Somalis in Finland
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 16,721 (2014) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Helsinki | |
| Languages | |
| Somali · Finnish · Swedish | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Somalis in Finland are residents and citizens of Finland of Somali ancestry.
The first Somali immigrants came to Finland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of Somalia citizens in Finland jumped from 44 to 4,044. The first arrivals were university students from Soviet universities in the former Soviet Union (see Zahra Abdulla). Later, more asylum seekers arrived directly from Somalia, many through a program of family unification.
Like other immigrant groups in Finland, particularly Muslims, Somalis have been targets of hate crimes. According to a 2009 report by the Police College of Finland, 8% of total victims were Somali-born, while representing only 4% of suspected offenders. Most suspected perpetrators are young Finnish men, with similarly-aged Somali, Iraqi and Turkish immigrants mainly targeted. According to social workers, the pressure of living between two disparate cultures has also resulted in instances of petty crime amongst disaffected 17- to 20-year-olds in the Somali community. The situation is compounded by the unfamiliarity of Somali parents with the various social services that are available to address similar circumstances. To tackle the issue, Somali community organizations have teamed up with Finnish police and social services officials, with the municipal authorities in Helsinki endeavouring to recruit more Somali social workers.
As with many other immigrant groups in Finland, Somalis have also faced some barriers to employment, due in part to the local economic recession but also to xenophobic attitudes on the part of many potential employers. However, the situation has steadily improved over the years, as more Somali immigrants have found employment in their own community, although much of this work is unmeasured. While some Somalis with language training have found jobs in their own field, others, like immigrants in general, have obtained short-term work positions.
Somalis are one of the larger ethnic minorities in Finland, and the largest visible group of people of non-European origin. They are the fourth-largest minority in the country, after Swedes, Russians and Estonians. In 2009, there were 5,570 Somali citizens, but an equal number may have received Finnish citizenship. According to the Finnish National newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, the number of Somali-speaking people in Finland in 2010 rose by nearly 10% in a year. In 2014, there were 16,721 Somali speakers in Finland.
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