Migrant Youth Research Articles

Perceived Causes of Vulnerable Employment among Rural Youth in Agricultural Endeavours: Insights and Recommendations

In India, where over 60% of the youth reside in rural areas, agriculture remains the primary source of livelihood. However, the sector faces a critical challenge: its young workforce is increasingly migrating towards urban areas in search of better opportunities. This research, conducted across eight villages in Karnataka (India), sheds light on the complex reasons behind this exodus. Through surveys with 120 rural youths, the study uncovers a multifaceted cocktail of challenges hindering their agricultural aspirations. Precarious employment emerges as a key theme, fueled by low remuneration for their produce, restrictive credit access, inadequate storage facilities, and the overall perception of agriculture as an unprofitable endeavor. Beyond economic constraints, the research delves into social and environmental factors like limited market access, lack of technical expertise, and the unpredictability of monsoons, further compounding the vulnerabilities faced by young farmers. Recognizing these intricate challenges, the study proposes actionable recommendations. It advocates for improving access to institutional credit, ensuring remunerative minimum support prices, investing in local infrastructure like storage facilities, and facilitating timely input supply. By implementing these suggestions and fostering a more enabling environment, policymakers and stakeholders can reverse the tide of rural youth migration, revitalize the agricultural sector, and pave the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future for India's rural communities.

MANAGING ASSISTANCE IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL INCLUSION ADDRESSED TO YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MIGRANT FAMILIES AT THE EUROPEAN UNION LEVEL

Youth migration can be considered in many aspects. More and more young people from third countries are moving to European countries on their own or with their parents, sometimes at a very young age or even in childhood. At the same time, more and more young Europeans are becoming mobile across the continent. In terms of public policy for youth, it should be noted that students and pupils from a migrant background often struggle with difficulties in adapting to new learning conditions. Social inclusion of all young people, including those with migrant backgrounds, is one of the priorities of EU public policies in the youth field. Nowadays, social inclusion is largely based on activities that do not allow for digital exclusion, because modern education is very closely related to modern technologies. The instruments for implementing public policy for youth involve various programs funded by the European Union. These programs play a very important role in the process of social inclusion of young people from migrant families. As a result of the research, using the method of institutional and legal analysis, it was concluded that the key recommendation is that all activities addressed to young people from migrant families should enable them to function well in youth communities.

Causes and Effect of Out-Migration in Rural Areas of Benue State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effect of out-migration from rural settlements in Benue State, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to examine the causes, effect and control of migration in rural settlements of the study area. A total of 1202 respondents were selected from rural communities in 5 Local Government Area of the State. The study used multi-stage sampling technique involving purposive, simple random, judgement and snowball sampling techniques in selecting the communities and the respondents. Data were obtained via questionnaire. Frequencies and percentages were used for data analysis while tables were used for data presentation. The study found that 60.1% of the respondents are male. Most of the respondents (23.7%) are within age 50-54 years. Majority of the respondents are married (79.8%) and have households that have migrated to other places in Nigeria and beyond. The major causes of migration include unemployment (99.8%), inadequate educational institutions (97.2%), village hardship and crises (69.2%), lack of social amenities (6.7%) and insecurity/crises in rural areas. The major effect of out-migration includes reduction in labour supply, increased in demand for labour (97.1%), high cost of labour (99.8%), decreased in farm size (99.5%), decreased in productivity (99.7) and decreased in income (99.7%) in rural areas. Migration also causes low social economic growth and development in rural areas. The study recommends some major strategies for making the rural areas attractive to minimise youth migration in the State. These includes mechanization of agriculture, establishing agro-based industries, creating employment opportunities, provision of social amenities and ensuring adequate security of life and properties in rural areas of the State.

Two-Case Study of Rural Migrant TVET Female Students in Western China: Aspirations of Learning English

This study is an investigation of the English language learning aspirations and deprivations of female rural migrant youth in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in two locales in western China. This study adopted basic interpretive research focused on individual voices and experiences. The capability approach provided the conceptual framework. Participants in this research primarily aspired to learn English for instrumental purposes: to pass exams, earn higher degrees, find better jobs in cities, and support their children in learning English. A lack of English proficiency, economic situation, and living environment greatly limited their aspirations. Participants showed a spectrum of levels of aspirations of English learning. For participants with low levels of English proficiency, their English could neither support their educational and employment goals nor inspire them for greater future plans. Participants from the TVET–university joint program formulated a stronger and wider range of aspirations when compared to those encapsulated in secondary TVET. Recommendations include increasing opportunities for exposure to English, reforming exam-oriented English learning, enriching the prevailing culture of learning and the perceived value and social uses of English, increasing TVET school and university cooperation, and adapting the TVET English curriculum to economic imperatives.

Protectors and Modern Princesses: A Qualitative Investigation of Gender Ideals Among Young Migrants in Berlin

The debates at the nexus of migration and gender often focus on the supposedly diverging ideals Muslims and Christians have about gender. Migrant femininities and masculinities are framed in contrast to liberal, Western values and they undermine the efforts for more gender equality in Western societies. Only a few studies have addressed non-Muslim migrants' construction of, and their perceptions of, the femininities and masculinities of others. To fill this gap, we present the findings of a qualitative social research project where 43 young people aged 16 to 29 shared with us their perceptions regarding gender ideals. In our analysis, we utilize theories developed within women's studies and critical men and masculinities scholarship and adopt an intersectional lens to investigate how young first- and second-generation migrants in Berlin with roots in different world regions imagine their own and others' ideals of masculinity and femininity. Like non-migrant youth, our research participants want their life partnerships to be based on gender equality. Contrary to this, their ideals of femininity and masculinity embrace traditional gender roles, and they mirror the racialized relations in German society. We do not argue that the migrant youth's gender ideals are significantly shaped by their ethnic or religious belonging, and thus they do differ from those of non-migrant youth. However, racial othering is relevant for these migrants' images of their life partners and should be taken under consideration while designing specific policies aimed at increasing levels of gender equality in multi-diverse societies.

Bilal's Journey, a Story of Emancipation

Abstract Bilal's story traces the journey of migrant youths who abandon European reception projects while remaining undocumented. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork and inquiry into Bilal's lived experience, evidence is presented on how the Italian reception system fails to address the migrants’ needs and vulnerabilities. Labour is a central element in the life stories of migrant youths, although access to the labour market is constrained by laws on protection of minors and asylum bureaucracies. This fact collides with the youths’ aspirations, in which mobility and economic independence are seen as fundamental elements of ‘adulthood’. Against this backdrop, steps should be made in both legal and humanitarian approaches to youth migration to promote a regular and dignifying access to labour as a possible form of emancipation and citizenship.

The Trends of Foreign Employment and Remittance Inflow in Nepal

This paper discusses the employment situation of Nepalese youth in foreign countries and its impact on remittance. The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of foreign employment on remittance. This study is based on secondary data and quantitative analysis is adopted. The available data has been interpreted using descriptive statistics as well co-relation coefficient test. The study shows that the remittance inflow in the country has highly increased, though migration of youths has decreased compared to past years. There is a vast gap between male and female migrants. The number of male migrants is substantially high as compared to female migrants and the number of youth migrants going abroad for foreign employment is studied to be high in Gulf countries. The study further reveals that migration has a huge contribution to the nation’s economy as well as to the livelihood of their households with the inflow of remittance.

The myth of Australia’s migrant youth gang: examining the perceived association between ethnicity and gangs

ABSTRACT In Australia, as with other countries around the world, migrant young people receive significant media and political attention as the alleged perpetrators of significant criminal activity. This has been a consistent feature over time, with ‘Asian gangs’ in the 1990s in the US, UK and Australia, ‘Middle-Eastern gangs’ around the time of 9/11, ‘Turkish gangs’ and ‘Albanian gangs’ in the UK and Europe, and ‘African gangs’ in Australia since the early 2000s. In this research, we investigate the risk factors associated with youth gang membership in Australia. Using data from the Australia Youth Safety Survey from 2,945 young people aged 14–25 years, we examine the importance of first- and second-generation migrant status on gang membership. After controlling for known risk factors, we find that migrant status was not a predictor of gang membership. Results offer important insights into the prominence of morality and self-control as protective factors against youth gang membership, and speak to the role of neighbourhood context in which the young person lives.

Barriers and facilitators to utilizing HIV prevention and treatment services among migrant youth globally: A scoping review.

Both migrants and young people experience disproportionately high rates of HIV acquisition and poor access to HIV prevention and treatment services. To develop effective interventions and reach epidemic control, it is necessary to understand the barriers and facilitators to accessing HIV services among migrant youth. We conducted a scoping review to identify these factors for migrant youth ages 15-24, globally. We conducted a PRISMA-concordant scoping review using keyword searches in PUBMED and Web of Science for peer-reviewed primary literature published between January 2012 and October 2022. We included studies that investigated barriers and facilitators to accessing services for migrant youth participants. We used the Socio-Ecological Model as an analytical framework. The 20 studies meeting the inclusion criteria spanned 10 countries, of which 80% (n = 16) were low- and middle-income countries. Study methods included were quantitative (40%), qualitative (55%), and mixed methods (5%). Six studies included refugee youth (30%), 6 included migrant worker youth (30%), 3 included immigrant youth (15%), 2 included rural migrant youth (10%), and 1 included immigrants and refugees. The remainder represented unspecified migrant youth populations (10%). At the individual level, education level and fear of infection acted as barriers and facilitators to HIV services. At the relationship level, social support and power in relationships acted as barriers and facilitators to HIV services. At the community level, barriers to HIV services included discrimination and stigma, while community and religious outreach efforts facilitated access to HIV services. At the structural level, barriers to HIV services included stigmatizing social norms, lack of health insurance, and legal barriers. Migrant youth face significant, unique barriers to accessing HIV services. However, facilitators exist that can be leveraged to enable access. Future implementation science research, enabling policies, and adapted programmatic interventions should prioritize migrant youth as a distinctive sub-population to receive targeted HIV services.

Attitude of Rural Youth towards Agriculture as a Source of Livelihood in Rajasthan, India

The research paper spotlights the attitude of rural youth towards agriculture as a source of livelihood. Agriculture forms the crux of the socio-economic development of the country and source of livelihood to majority of the rural life. The youth are the ideal catalyst to change the status of persons involved in farming, especially in the rural communities given their greater possibility to adapt new ideas, concept and technology which are important to change the way farming is practiced and perceived. Despite this, migration of rural youth to other sectors in search of other lucrative jobs has resulted in decreasing participation of rural youth in agriculture. This has several implications for the future of Indian agriculture and India’s food security. It is imperative to find out the reasons for growing disinterest of youth to be involved in agriculture. The present study was carried out in 300 rural youth respondents in Jaipur and Alwar districts of Rajasthan using purposive sampling mehod.. The data were collected by using a well-structured interview schedule. Results revealed that majority of rural youth had neutral attitude (66.67%) followed by 17.67 per cent had highly unfavourable attitude and 15.67 per cent had highly favourable attitude towards agriculture. This, in turn, to attract and retain young people in rural areas, positive attitude toward agriculture among rural youth needs to be developed.

Understanding the Mobilities of Indigenous Migrant Youth across the Americas

Enhanced immigration enforcement measures are now a dominant practice throughout the world. The concept of transnationalism, used by scholars to illuminate the complex dynamics these measures have across nation-state borders, has been critiqued for its replication of methodological nationalism—the assumption that the nation-state is a natural social and political form of the modern world. How then can migration scholars deepen the understanding of the mobilities of migrant children and youth without replicating methodological nationalism? We propose a relational socio-cultural analytic that synthesizes settler colonial theory and the theory of racialized legal status to comprehend the complex experiences of Indigenous migrant Maya youth and families throughout the Americas. Our use of a relational critical comparative analysis challenges structural functionalist approaches that limit the study migration dynamics within nation-state contexts, which can unwittingly sustain national membership in a state(s) as an aspirational emblem of belonging. We explore how Indigenous Maya experience and challenge the meaning of statelessness and the spillover effects of immigration enforcement measures along the US–Mexico and Mexico–Guatemala borders. We argue that a relational socio-cultural analytic lens serves as a powerful tool for understanding how nation-states co-produce stateless Indigenous populations and how these populations persist throughout the Americas and the world.

Researching Playfully? Assessing the Applicability of LEGO® Serious Play® for Researching Vulnerable Groups

Although in recent years plenty of work was published on LEGO® Serious Play®, there are only a manageable number of publications about its applicability in a research context. Undoubtedly, LEGO® Serious Play® can be a methodological enrichment particularly for participatory research with people in vulnerable conditions. However, its utilization in research should always be well reflected and adapted to the specific research context. Based on experiences gained in the H2020 project “MIMY – EMpowerment through liquid integration of Migrant Youth in vulnerable conditions”, the following article depicts the potentials and limitations of LEGO® Serious Play® and critically assesses its value for research purposes.

Multi-layered mobilities: unaccompanied minors’ trajectories, decision-making and mobility after arrival in Italy

ABSTRACT This article explores the evolution of unaccompanied minors’ (UMs’) decisions and migratory experiences after arrival in Italy through Libya. Until now, research has not longitudinally documented UMs’ decision-making processes and experiences during their migration in Europe. We draw on data collected within the ERC-ChildMove project, a multi-sited and follow-up study, and used a trajectory approach (Schapendonk et al. [2020]. “Re-Routing Migration Geographies: Migrants, Trajectories and Mobility Regimes.” Geoforum; Journal of Physical, Human, and Regional Geosciences 116: 211–216.) to analyse in-depth interviews initially conducted with thirty-nine participants that were followed across Europe over a two-year period. We use the notion of ‘mobility-in-migration’ (Veale and Donà [2014]. Child and Youth Migration: Mobility-in-Migration in an Era of Globalization. Springer.) to question UMs’ migratory decisions and analyse the periods of mobility and immobility experienced during these trajectories. Our findings indicate that UMs’ decisions in Europe are heavily influenced by the quality of formal support and care, the length and outcomes of legal procedures, and trans-local support networks. The study analyses how such factors may repeatedly re-route or distort initially planned trajectories, produce involuntary mobility or end the minors’ trajectories. Finally, the paper demonstrates that periods of mobility and immobility coexist at different local scales within the overall migration trajectory of unaccompanied minors.

Assemblages of mobility and violence: the shifting social worlds of Somali youth migration and the meanings of tahriib, 2005–2020

ABSTRACT Drawing on two periods of fieldwork (2007–2008 and 2019–2020) conducted between Somaliland and Italy, this article traces, from a longitudinal perspective, the migratory journeys from Somalia to Libya and Europe of a new generation of young asylum-seekers. The underlying thread linking the two temporal frames is the transformations of the word tahriib. Travelling between Libya and Somalia, the word takes on new meanings: while in the emerging institutional language on migration, the word referred to growing dimensions of control and containment of mobility (in Arabic it refers to human smuggling), for the new generation of young Somali asylum-seekers it alluded initially to a dimension of danger, adventure, and generational rupture, and then became increasingly associated with violence and disruption. These transformations, I argue, reveal the shifting social worlds of Somali youth migration, where protracted crises in the country of origin and struggles for social inclusion in the new transnational Somali society had to adjust to increasingly restrictive forms of regulation of international migration. As the destructive transformations of tahriib unfold, their effects pervade not only the areas of origin and transit but also affect the attempts at integration in European countries, showing the deceitful and uncertain nature of diaspora.

Images of torture: ‘affective solidarity’ and the search for ransom in the global Somali community

ABSTRACT Recent migration trends among the Somali youth and the rise of the migrant smuggling network, in Somali known as Magafe, have rendered traditional practices of solidarity ambiguous. Somali notions of solidarity have historically been a mechanism of care within the clan system. In this article, we argue that traditional practices of solidarity are challenged through the intensification of ransom collection in the Somali community. In recent years, increasing numbers of young Somali migrants have been taken captive in the deserts of Sudan and Libya. Appealing to affective responses, the Magafe network use images and sound recordings of beatings and torture to convince family members, and the wider Somali community, to pay extortionate ransoms. Based on fieldwork conducted in Somaliland in 2013, 2015 and 2021 among Somali families affected by irregular youth migration, the article finds that the willingness and ability of clan members to pay the ever-increasing sums are dwindling. Consequently, mass and social media are widely used by family members and the Magafe network alike to spread the images, sound bites and the phone numbers for money transfer. They thereby appeal to what the article conceptualizes as the ‘affective solidarity’ of the global Somali community.

Growing up in transit. Personal development and resistance of migrant adolescents travelling through Mexico unaccompanied

Mexico is a major global migration corridor. The last decade has seen an increase in adolescents travelling unaccompanied from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, mainly due to violence and natural disasters. This group of migrants is exposed to migration risks such as trafficking and exploitation, as well as multiple deportations and long waiting times without appropriate access to health and education services. These conditions have significant documented adverse impacts on health and mental health, but the impact on personal development has been less explored. Thus, this article aims to explore the impact of migration transit on identity and resilience of unaccompanied migrant youth, psychosocial mental health constructs that are important for wellbeing and personal development. Through 47 semi-structured interviews conducted with migrant youth and different migration workers in summer 2021 in two migrant shelters in Mexico City and Guadalajara, we found that possibilities for identity building for migrant youth were restricted in a context of curbed freedom. Violence and poverty led to loss of crucial formative years, pushing many to aspire only to work – regardless of the type of work. Resilience overlapped with resistance but was generally maintained with cultural narratives of goal achievement, faith and hope. Strong responsibility towards sending remittances to family made family one of the main goals of the migration journey. Workers highlighted how regional migration management, underlined by discriminatory policies which place profit and national security ideology before a recognition of common humanity, is a considerable barrier to funding services and advancing access to rights for youth. However, youth showed recognition of their own agency and humanity, which represents an important basis on which to build a counter-discriminatory vision and management of this migration. Results are reported according to COREQ guidelines.

ДИНАМИКА ЧИСЛЕННОСТИ И ТЕНДЕНЦИИ МИГРАЦИИ МОЛОДЕЖИ НОВГОРОДСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ: ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ЗА ПОСЛЕДНИЕ ГОДЫ

The article, based on demographic statistics, analyzes the dynamics of the number of youths aged 14 to 34 years in the Novgorod region from 2018 to 2023. The topic of demographic reproduction of youth has recently acquired relevance, since during this period there has been a decrease in the number of youths in the region, which tends to increase in the near future. One of the mechanisms for maintaining the number of young people is the migration of high school stu-dents and young professionals to the region as part of interregional and international migration. Therefore, the purpose of the work is to study the demographic development, scale and direction of migration movements of youth groups in the Novgorod region. Youth migration data over the past three years show an increase in the number of young people aged 15-24 arriving in the region. However, the scale of negative migration growth in the age groups of 25-29 years and 30-34 years, recorded in 2022, raises concerns. A comparison of interregional and international youth migration flows makes it possible to rank them, from which it can be seen that the former significantly pre-dominate in the region over the latter. Another of the tasks set in the work is to analyze the dynam-ics of the population group under 14 years of age, since in the near future it will be precisely this that will influence the demographic processes in the youth group as a whole. From a comparative analysis of the children's group, it is clear that within it there are subgroups with differently directed demographic processes - the numerical decline of some and growth of other groups. The data obtained during the study can become the basis for developing models for predicting the process of youth migration in the region, as well as a topic for expert discussion of the complex impact of demographic processes on the education system and labor market in the region. To realize the pos-itive potential of educational and labor migration, the author proposes to concentrate on research activities to analyze groups of youth, the number of which will decline in the coming years.

Conceptualization, Characterization and Establishment of Model Large Cardamom Village in Eastern Himalaya of West Bengal

The farmers’ livelihood in the Himalayan region of West Bengal mainly depends on large cardamom cultivation. However, the farmers in the region were continuously facing low yield, high disease incidence, and poor quality of large cardamom. An alternative extension approach namely ‘Model Large Cardamom Village’ was conceptualized to address these issues in Tindhurey village of Kalimpong in West Bengal. Diverse scientific technologies and practices were promoted in the adopted village from 2018 to 2022. An outcome-based impact evaluation was done in 2023 with a sample of 350 farmers. The maximum yield increment was observed in the Seremna cultivar (45.94%) followed by Bharlangey (42.86%), Ramsai (40%), and Golsey cultivar (36.67%). Similarly, the maximum increase in income was reported in the Seremna cultivar from Rs. 160000/ha. to Rs. 290000/ha. Other significant impact of Model Large Cardamom Village was increased adoption of recommended technologies, the decline in pest and disease incidence, enhanced social networking, the decline in migration of youth from the village, increased access to different production inputs and services, and starting large cardamom-based tourism. The study shows the potential of a specific and focused extension approach to address the technological gap at the regional level.

Nature and Impact of Family Care in the Life of Elderly People: A Study in Dhaka City

Family care is an important issue that plays a significant role in the life of elderly people since the number of elderly people is increasing and the role of the families is also changing. The family structure reduces the number of caregivers in the family, and it has a crucial implication on the healthy life of older people. The objective of this study is to explore the nature and impact of family care in the life of elderly people in Dhaka city. This study is mainly qualitative in nature and the case study method was followed to understand the in-depth situation of family caregiving. Through a purposive sampling technique, 20 families were selected as cases from the Dhaka South City Corporation area. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect some qualitative data. The study findings indicated that the majority of elderly people get care from spouses and children to perform the basic activities necessary for daily life where women play a vital role. Family members provide both daily living and instrumental support to the elderly people. Moreover, this study found that lack of family attachment, busy urban life, professional stress, involvement of women in the labor market, migration of youth, individualism, limited formal and non-formal caregivers, lack of proper health and disease related information and knowledge, and apathetic attitude are the major challenges for getting adequate and effective elderly care. The findings suggest home-based and community-based care program is needed to support family caregivers and older people to stay in their homes and communities.

Intraregional differentiation of youth migration in the Stavropol Territory

The article is devoted to identifying the territorial features of youth migration in the peripheral regions of the South of European Russia on the example of the Stavropol Territory. The features of intra-regional differentiation of demographic indicators characterizing the distribution of young people are analyzed. The main tendencies of youth migration in different territories are revealed, depending on the action of push and pull factors, the typology of municipalities of the region according to migration growth and the direction of migration flows is carried out. The object of the study was the youth of the Stavropol Territory aged 15 to 29 years. The official statistics of the current accounting of the population, developed by Rosstat for the period 2012–2919, was used as an empirical basis. The materials are presented in the form of a series of tables and maps reflecting the peculiarities of territorial inequality in the course of youth migration at the regional and intra-regional levels. There is a steady downward trend in the number of young people in all territories of the region, in which migration plays a significant role. In most of its municipalities, there is a migration loss, and only in a few - a migration gain. The migration attractiveness of the Stavropol region is due to the presence of a large number of institutions of higher and secondary vocational education, including the federal university. An important role in attracting young migrants to the region is played by the ethnic factor, which provides a certain influx in international and interregional exchange. Ethnic groups from the North Caucasian republics and the states of the South Caucasus form compact areas of settlement that attract young compatriots. Youth migration processes are largely polarized. Within the Stavropol and Kavminvodsk urban agglomerations, there is a zone with a predominant increase in youth in intraregional and international migration and losses in interregional migration. The rest of the territory forms a vast periphery with a predominance of youth loss. A less dramatic decline in youth is noted in the southern border areas, which is offset by a small interregional influx.