.
Kadra Yusuf argues that existing welfare system causes many family problems.
The ‘fictional divorce’ is not only legal fraud. Somali men leave their home during the day because of fear that social workers will show up at the house. They usually go Khat rooms leaving family responsibilities to women. This leads to alter the normal Somali family structure.
Kadra Yusuf calls the Norwegian government to reform the social welfare to remove poverty trap that many Somali families find them in.
Norway has one of the best and generous welfare systems in the world. parents are entitled to 12 months off work with 80% pay, or 10 months with full pay. The fertility rate has been a steady 1.8 higher than most European countries. Norwgian welfare’s motto has been, “from the cradle to the grave”. All Norwegians enjoy full health care and free education system throughout their lives.
Insurance Fraud 
Magne Fladby, Director of the Norwegian National Insurance Verification and Collection Agency, says that they’re aware of the high risk for this type of fraud among Somalis.
“We get tips that this is widespread among Somalis. This is a benefits area we have a strong focus on in order to discover abuse,” he says.
Fladby says that they don’t have statistics based on ethnicity, and have no special measures directed only at Somalis. “We actively work to uncover abuses among single parents in general,” he says.
The figures on abuse of welfare benefits for single parents increased sharply in recent years. In 2008, his agency uncovered fraud of 2.3 million Kroner (373,000 US Dollar.) In 2010 they uncovered a record high of 8.2 million Kroner ($1,300,000.)
Ethnic perspective
The leader of the Parliamentary Labour and Social Committee Karin Andersen (SV) calls the government to finding a firm solution of this social problem and she encourage the social services to approach this problem from an “ethnic point of view.”
Source: VG Magazine
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Tags: Norway, social problem, Somali, welfare system
Readers Comments (28)
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I live in Norway, to deal single parents is my job. In norway u both parents should have a Job, otherwise sosial benifit is only option, it is hard…
Then many,,, 80 % choose to seperete in the papers but live together and Get a children every year…. It create large Underclass somali familes.
Walaahi the parents learn to their children to keep secrets that dad is not at home… What a shame…
How Common this practice in Englan???
Leave to the unswer those who live in England….
Brother, I agree with. However, there's only a handful of 'Wahabi foreign fighters' in Somalia – 99% of xarakada al-shayaadiin are misguided, unemployed, undeducated Somalis.
The reason why support is increased to single households is because its more expensive to live as a single than a couple. Even holiday companies provide much cheaper deals to couples than singles.
The most important issue in families is stability which is found to be play a positive role in the development of the child. Stability only comes to a house if each guardian takes their responsibility seriously, and not too busy cheating the system or seeking money that does not belong to them.
Lol! Some people believe in what Khadra says. She is a drop out who doesn't shy away from implicating her own family, let alone other Somalis. 'Qoftaasi treenkay ka dhacday', and we have unfortunately many Somali women like her in our communities. Why Somali women always paint brush their religion or society unlike their peers from other immigrants is a mystery to me.
Layla
I do not believe that Norwegian government created welfare trap for Somalis, but Somalians did not understand whole point of having benefit system in Europe. the issue is not only Norway, but lot of Somalians who live in other Western Europian countries behave same. Welfare benefit is for short term and people need to use when they do not have jobs or raising children for a while, not forever. We Somalians understood differently and we want states who granted us protection, safety and treated us similar way of their citizens to take our family responsibility.
Layla
Continue
For instance, we are having children in order states to provide them. I strongly believe that we are better than this, we are proud nation, what is wrong with us? i will conlcude that we need to educate ourselves and contribute into host nations. Those nations should not see us social problems, but people who brought many good things into their communities and countries as well.
we a just like gybsy
Shameless Somali men make their wives breed like chicken only to disappear into the drug holes we call marfash to talk about useless tribal politics leaving their poor wives beg for state aid. What happened to the dignity the Somali men had? Its easy to blame few contravertial women, but that does not solve the fundamental problems Somalis in the West have. I strongly believe that if a man cannot afford to provide for his children, he should not have them at all or limit them to one or two according to his means. Its just a disgrace to make your wive pregnant and expect the tax payers to provide for them.
this is the same problem that occurs in the UK It is not the system but it is we abusing the system! because the somali man does not to have to pay for the bills, housing ect.. but they often forgot the effect this has on their families, the wife and the children they wont value the father and this is damaging for the somali family and the community
I agree with you and not every is the same there are some hard-working moms and dads out here but they are still in the minority which is not good enough to make the somali population came as different the system does make it easy for somaliers not to seek work and even if they work the fathers in this case they like to keep their own money and demand from the mother to seek welfare benefits and the more children they have the better income they have! indeed very sad __work has so many benefits for the whole family role modeling , respect and appreciation of the money the father or the mum is getting the children will use the parents experiences to become the same or even better I agree they should review the benefits system and for those working somali families they should get rewarded
Lol first of all the state and private sector doesn't give jobs to Somali men and woman because their are foreign simple as that. We have the same problem here in Sweden. Those Somalis who i think gets jobs in most cases is the youth who are getting assimilated (even here the racism exist) It goes the same almost for every other non west European ethnic group. It is not the same in Europe as in America or Canada. We are excluded and live in neighborhoods we're we are on our own. A lot of Somalis here in Sweden move to England. In this small town of 40 000 i think at least 10 Somali family's have moved to England and this is happening in the entire country.
Horta is astur intaadan cid kale ka hadal
What is her problem?
Read the article for what it is… She has a lot of good points… And who cares if she covers her hair or not Bash… It's a free world…
Every point she made was common sense. You got an opportunity to move to one of the best countries in the world, why not do all you can to integrate. Living off the system will get you NOWHERE! Get it together, have self-respect for yourself and your family and please get a JOB!____The person who made that comment that Sweden won't accept us because we're not European is LYING. My cousin lives there and her husband is an Engineer. Her husband is successful because he went to school and studied hard. It is that simple.
Correction above: He's Somalilander…
The guy who manages the trendiest nightclub in Sweden is also a Somalilander FYI… Stop knocking these places when it’s probably you that has integration issues… Come on people… Get with it or stay home… I decided I didn’t want to be ‘with it’ anymore so I moved home though I never lived there before in my life :)
Wonderful world of intruders! Is Khadra Yusuf a copy of Ayaan Hersi, when she is critising her own families. If her research is real, why didn't she talk about other
societies living in Norway. Whether it is right or wrong, I think, they take or apply benefits as other people in Norway do, they can't be exceptional, so leave them along, for goodness sake.
M.J.Musa
Kadra is a traitor, worse than Ayaan Hirsi of Netherlands. She will do anything to harm the collective reputation of the Somalis.
She said before that her father and family abused her. She took hidden camera and recorded conversations with innocent religious leaders, just get them out some unpopular statements with the Norwegian public.
The tabloids, in that country also carry out, such sensational news in the summer, when the parliament is closed in the vacation season, and the government officials are on their vacation. Because there little news to talk about.
May be that is why i also left Norway. They focus too much on such news. But never discuss, the real barriers that hinders Somalis get into the labour market.
For your information,
Kadra is the scandinavian "Ayan Hirsi"…. She wil do and say anything anti islam and anti muslim. i mean anything
Somalis have social problems like any other ethnic group. The only people without problems are those in the cemetries. It is typical of Khadra from Norway and Ayan Hirsi from the Netherlands to speak publicly against their own. They do not discuss issues within the somali community. They dont write articles in thousands of somali websites. They do not have relationship with their own somali families. Yet they approach, the media of their respective countries and give interviews that provoke and stigmatise the somali communities.
Secondly, the majority of somali women wil never tell their children that they are born outside marriage, of unkown father. never. That is just not the somali way.
However, the isssue of unemployment among somali adults could be resolved in constructive way, that does not single out somalis as welfare state clients
She is just trying to raise money for plastic surgery. She discovered been controversial can put you on front pages of most Western propaganda newspapers.
Leave her alone guys. Why is it always the ugly ones talk so loud?
I bet those who are attacking the messenger are the fathers who rarely see their children at day light. How shameful that these people breed like animals and then become cheats. Some of these fraudersters claim to be good Muslims and still feel happy to bring their children on ill-gotten money.
The only means of salvage the Somali name to expose these fraudesters who have tarnished our image. The same issues are on the headline here in the UK. Read this article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295601/S…
i Think Ummm She HAs Alot of good Points I could change things i would :'( o.0
A somarli woman here employed five years, had one child (one year away at 80% pay) then returned to job then went sick for a year with a 'sore sholders' (one year full pay).
She returned, then went away to have another baby (one year away at 80% pay). She returned then went sick for six months with a bad back (100% pay). She returned to work at 40% work/100% pay and announced she is haveing another baby…….. For five years employment she has been at work for around 1-1/2 years,……she knows the system well!
No matter how many jobs you give to a somali person, he/she will still prefer to be on welfare. Here in Minnesota, US 95% of somali families are on welfare. Men drive taxi, eat khat, or sit around somali malls for fadhi kudirir. I know many somali women are on welfare, full support- i mean food stump, cash. section 8 and free medical and still have the guts to tell you " my husband said this and that, " i do believe the problem is not the men is the wome who are happy this kind of life.
somalida ku nool london waxay ku nolyihin lacagta benefitka
It is time to act and people who abuse the system should be cut off. Not only that, they are muslin and they would need to pray 5 times a day and they will also do it at work. It's time to tell them to F''''''off.. You come to Europe fine, then, get a job.