Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

No extra funds for underage asylum seekers

An increasing number of unaccompanied minors arrived in Europe to seek asylum over the past few months Keystone

Voters in canton Bern have rejected a government proposal to fund a special integration project for juvenile asylum seekers.

More than 54% of voters came out against a CHF105 million ($108 million) credit over four years, according to officials.

The conservative right People’s Party forced a vote on the issue, saying unaccompanied adolescents did not need special benefits and they could be housed in regular asylum centres together with adults and families.

The Bern cantonal government warned that rejection of the credits would lead to extra costs for other social services.

Until now, unaccompanied asylum seekers were put up in separate homes in an effort to comply with the Swiss constitution and United Nations conventions for the protection of children.

The number of underage asylum seekers in Switzerland has been on the increase over the past few years. The cantons, which are responsible for housing asylum seekers, have called on the federal authorities to provide additional funds.

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR