Rationalities and everyday practices in substance abuse treatment of asylum seekers in Denmark
Author
Broholm-Little, Rebecca Marie
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-24
Pages
60
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan dansk politik håndterer behandling af stofbrug blandt asylansøgere, med brug af Carol Lee Bacchis tilgang What’s the problem represented to be? (WPR), som analyserer, hvordan politikker definerer problemer og med hvilke konsekvenser. Analysen omfatter både politiske dokumenter og den daglige praksis hos street-level-bureaukrater – frontmedarbejdere, der omsætter politik til praksis. Datagrundlaget består af interviews med sundhedspersonale fra fire asylcentre, suppleret med interviews med sociale og sundhedsfaglige aktører fra den åbne stofscene på Vesterbro i København. Studiet undersøger også policy silences – emner, der ikke adresseres i politikken. Resultaterne peger på en underliggende logik om, at asylansøgere har mere begrænset adgang til sundhedsydelser end danske statsborgere, også når det gælder misbrugsbehandling. Dette skaber et sammenstød mellem en restriktiv migrationslogik og en sundhedsorienteret rehabiliteringslogik på asylcentrene, som sundhedspersonalet må navigere i. Der ses forskellige praksisser blandt informanterne: nogle reproducerer politikkens rationaler, mens andre udfordrer dem. Analysen viser desuden, at mange asylansøgere færdes i Københavns åbne stofscene, hvilket ikke er omtalt i politikken. Denne tavshed kan binde indsatsen til det officielle asylsystem og hæmme handling i det uofficielle stofmiljø. Afhandlingen rejser bekymring for, at manglende integreret social og medicinsk behandling samt omfattende bureaukrati kan betyde, at politikken i højere grad tilgodeser mere ressourcestærke asylansøgere med stofafhængighed og overser de mest sårbare.
This thesis examines how Danish policies address substance use treatment for asylum seekers, using Carol Lee Bacchi’s approach What’s the problem represented to be? (WPR), which analyzes how policies define problems and with what effects. The study looks at both policy documents and everyday practice among street-level bureaucrats—frontline staff who implement policy. Empirical material comes from interviews with health personnel at four asylum centers, supplemented by interviews with social and health actors from Copenhagen’s open drug scene in Vesterbro. The study also explores policy silences—issues that the policy does not address. Findings indicate an underlying logic that asylum seekers have more limited rights to health care than Danish citizens, including access to substance use treatment. This creates a clash between a restrictive migration rationale and a health-oriented rehabilitation rationale at asylum centers, leaving health staff to navigate this tension. Practices vary across informants: some reproduce the policy’s rationales, while others challenge them. The analysis further shows a significant presence of asylum seekers in Copenhagen’s open drug scene, which the policy does not mention. This silence may tie practice to the official asylum system and hinder action in the unofficial drug scene. The thesis raises concerns that the lack of integrated social and medical treatment, together with red tape, may favor more resourceful asylum seekers with drug dependence and overlook the most vulnerable.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
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