From autumn onwards, mandatory workshops on values and rules for minor, unaccompanied asylum seekers in Upper Austria will take place as part of the basic provisions. Social workers from the Neustart association will pass this on to them with the aim of ensuring that future conflicts take place as non-violently as possible.
It was the riots in Linz on Halloween night 2022, mainly caused by young migrants, that set off alarm bells for many citizens. The executive, politics and the judiciary also had to admit that enormous problems had accumulated in Upper Austria in the areas of integration and juvenile delinquency. Of the 154 rioters investigated, 100 were minors or underage, and 96 of the 154 were not Austrians.
Clear expectations
Unaccompanied minor refugees (UMV) in particular are seen as a particular problem area. Integration Councillor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) wants to use this group and order mandatory anti-violence training for them from October, which the Neustart association will carry out. “We have clear expectations of people who come to us and seek support,” he says: learn German, accept our rules, norms and values. “We must teach this to asylum seekers as quickly as possible, especially those who are most likely to be granted asylum status.”
140 minor refugees
Upper Austria is the first state where mandatory values courses and anti-violence training for UMF are now mandatory. “We currently have 140 unaccompanied refugees, and the training will begin in the fall for the first 56 young people from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Somalia and Turkey,” Hattmannsdorfer explains.
Under the title ‘Project Respect’, social workers try to make migrants understand what is allowed and punishable in Austria. “In workshops, you learn how to live together in a non-violent and respectful way and new alternative courses of action in the event of a conflict,” says Josef Landerl, head of Neustart OÖ. “We ask questions and work with group dynamics,” explains trainer Felix Petter. Nine hours are planned per person.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
