11 April 2014

A report by the Open Society Foundations documents the experiences of the Somali community living in Amsterdam, focusing on the themes of civic integration, identity, interaction and belonging, education, employment and income, housing, health and social services, policing and security, participation in social and political life, and coverage by and use of the media.

The findings show that so far Somalis have not played a very active role in formulating responses or demands to the municipal government. The report recommends the city government reaches out to the Somalis by engaging them in local decision-making and the Somali community engages by reacting to certain policies and local decisions. The report recommends Somalis should try to form alliances through their organisations and with other minority groups in Amsterdam, to explore collaboration on challenges that other groups are facing too.

The study is part of a series of reports titled “Somalis in European Cities” which analyses the realities of people with a Somali background in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Leicester, London, Malmö and Oslo.

The series of reports is accompanied by “Meet the Somalis”, a collection of 14 illustrated stories depicting the real-life experiences of Somalis living in European cities.


This article originally appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 11 April 2014
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