Migrant Persons Research Articles

Embodied Transnational Belonging

This article, based on a collection of 53 interviews with people who migrated from Poland to Norway, discusses how transnational sentiments, nostalgia, and attachments to places and people materialize through the bodily experiences of the mobile subjects. It conceptualizes the notion of embodied transnational belonging, understood as a dynamic, bodily felt materialization of social, cultural, political, economic, and affective processes that assist the emplacement of mobile people in new localities, and that span the borders of nation-states. Theoretically, the article builds on the premises of the sensory turn in social sciences and utilizes the concepts from anthropology, health studies and migration and mobility studies interdisciplinarily. Methodologically, it employs photo elicitation interviews. It discusses how the concept of embodied transnational belonging can be used to extend the understanding of migrant persons’ transnationality. By doing so, it addresses a knowledge gap in transnational studies, attempting to theoretically open the conceptualization of transnational belonging to the bodily dimension. The article suggests that transnationalism is exercised on a level of a bodily experience of the migrant persons, and hence transnationality is not a solely mental/rational phenomenon, but also a bodily/physical one.

Translation in pre-trial phases of the judicial process: developing a norm-based framework to train translators working into Arabic

Abstract The present study examines the implications of judicial translation in the context of international migration and its relationship with the law of the host country. In this context, judicial translation involves highly sensitive documents that can be as varied as family registers and statutory declarations. It also refers to specific legal instances of interaction with judicial authorities in which the observance of certain communication norms is of paramount importance. This is particularly true in the strict setting of a judicial interview. This paper describes how translation is performed in a pre-trial police interview in which the communication of certain basic legal obligations becomes challenging for a migrant person, due to differences in legal backgrounds. In such a situation, the main question is as follows: how can differences in basic legal notions be dealt with in the particularly strict setting of a judicial interview with the assistance of a translator? To answer this question, the study focuses on a threefold challenge for the translator, who must be equipped to handle language, translation and legal/ethical norms. It proposes a translation framework based on these norms and the way in which they are applied in a real interview. It seeks to guide the translation task and serve as a tool for judicial translation training. With regard to the translation norm, the study shows that discursive creation is to be the most relevant technique to represent concepts that do not have counterparts in the target language. Although the foreign element in the new terminology may Ahighlight the boundary between the foreign law and the target legal institution, this technique also leads to the creation of new concepts in the target institution.

Is it Better to Intermarry? Immigration Background of Married Couples and Suicide Risk Among Native-Born and Migrant Persons in Sweden

Marriage is protective against suicide across most populations, including for persons of different ethnicities and immigrant backgrounds. However, the well-being benefits of marriage are contingent upon marital characteristics—such as conflict and quality—that may vary across spousal dyads with different immigration backgrounds. Leveraging Swedish register data, we compare suicide mortality among married persons on the basis of their and their spouse’s immigration backgrounds. We find that relative to those in a native Swede-Swede union, Swedish men married to female immigrants and immigrant women married to native men are at higher risk of death by suicide, while immigrants of both genders who are married to someone from their birth country have a lower risk of suicide mortality. The findings support hypotheses about the strains that may be encountered by those who intermarry, as well as the potential selection of individuals into inter- and intra-ethnic marriages.

MAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND CHARACTEROLOGICAL FEATURES OF FORCED MIGRANTS: THE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

The article presents an up-to-date study of the psychological characteristics of Ukrainian forced migrants, which are fundamentally different from previous waves of migration, since the nature of adaptation has changed significantly after introduction of the 2001 Directive on mass forced migration. On the one hand, Ukrainians had an opportunity to adapt faster due to the rapid legalization of their stay, which was confirmed by a high employment level of the respondents. On the other one, the emphasis on the temporary nature of asylum causes uncertainty, fear of the future, uncertain prospects and also reduces motivation for adaptation. We determined that the nature of forced migration had a negative prolonged influence on a migrant's personality, hindering adaptation and well-being. The main aspects of forced migration were highlighted; adaptation in this case went harder than that at other types of migration due to migrants' negative attitudes towards integration into a new country and a feeling of being expelled from one's own country. Forced migrants obtained a new status and believed in the temporary nature of their protection, which caused a breach in their own identity, a sense of uncertainty and indeterminacy. Emphasis is placed on the nature of interactions with the host society, which are interdependent so that an attitude towards a migrant is loyal if he/she adapts and quickly becomes independent. Refugees go through a number of difficult life situations, which is inevitably reflected on their psyche in the forms of culture shock, traumatization, identity crisis and even personal marginalization. Emotional overload provokes many negative manifestations: closed-mindedness, sensitivity to public opinion, defensive position, irritability, cognitive impairment, maladjustment.

W poszukiwaniu modelu kontroli granicznej cudzoziemców w ruchu lotniczym – kazus Shamindera Puriego

The aim of this article is to present the specific characteristics of air traffic and of manual search of a person and their belongings in a situation where restriction of travelers’ fundamental rights is permitted. The study asks a research question whether the EU law ensures effective protection of rights of migrant persons in the border crossing process in air traffic. Given its specific nature, air traffic requires regulation through the introduction of detailed security clauses. Thus, a special balance between having to ensure security and guarantees of respect for passengers’ basic freedoms must be safeguarded. A discussion presented in this article is largely based on an analysis of the case of Shaminder Puri, a Sikh and an EU citizen at the time of his travel. During border control at the Okęcie Airport he was asked to take off his turban, which he saw as an insult and as a consequence sued the State Treasury. Following that, the article asks a question whether by relying on arguments from courts we may develop a model of procedure for protection and possible limitation of fundamental rights towards travellers who cross borders in air traffic. A discussion presented in this article is largely based on an analysis of the case of Shaminder Puri, a Sikh and an EU citizen at the time of his travel. During border control at the Okęcie Airport he was asked to take off his turban, which he saw as an insult and as a consequence sued the State Treasury. Following that, the article asks a question whether by relying on arguments from courts we may develop a model of procedure for protection and possible limitation of fundamental rights towards travelers who cross borders in air traffic.

Rehabilitation utilization of non-migrant and migrant persons with back pain: A cohort study using different definitions of migrant background

SummaryBackgroundMedical rehabilitation (MR) by the German Pension Insurance is approved to maintain and to restore work ability and to avoid disability pensions. Studies on the rehabilitation utilization by people with a migration background (PMB) compared to people without a migration background (non-PMB) showed heterogeneous results, which may be partly due to different definitions of migration status. The aim of this paper was to test whether there are differences in utilization of MR between employed PMB and non-PMB with self-reported back pain.MethodsWe used data from a large German cohort study that analyzed the effectiveness of MR for individuals with back pain and was conducted between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2019. Employees aged 45 to 59 years who reported back pain in the last three months completed the baseline questionnaire in 2017. We used four definitions of migration background (MB) to differentiate by first- and second-generation migration, by one- and two-sided migration background, by language, or by nationality. Data on rehabilitation utilization was extracted from administrative records covering the period until the end of 2018.FindingsData of 6,713 participants were included, and 514 individuals utilized MR during follow-up. Adjusted analyses showed a decreased risk of rehabilitation utilization in people with a first-generation MB (HR = 0·46; 95% CI 0·29; 0·72), people with a two-sided MB (HR = 0·47; 95% CI 0·31; 0·72), people whose native language was not German (HR = 0·52; 95% CI 0·30; 0·91), and people without German nationality (HR = 0·29; 95% CI 0·12; 0·72) when compared to non-PMB.InterpretationThis study showed that employees with a MB reporting back pain had a significantly reduced risk for utilization of rehabilitation services. This underutilization could be observed considering different definitions of MB. Future research on rehabilitation utilization by PMB should consider the impact of different definitions on the results.FundingThe study was funded by the 10.13039/501100001659German Research Foundation (grant numbers: BE 5885/2–1; MA 6981/2–1). The German Research Foundation functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in Germany.

Information access and preventive measures during COVID-19 among migrants and general population

BackgroundAccess to information and adherence to preventive measures are crucial for containing the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examines access to information and adherence to preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic among migrant origin persons and the general population.MethodsData from the Finnish MigCOVID Survey conducted 10/2020 to 2/2021 among persons aged 20 to 66 years was used (n = 3 668). Participants in Health 2017 follow-up survey were the reference group (n = 3 490). We examined age and sex-adjusted access to information by language skills and adherence to preventive measures (staying home if fluish; keeping a safety distance; wearing a face mask; good hand and coughing hygiene; avoiding traveling abroad; avoiding shaking hands with others; downloading the Koronavilkku contact tracing app).ResultsPersons with excellent Finnish/Swedish language skills (96.8%; 95% CI 95.0-97.9) reported receiving sufficient information more often those with intermediate (92.3; 95% CI 88.8-94.8) or basic (91.0%; 95% CI 88.0-93.3) language skills. Overall high adherence to preventive measures was observed both among the migrant origin and the general population. However, significant differences in the migrant origin population by region of origin were observed. More pronounced differences between migrant origin persons and general population persons were observed for avoiding traveling abroad (83.7%; 95% CI 81.1-86.0 vs. 96.6%; 95% CI 95.6-97.3) and downloading the Koronavilkku app (42.8%; 95% CI 39.8-45.9 vs. 64.3%; 95% CI 61.7-66.8).ConclusionsPoorer perceived access to information by language skills points to the continuous need for use of simple language and multilingual communication materials. Self-reported adherence to key preventive measures campaigned by health authorities was generally high both among persons of migrant origin and the general population, although concerns were noted in adherence to these recommendation in some regional groups.Key messages Multilingual and multichannel communication is central in crisis situations to ensure adequate access to information among different population groups.Higher incidence of COVID-19 among migrant origin persons is likely related not only to information access and adherence to preventive measures, but also to various social and structural factors.

Access to services among migrant origin persons during COVID-19 pandemic: Finnish MigCOVID Survey

Abstract Background Compared with the general population, migrant origin persons had more difficulties in access to services already prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the impact of the pandemic on the need and access to healthcare and social services among persons of migrant origin. Methods Data from the population-based Impact of the Coronavirus on the Wellbeing of the Foreign Born Population (MigCOVID) Survey was used. The survey was conducted in Finland among persons aged 20 to 66 years (n = 3 668 participated in the survey, participation rate 60%) between October 2020 and February 2021 with electronic and postal questionnaires and telephone interviews. Logistic regression was applied to examine age and sex-adjusted prevalence and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for self-reported need and sufficiency of services (physician, nurse, dentist, mental health services and family services). Results Healthcare and family services were needed by 69.2% (95% CI 66.3-72.0). Services provided by the physician, dentist and nurse were needed most frequently. Women (74.5%, 95% CI 70.6-78.1) were more likely to report the need for health and family services than men (64.4%, 95% CI 60.0-68.5). Out of those who needed services, 34.9% (95% CI 36.1-38.3) reported that the received services were insufficient. Highest barriers were observed for mental health (45.5%, 95% CI 36.4-55.0) and dentist (33.9, 95% CI 29.6-38.6) services. Although difficulties were highly prevalent in a number of regional groups, persons originating from East, South and Central Asia had persistently high barriers in access to services. Conclusions Findings suggest that barriers in access to services have at least somewhat increased among persons of migrant origin during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may have both short and long-term consequences on the health and wellbeing of the migrant origin population. Of particular concern were high perceived barriers in access to mental health services. Key messages Barriers in access were reported by a third of persons of migrant origin who needed services. Particular difficulties were experienced in access to mental health services. The gap in access to needs to be acutely addressed to reduce both the short and long-term consequences of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of the population.

Support Asylum and Vulnerabilities through e-health: SAVe as a healthcare continuity tool

Abstract Issue Migrants and refugees (M&Rs) could present different vulnerabilities and health conditions. The high geographical and setting mobility of migrants within the reception system as well as the legal and administrative variability can impact negatively the continuity of care of eventual vulnerabilities and diseases. Description of the practice The Italian National Institute for Health Migration and Poverty developed an IC platform to take care of migrant's health over its migration pathway in the hosting country. SAVe guarantees both the health assessment at the border and the following steps of clinical care. It offers specialized tools guiding health professionals to evaluate M&Rs' vulnerabilities as well as infectious and chronic diseases. The electronic system is compliant with the EU-GDPR and includes validated tools such as the WHO (Five) WBI, the EASO tool for special needs identification, the Italian guidelines on Border health checks and the Italian protocol for the unaccompanied minors' age assessment. Results The system is being implemented in 4 Italian Regions, where over 28,000 migrants are hosted in reception structures and is expected to be used in the whole Italian reception system. The migrant person is also given the opportunity to save, store and use his health records even in case of relocation to another country. Lessons SAVe is turning out as an innovative tool to evaluate vulnerabilities and health of M&Rs who are present in Italy. The use of validated and evidence-based tools improves the confidence of doctors in detecting vulnerabilities and social determinants of health. Its spread at National level is expected to guarantee the continuity of care. Further, the interoperation between SAVe and the National Health File would allow health data collection from the first arrival of migrant until its full integration in the country. Key messages SAVe is designed to evaluate comprehensively the health of M&Rs, increase the continuity of care and optimize the healthcare resources. Its socio-health and evidence based approach encourages the use as a benchmark for health data collection and health information sharing.

Tuberculosis Stigma and Racism, Colonialism, and Migration: A Rapid Qualitative Review


 Current experiences of tuberculosis policy and care among Indigenous people are interpreted and understood in light of the past colonial violence and cultural genocide. The expressed reluctance to seek health care was often grounded in experiences of colonial violence and racism, pointing toward colonial and racist practice in health care as an important driver of tuberculosis stigma. The ongoing presence of anti-Indigenous racism in Canada’s health care systems underscores the ways that these worries are not confined to historical events but manifest in the interactions across individuals and systems today.
 For tuberculosis stigma in the context of migration, tuberculosis policies and programs targeting migrant persons or racialized groups were seen as fuelling discriminatory and exclusionary views and practices toward these groups in the wider society and exacerbating tuberculosis stigma. Migrant detention centres were 1 of the sites where tuberculosis stigma was amplified through isolation when diagnosed. Further, the twining of immigration policy with tuberculosis policy led to worries among migrant persons about one’s tuberculosis status and its impact on one’s immigration status, and subsequently a reluctance to access health care. These findings ask us to consider the ways that tuberculosis policy, in concert with immigration policy, can generate tuberculosis stigma.
 Tuberculosis stigma differs across contexts. It can be both a determinant of, and determined by, other forms of discrimination. Moreover, it requires close attention to the specific setting where tuberculosis stigma is sought to be addressed. The implications of this for tuberculosis policy and care are that a universal, one-size approach to addressing tuberculosis stigma is unlikely to be successful. Rather, program-specific approaches are likely needed that engage with questions as to how different forms of tuberculosis stigma play out in the context of care.
 Cutting across this review findings were widespread experiences of racism in health care. These findings suggest that, in as much as tuberculosis stigma is a barrier to the uptake of tuberculosis screening and treatment, racism against Indigenous people and racialized migrants remains endemic in Canada’s health care system and may in some cases overshadow the role or experience of tuberculosis stigma. In light of these findings, and again, depending on the particular setting, engaging with anti-racist efforts and challenging white supremacy remain necessary and urgent.

Government Initiatives for the Livelihood of Migrant Workers During and Post Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic created one of the worst mass migration crises on the Indian subcontinent in recent times. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the global spread of novel corona virus, COVID-19 as a great pandemic. Indian migrant workers have confronted with many sufferings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus outbreak has created an adverse impact on the workforce in general and especially the migrant labourers. With factories and workplaces pack up thanks to the lockdown imposed within the country, many migrant workers had to affect the loss of income, food shortages and uncertainty about their future. Indian Railways have started running “Shramik special” trains from 1st May,2020, Labour Day, to move migrant workers and other persons stranded at different places due to Covid-19 lock down. Besides, a large number of migrant workers returned to their native states when the state borders were opened. The Government is also working on creating a database of migrant labourers so that they get the direct benefit of various welfare schemes. This paper tries to present various initiatives taken by the Government of India for the livelihood of Migrant Workers during and post lockdown and the lessons learnt from Covid-19 pandemic regarding Migrant Workers.

Trend and treatment outcomes of latent tuberculosis infection among migrant persons in Japan: retrospective analysis of Japan tuberculosis surveillance data

BackgroundScreening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among migrant population has become a critical issue for many low tuberculosis (TB) burden countries. Evidence regarding effectiveness of LTBI programs are limited, however, partly because of paucity of national data on treatment outcomes for LTBI. In Japan, notification of LTBI is mandatory, and its treatment outcome is reported as part of Japan’s national TB surveillance system. We thus conducted a detailed analysis of LTBI among foreign-born persons, to update the epidemiological trend of newly notified LTBI between 2007 and 2018, and to examine the treatment regimen and outcome of those notified in 2016 and 2017, focusing specifically on the potential risk factors for lost to follow-up.MethodsWe extracted and analyzed the data of newly notified LTBI patients from the Japan Tuberculosis Surveillance System to examine the overall trend of notification and by age groups and modes of detection between 2007 and 2018, and the cohort data for treatment regimen and outcomes of foreign-born persons notified with LTBI in 2016 and 2017. Trends and proportions were summarized descriptively, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify potential risk factors for lost to follow-up. Comparisons were made with the Japan-born patients where appropriate, using chi-squared tests.ResultsBoth the number and proportion of LTBI among foreign-born persons have been constantly increasing, reaching 963 cases in 2018. Cohort analysis of the surveillance data indicated that the proportion of those on shorter regimen was higher among the foreign- than Japan-born patients (5.5% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001). The proportion of those who have been lost to follow-up and transferred outside of Japan combined was higher among the foreign- than Japan-born patients (12.0% vs, 8.2%, p < 0.001). Risk factors for lost to follow-up were being employed on a temporal basis, and job status unknown (adjusted odds ratios 3.11 and 4.09, 95% confidence intervals 1.34–7.26 and 1.60–10.48, respectively).ConclusionsMigrant population face greater risk of interrupting LTBI treatment, and interventions to improve adherence are a critical component of programmatic management of LTBI. Further studies are needed to explore the cultural and socioeconomic situation in which foreign-born persons undergo LTBI treatment in Japan.

Personal and professional characteristics of the primary care nurse in the cultural care of migrant populations.

To analyze the personal and professional characteristics perceived by primary nurses from a province located in the Maule region, Chile, regarding care with cultural relevance of the migrant person. Qualitative paradigm with an instrumental case study design, participated 9 professionals from 3 Family Health Centers, meeting inclusion criteria. The article is part of the doctoral thesis work and has the approval of the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Universidad Católica Del Maule. Data collection was through in-depth semi-structured interviews, between January and February 2020. The analysis was carried out from Albert Schütz's sociophenomenology with hermeneutical components. Empathy and cultural knowledge stand out as personal characteristics and in the professional area, comprehensive knowledge, and care. Caring with cultural relevance is a challenge for nursing, training in cultural competence is required and continue researching on the subject.

Neoconservadorismo e políticas migratórias

Este texto aborda a ascensão do neoconservadorismo no Brasil e seus possíveis influxos nas políticas migratórias. Analisa as características essenciais do pensamento neoconservador; como se manifestam no arranjo político que ascendeu ao poder no Brasil na década de 2010; e quais os possíveis influxos que podem representar nas políticas migratórias. Funda-se em revisão de literatura e análise de documentos. Constata se que o pensamento neoconservador se sustenta em uma mescla de valores tradicionais (família, hierarquia, moralidade, autoridade), com ideias liberais na economia, securitização do Estado, nacionalismo, controle da pobreza e fundamentalismo religioso, fomentando uma “política do ódio” ao diferente, podendo comprometer os custosos avanços legislativos no campo das migrações, bem como a liberdade de circulação de pessoas migrantes e a sua inserção e integração nos corpos políticos.

Critical Discussion on Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation and Other Genital Alterations

The goal of this paper is to discuss the juxtapositions between FGM/C and other medically unjustified genital alterations performed on adult women (aesthetical genital surgeries) and on children (male circumcision and intersex genital surgeries). The authors join the debate from their position as professionals working in Belgium’s main “anti-FGM organization” as well as researchers. Recent research and contributions from scholars have raised critique of policies around FGM/C, particularly in the global North. Some of the concerns include critiques of laws that infantilize adult women, problematic use of genital examination, discourses that stigmatize migrant persons from FGM/C practicing communities, and professionals who are insufficiently trained to support women with FGM/C in a respectful and empowering way. Scholars have also argued that there is a lack of medical distinction between different types of genital cutting such as FGM/C type I and type IV, male circumcision, and aesthetical genital cutting. Authors have stressed the discrepancy in terms of both discourse on genital cutting, and called for equal protection of girl, boy, and intersex children from medically unnecessary genital cutting, without discrimination in regard to ethnicity, religion, or immigration status of their parents. The paper argues that the discussion on FGM/C and other genital alterations must consider existing socially constructed inequalities, particularly gender and “race”, and how they affect those submitted to genital alterations. The authors highlight practical challenges raised in their daily work in a women’s rights NGO and conclude with recommendations.

The art of coming home. Experiencias de reinserción laboral de migrantes deportados de Estados Unidos

El objetivo del artículo es analizar la experiencia de la deportación y reinserción laboral de una mujer migrante que se ha establecido en el municipio de Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México desde 2016. A partir de una metodología cualitativa y un enfoque biográfico recuperamos la voz de nuestra informante y su subjetividad sobre la experiencia vivida en Estados Unidos, así como de las acciones emprendidas para autoemplearse en un contexto urbano. Los hallazgos advierten que entre la población migrante deportada es necesario cambiar la mirada del norte al sur para una reinserción laboral exitosa, aunque ello no necesariamente signifique que pueden despojarse del que consideran su hogar en ese país. Asimismo, se destaca el papel de la persona migrante como agente y de los capitales humano, social y político como recursos para la implementación de iniciativas que promueven la reinserción laboral individual y colectiva de los migrantes deportados.

Software-Sorted Exclusion of Asylum Seekers in Norway and Finland

As James Scott writes, to be able to govern, administrative bodies need to make objects of government legible. Yet migrant persons do not fall neatly into the categories of administrative agencies. This categorical ambiguity is illustrated in the tendency to exclude asylum seekers from various population registers and to not provide them with ID numbers, which constitute the backbone of many welfare states in Europe. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Norway and Finland, and in Eurostat and UNECE, we study how practices of population registration and statistics compilation on foreign-born persons can be beset by differential and at times contradictory outlooks. We show that these outlooks are often presented in the form of seemingly apolitical software infrastructures or decisions made in response to software with limited, if any, discretion available to bureaucrats, statisticians, and policymakers. Our two cases, Norway and Finland, are considered social-democratic regimes within Esping-Andersen’s famous global social policy typology. Using science and technology studies and specifically “double social life of methods,” we seek to trace how software emerges as both a device for administrative bookkeeping and also for enacting the “migrant” categories with particular implications for how the welfare state comes to be established and how welfare policies come to be implemented. We note that even if all statistical production necessarily involves inclusions and exclusions, how the “boundaries” are set for whom to include and exclude directly affects the lives of those implicated by these decisions, and as such, they are onto-political. This means that welfare policies get made at the point of sorting, categorizing, and ordering of data, even before it is fed into software and other administrative devices of government. In view of this, we show that methods enact their subjects—we detail how the methods set to identify and measure refugee statistics in Europe end up enacting the welfare services they have access to. We argue that with increasing automation and datafication, the scope of welfare systems is being curtailed under the label of efficiency, and individual contexts are ignored.

Migration: sociocultural context of a study

The article is devoted to a consideration of a migration process as the one that is influencing formation of a modern society. Migration is a factor of modern cultural and social transformations. It is emphasized that migration processes are growing, covering various directions of a society activity. Migration processes are also qualitatively changing society structure and predetermines its directions of development. The necessity to study migration processes from the socio-cultural point of view was substantiated. Emphasis is placed on the motivational factors of migration. The cultural models of migration inherent to migrants on an individual level are presented as a hypothesis guiding sociological cognition in this aspect of scientific knowledge. These include “exodus”, “escape”, “emancipation”, “domination” and “return”. The models reflect sociocultural orientations and subjectively perceived migration objectives. The models consider a number of social attitudes and directions for self-realization of a migrant personality in a new system of social relations.

Cuando los niños se vuelven migrantes: Niñez detenida en México y dislocación del discurso de derechos humanos

This article aims to argument the dislocation of the human rights discourse in relation to migrant children detained in Mexico. For those purposes, first the dislocation of the human rights discourse for migrant persons will be theoretically studied. Second, the construction of the human rights discourse of migrant children through three premises will be analyzed: 1) children are subjects of law and require that States adopt special measures for their protection due to their age; 2) all children, all rights; and 3) children detention can only be used as a last resource and absolutely outstanding measure. Third, normative and practical dislocation of the human rights discourse of migrant children in Mexico will be approached. And fourth, three possible alternatives –legal, practical and political– for the articulation of the human rights discourse for migrant children will be proposed so that it can be used to protect them and claim their rights.

L’utilisation de l’art-thérapie dans le cadre d’une fugue dissociative

IntroductionStudies on post-traumatic stress disorder with dissociative subtype (PTSD+DS) have proved successful and there is now a need to develop treatments that focus on dissociation. We were interested in a post-traumatic symptom: the dissociative fugue. In the acting-out clinic, art therapy offers creative process methods that focus on emotions. ObjectiveWhile following a dissociative runaway the “mental level” of the person remains frozen, art therapy should allow the awareness for its reactivation and gradually the self-management of these runaways. MethodWe have detained two people disturbed by dissociative runaways. One of them has been sexually abused since childhood and we support her on an art therapy blog. The other is a migrant person housed in an emergency centre of the Aurore association where we provide art therapy workshops. ResultsThe major contributions of this care process are at the conceptual, physical and motor levels. Dissociative fugues were recognized by both subjects. The manipulation of shapes and colours has allowed them to undergo a beneficial transformation and recomposition, after crumbling towards a return and maintenance in the present time. ConclusionThe contribution of these workshops allowed the updating of the different identity structures of the participants. The art therapeutic framework containing and well-treating supports the process of formalizing the unspeakable. Working in mirror with the art therapist therefore opens up access to self-management and the reduction of dissociative fugues.