COUNTRY : Sweden

PRESENTATION : The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and armed violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and at the same time promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law. The Movement is made up of nearly 100 million members, volunteers and supporters in 188 National Societies. The organization’s aim is to prevent and alleviate human suffering before, during and after conflicts and disasters.

Conflicts and disasters force many people to migrate each year. Many of these people receive support from the Red Cross all over the world.
Survivors of torture are a priority group for the work of the Swedish Red Cross (SRC). Within the SRC, two of its five units directly work with survivors of torture:

Migrant Health Care Unit
The SRC provides free treatment and support to survivors of torture and war in five Swedish cities: Stockholm, Malmö, Skövde, Uppsala and Skellefteå. The main focus of the SRC Rehabilitation Centers’ work is to provide multidisciplinary treatment for refugees and asylum seekers, in order to alleviate the suffering caused by torture and war. Other fields of work include trainings, awareness raising, lobbying and advocacy.
In Stockholm and Gothenburg the SRC run Health care centers for undocumented migrants. The aim is to offer health care to undocumented migrants regardless their legal status. In addition to this, the organization strives to raise awareness on undocumented migrants’ situation and work for the group’s right to public and subsidized health care in Sweden.
The staff at the SRC Rehabilitation and Health care centers consists of psychologists and psychotherapists, physiotherapists, medical doctors and psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, art therapists, interpreters and administrators.

Migrant Unit
The SRC work for humane and legally certain migration politics and an increased understanding of migrants’ situation, in Sweden as well as internationally. The SRC defend asylum seekers’ and refugees’ human rights, especially the right to asylum and the right to live with one’s family. The SRC provides legal counseling and support in the asylum procedure. Each year the SRC helps thousands of families that have been shattered by conflict to reunite through the Restoring Family Links work. The SRC works for family reunification in shortest possible time.
 
website: www.redcross.se