Health

Eye exam

If you need eyeglasses, your guardian can make an appointment with an optician for an eye exam. Children and young people aged 8 to 19 can receive an allowance of up to SEK 800 for eyeglasses and contact lenses from the region to which they belong. Your guardian can contact an optician shop for more information about this allowance. If you need to buy eyeglasses that cost more than the eyeglass allowance, the Swedish Migration Agency can grant a special allowance to cover the cost. In this case, the optician must sign a piece of paper that your guardian submits to the Swedish Migration Agency together with an application for a special allowance.

Violence and sexual abuse

Many people who apply for protection have been subjected to violence or sexual abuse, in their country of origin or while fleeing to Sweden. Such experiences can make you feel bad both physically and mentally, but help is available. For example, you can talk to the healthcare staff during your health exam, to staff at your youth guidance centre, or to the school nurse or counsellor at your school. They can help you get the right care.

All forms of violence and sexual assault are illegal in Sweden. It is always the person who has harmed you who is responsible, and you can never be punished for being subjected to violence or sexual abuse. This applies regardless of what relationship you have with each other. It also applies, for example, to rape within a marriage and when parents beat their own children. When an adult has sex with a child under the age of 15, it counts as rape. In Sweden, it is also illegal to force or trick someone into getting married, and children under the age of 18 are not allowed to marry.

If you are subjected to violence or sexual abuse or are afraid of being married off, call the police at Contact the police at 114 14 or talk to an adult you trust. If you are in immediate danger, call the police at 112.

Genital mutilation

Genital mutilation (or ‘female circumcision’, as some people call it) is when you cut or stitch up a girl’s vulva or damage it in some other way.

Genital mutilation is completely prohibited in Sweden and is seen as a serious crime. A person who has been subjected to genital mutilation can have both physical and mental problems. If someone has done this to you and you have problems because of it, you can get help from the healthcare service. Talk to your school nurse, the staff at your youth guidance centre, or your health centre.

Read more about genital mutilation

Sexually transmitted diseases

You have the right to knowledge about how to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and how to avoid infecting others. Examples of sexually transmitted diseases include chlamydia, hepatitis, gonorrhoea and HIV. If you know that you have such a disease, you must inform the healthcare staff during your health exam, so that you can receive care and avoid infecting someone else. If you are unsure whether you are infected, the healthcare staff can take samples.

Contraception and maternity care

In Sweden, maternity and obstetric care are free of charge for people who have applied for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. You also have the right to free contraceptive advice, so that you can choose whether you want to become a parent. Both girls and boys have the right to information on how to protect themselves and others from pregnancy. Girls who have become pregnant and do not want to have the child have the right to terminate the pregnancy through an abortion.

Mental illness

When you have been forced to flee your home to a new country, it is common to feel worried about what your future will bring. Some people may also feel bad because they have experienced frightening things or because they miss their family. Examples of symptoms of poor mental health include anxiety, difficulty sleeping or feeling sad and depressed.

You can get help and support from the healthcare service where you live. You can also talk to the counsellor or school nurse at your school.

Disability

A disability is when you have an injury or an illness that makes it difficult, for example, to move, hear, speak or understand things. If you have a disability, you have the right to receive practical support in your everyday life, at school or when you talk to the Swedish Migration Agency. Having a disability does not affect your application for protection in Sweden. If you have (or if you think you have) a disability, you can tell the healthcare staff during your health exam.