DOCSLIB.ORG

Adolescent Girls' Migration to Sudan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Adolescent Girls' Migration to Sudan Research Report Time to Look at Girls: Adolescent Girls’ Migration to Sudan Dr Katarzyna Grabska May 2016 Contents Acknowledgements 4 Summary: Key Findings 5 1 Situating the Research Problem 1.1 Background to the study 8 1.2 Migration, girls and adolescence 8 1.3 Research questions 9 2 The Context 2.1 Sudan: diversity of movements 10 2.2 Locating girls’ and women’s migration to Sudan 11 2.3 City as a space: Khartoum: a multi-face city 13 2.4 Migration policies and regulations 16 2.5 Specific regulations affecting adolescent girl migrants 20 3 Methods and Fieldwork 3.1 Research methods 22 3.2 Constraints and limitations 23 4 Social profile of respondents 26 5 Becoming a Migrant 5.1 Migration motives 29 5.2 Beyond ‘poverty and human rights discourse’ as reasons for migration 30 5.3 The gender order and gender norms 35 5.4 Family circumstances 36 5.5 Decision to leave 37 5.6 The journey 38 6 Being an Adolescent Migrant Girl in Khartoum 6.1 First impressions and first encounters 41 6.2 Settling in and living conditions 42 6.3 Working and earning 43 6.4 Educational opportunities and aspirations 45 6.5 Life in the city 48 6.6 Risks, threats and set-backs 49 7 Vulnerability, Volatility and Protection 7.1 Sources of vulnerability 53 7.2 Volatility in everyday life 54 7.3 Sources of support and protection 55 2 8 Transitions and Transformations 8.1 Waiting in an inbetween place 60 8.2 Alternative youth identities and transitions 61 8.3 Marriage and migration 62 8.4 Girls’ evaluations and aspirations 64 8.5 Supporting those left behind: remittances, investments, emotions 65 8.6 Long-term aspirations 68 9 Key Implications for Policy and Interventions 71 Bibliography 74 3 Acknowledgements There are many institutions and people who should be thanked for the support they offered throughout this project. First of all, we acknowledge the generous support of the Swiss Network of International Studies (SNIS) that provided the main funding for the research. Co-funding for the research and documentary film was also received from Terre des Hommes, University of Sussex, VU University Amsterdam, Feminist Review Trust, and Girl Effect Ethiopia. We are very grateful to them for making this project financially possible. The project was carried out under the umbrella of the Global Migrations Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva. Special thanks go to Dr Géraldine Ruiz for her administrative support and patience! In Sudan, special thanks go to the Regional Institute of Gender, Rights, Diversity and Justice at the Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, and especially to Professor Balghis Badri for offering institutional support. Also, the French Research Centre, CEDEJ in Khartoum, and particularly Dr Alice Franck, have contributed in diverse and significant ways to the success of the project. Thanks go also to Jenny Edwards and Azza Aziz for editorial inputs. I would like to express my special thanks to all the research assistants, migrants and refugees, who took such an active role in making this research possible: Bana, Bisrat, Ruta, Hibret, without you this project would have never happened. Thank you for your wisdom, friendship and generosity to allow me into your lives. For most, my thanks go to all the research participants who shared their stories with us and provided insights into their very complex and vulnerable lives. This report is a testimony to your struggles. Last, but not least, to my fellow companions in this project: Professor Ann Whitehead, Dr Marina de Regt and Dr Nicoletta del Franco. You have been so inspirational, sharing, cooperative and supportive. This had made the whole project a lot of fun and made me truly believe in feminist collaborative work. Thank you. 4 Summary: Key Findings The Swiss Network of International Studies (SNIS)-funded research “Time to Look at Girls: Adolescent Girls’ Migration and Development” explored the links between migration of adolescent girls and development in the Global South through a holistic approach that contextualises adolescents’ and young women’s agency, choices and migration experiences. This mixed-method and multi-sited research focused on adolescent girls who migrate internally and internationally from Bangladesh and Ethiopia and to Sudan. The fieldwork in Sudan took place between March 2014 and September 2015 among Eritrean and Ethiopian adolescent girl and young women migrants and refugees. It was carried out by Dr Katarzyna Grabska supported by a research team composed of four research assistants who were recruited among the Eritrean and Ethiopian migrant and refugees. Reasons for migration The data gathered reveals the extremely precarious situations in which the Ethiopian and Eritrean girls found themselves at home. The combination of economic pressures faced by their families, often households experiencing crisis due to the death of one or both parents or separation, abuse experienced from relatives or step-parents, lack of educational and work opportunities, and in some cases religious and political pressures, provided the background to girls’ decision-making processes with regards to migration. As the results of the survey, life stories and focus group discussions reveal, each girl had specific, often very personal, reasons for leaving their places of origin. Yet, they all departed in what could be described as a ‘search for a better life’, often escaping extreme difficulties experienced at home. Helen, from Karen in Eritrea, was 21 years old when she arrived in Sudan, Everyone is coming to Sudan. I think of it as a transit country because I want to go farther. I don’t want to stay here. I want to go somewhere else. […] My plan was to change the life of my family and mine. Life is changing. A desire to help families who had stayed behind, many of whom were in very dire economic or political circumstances, was expressed by both Eritrean and Ethiopian respondents. Also, gender and generational pressures from their families played an important element in the girls’ decision-making processes. A number of girls in Eritrea, and also in Ethiopia, left in order to avoid arranged marriages. Despite laws in both countries prohibiting under-age marriage (under 18 years old) and changing social norms around early marriage, girls as young as 12 still face the danger of arranged marriages often against their will. Young Eritrean girls and women refugees often referred to the pressure of national service, the lack of work opportunities, political and religious persecution, as well as the impossibility of achieving a life one would like to have. Their migration motives, however, are more complex than this. The image promoted by the Eritrean diaspora of external possibilities, and the visible impact of migrant remittances, combined with a changing youth culture, contribute to Eritrean youth wanting to migrate abroad. Both girls and boys deliberately choose to escape in search of a better future for themselves, and their families. Other key factors behind the decisions of both Ethiopian and Eritrean adolescent girls and young women to migrate are linked to the gender norms that operate in both societies. Family circumstances also had a decisive impact on girls’ decisions to migrate. In families that experienced some type of crisis, for example the death of one or both parents, divorce or separation, parents’ health problems, or parents’ absence due to the political situation, adolescent girls were more likely to migrate. Being an adolescent migrant-refugee girl in Khartoum Arrival: Using personal, family or friends’ networks, or at times, brokers, girls arrive in the city usually without proper documentation. Arriving in the dusty city of Khartoum is usually met with both excitement and relief after a long exhausting trip. ‘When I finally reached Khartoum, on the back of a pickup filled with other Eritreans, after weeks of travelling on foot, running and not eating, and being stressed, I felt relieved’, said Bana, a 17-year old who came to join her sister who had been in Khartoum for six years. I saw Bana on the day she reached her sister’s house. She was one of the lucky ones who had a family connection in 5 Khartoum and who had a place to stay, rest and get some food. Bana slept for three days because of her exhausting journey. Other girls who do not have connections to the city, find arrival in Khartoum an overwhelming and threatening experience. Kibra was 17 when she arrived from an Eritrean refugee camp in Ethiopia transported by a smuggler. As she had no money to pay for the journey, she was made to work for the smuggler. Settling in: Settling in is a process that takes time: time to get to know the city, establish new contacts and relations, and gain some social and financial capital. The living conditions of migrant and refugee communities vary depending on their financial situation, social status, access to social capital, and support networks. The majority of them, however, live in miserable conditions. Most of the respondents lived in overcrowded accommodation, usually sharing with close or even distant family members, or other girls or women from their places of origin. There is a great solidarity among the Eritrean members of the Catholic Church who tend to help each other. The Ethiopian and Eritrean Pentecostal churches also have strategies to support their members with accommodation. Some churches, for example, rent housing and provide accommodation to those of their members who are in difficult circumstances. This creates a space of safety and security for the migrants. Work: Among the respondents interviewed for the research, the majority had some type of employment, such as cleaning or selling tea.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Global Politics of Africa
    How the Presidents of Uganda and Sudan manipulated the international system to avoid prosecution by the ICC Vinicius Gorczeski Centre for Social Sciences, email: [email protected]: +36.1.2246700/5213 Abstract Through analyzing cases of the International Criminal Courte (ICC), this paper investigates how African elites sought to use their political agency to manipulate international mechanisms for their own benefit. The analysis is done by describing the cases of presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. In the first case, Museveni’s manipulated a relationship of dependency with the ICC, which favored him against prosecution, to the detriment of justice in Uganda. In the second case, al Bashir played with the international community, including African states, to raise political support and armor himself against charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity which were issued by the ICC. Both cases are explored following the understanding of African agency in international relations, in which these political leaders actively engaged with the international community rather than follow an approach of passive bystanders in the global political arena. The paper concludes by suggesting pathways for research on how criminal justice in Africa depends on finding a solution to justice and peace that go beyond local political conspiracies that benefit political elites rather than victims of serious crimes under international law. Keywords Political Science, International Relations, Agency, ICC, Public Policy, African Elites, Uganda, Sudan Date May 2018 Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Omar al-Bashir: using political agency to undermine the ICC ........................................................... 2 Museveni: using the ICC for self-benefit ...........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 2014 National History Bowl National Championships Round
    United States Geography Olympiad Final Round 1. This map line is crossed by a continuous nature preserve known on one side as Blackwater River State Forest and the other as Conecuh National Forest. This boundary runs north-south along the eastern side of Baldwin County, and is mostly parallel to the "Redneck Riviera." The Perdido River was the end of the "Addition of 1812" that created the "foot" on the west of this boundary. A bar sitting on Perdido Key has space on both sides of this border, which runs through an area often jokingly referred to as "L.A." and is just a few miles west of Pensacola. For the point, identify this boundary which mostly runs east-west and separates the western side of a panhandle from another state. ANSWER: the border between Alabama and Florida [order not important, but do not accept or prompt if only one answer is given] 019-13-94-33101 2. The Rondout, Neversink, and Ashokan reservoirs are among the artificial lakes in these mountains. The northern portion of these mountains are the Helderberg Hills, and the Blackhead range in these mountains is the location of Thomas Cole Mountain. The highest point of these mountains is Slide Mountain. Several resorts in these mountains were the location of early stand-up comedy shows in the so-called borscht belt, and Rip Van Winkle fell asleep in these mountains in a Washington Irving story. For the point, name these mountains of the Appalachian system that are bounded by the Mohawk and Hudson river valleys and located in southeastern New York.
    [Show full text]
  • War and Humanitarian Aid
    War and humanitarian aid Rony Brauman 2017 Dictionary of war and peace, Presses universitaires de France (PUF), 2017. Le Centre de réflexion sur l’action et les savoirs humanitaires (CRASH) a été créé par Médecins sans frontières en 1999. Sa vocation : stimuler la réflexion critique sur les pratiques de l‟association afin d‟en améliorer l‟action. Le Crash réalise des études et analyses portant sur l‟action de MSF dans son environnement immédiat. Elaborées à partir des cadres et de l‟expérience de l‟association, ces textes ne représentent pas la « ligne du parti » MSF, pas plus qu‟ils ne cherchent à défendre une conception du « vrai humanitaire ». Leur ambition est au contraire de contribuer au débat sur les enjeux, contraintes, limites – et par conséquent dilemmes – de l‟action humanitaire. Les critiques, remarques et suggestions sont plus que bienvenues, elles sont attendues. The Centre de reflexion sur l’action et les savoirs humanitaires (CRASH) was created by Médecins Sans Frontières in 1999. Its objective is to encourage debate and critical reflexion on the humanitarian practices of the association. The Crash carries out in-depth studies and analyses of MSF‟s activities. This work is based on the framework and experience of the association. In no way, however, do these texts lay down the „MSF party line‟, nor do they seek to defend the idea of „true humanitarianism‟. On the contrary, the objective is to contribute to debate on the challenges, constraints and limits –as well as the subsequent dilemmas- of humanitarian action. Any criticisms, remarks or suggestions are most welcome.
    [Show full text]
  • Business Actors in Mediation Processes
    a per la pace ondation suisse pour la paix ondazione svizzer Schweizerische Friedensstiftung F F Working Paper Foundation Swiss Peace 2 | 2010 Money Makers as Peace Makers? Business Actors in Mediation Processes Andrea Iff, Damiano Sguaitamatti, Rina M. Alluri, Daniela Kohler swisspeace swisspeace is an action-oriented peace research Working Papers institute with headquarters in Bern, Switzer- In its working paper series, swisspeace land. It aims to prevent the outbreak of publishes reports by staff members and violent conflicts and to enable sustainable international experts, covering recent issues conflict transformation. of peace research and peacebuilding. Please note our publication list at the end of this swisspeace sees itself as a center of excellence paper or on www.swisspeace.org. and an information platform in the areas of . conflict analysis and peacebuilding. We conduct research on the causes of war and violent conflict, develop tools for early recognition of tensions, and formulate conflict mitigation and peacebuilding strategies. swisspeace contributes to information exchange and networking on current issues of peace and security policy through its analyses and reports as well as meetings and conferences. swisspeace was founded in 1988 as the “Swiss Peace Foundation” with the goal of promoting independent peace research in Switzerland. Today swisspeace engages about 30 staff members. Its most important clients include the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Its activities
    [Show full text]
  • Medicinal Plants and Extracts
    BULLETIN MNS March 2011 MEDICINAL PLANTS AND EXTRACTS MARKET NEWS SERVICE (MNS) QUARTERLY EDITION Disclaimer This report has been prepared without formal editing, as a service to exporters and industries in developing countries by the Market News Service (MNS), Division of Market Development, International Trade Centre, The Joint Agency of the World Trade Organization and The United Nations. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the International Trade Centre. The mention of specific companies or of certain commercial products and brand names does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ITC in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The designations employed and the presentation of material on the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Trade Centre concerning the legal status of any Country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Prepared by Josef Brinckmann & Associates ITC Consultant Contacts for Medicinal Plants & Extracts Information Providers: Market intelligence, production and trade data, regulatory news, standards and specifications: Mr. Josef Brinckmann at [email protected] Botanical prices, currency rates, trade event listings, global directory of herbal trade associations: Ms. Tasha Goldberg at [email protected] Cover Picture: Senna plant (Cassia angustifolia) ©2007 Steven Foster. For more information on medicinal and aromatic plant photography by Steven Foster Group, Inc., please visit: http://www.stevenfoster.com 1 EDITORS NOTE MNS Medicinal Plant and Extracts report is a formatted version of a news and information bulletin prepared by the International Trade Centre to promote international trade in medicinal plants and botanical extracts.
    [Show full text]
  • CR1-Lyman.Pdf
    Cairo_Review_Lyman_Layout 1 18.04.11 19:33 Seite 53 Negotiating Peace in Sudan an american Perspective By Princeton N. Lyman n January of this year, nearly four million southern Sudanese went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly for the south to secede from the rest of Sudan. The week- Ilong voting process was peaceful. Observers from around the globe pronounced it free and credible. A new state was about to be born. Yet barely a few months earlier, many feared the referendum would not be allowed to take place or that if it did, rather than a step toward peace, it would be the trigger for renewal of one of Africa’s longest civil wars. The danger of renewed war has not entirely ended, but one major step along Sudan’s path to peace has been achieved. Sudan has undergone a long and complicated peace process. Sudan’s second civil war between the north and the south ended in 2002. From then to 2011, a nine-yea r schedule of negotiations and major decisions was laid out. The first agreement was the Machakos protocol in 2002, which provided the basis for a cease-fire and peace negotiations. There followed five more protocols and two appendices negotiated over the next two years, culminating in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. Within the CPA was a provision granting the south the right of self-d etermina - tion, specifically to vote on whether to remain part of Sudan or become independen t, on January 9, 2011. The CPA would end in July 2011, when arrangements arising out of the outcome of the referendum were to be completed.
    [Show full text]
  • Africa East Asia and the Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East South Asia Western Hemisphere
    II. REQUEST BY REGION Africa East Asia and the Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East South Asia Western Hemisphere 217 This page intentionally left blank. 218 AFRICA 219 This page intentionally left blank. 220 Angola ($ in thousands) Account FY 2003 Actual FY 2004 Estimate FY 2005 Request CSH 7,797 7,700 7,130 DA 4,568 3,600 4,544 ESF 3,825 3,479 3,000 IMET 152 100 300 NADR-HD 3,500 5,300 5,300 NADR-SALW 500 - - P.L. 480 Title II 104,545 22,723 9,501 The primary U.S. interests in Angola are democracy and human rights, economic growth and development, and global health. The end of Angola’s civil war and the demilitarization of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) have contributed markedly to stability in southern Africa and to the safety of American citizens, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Angola. Ensuring that the national reconciliation process moves forward successfully will contribute to placing the country on a positive road towards multi-party democracy, respect for human rights, and free-market economic reform. It will also aid in combating corruption and instituting economic good governance in the country. Stability can help ensure that the country’s territory is not used as a base of operations for international terrorists, drug traffickers, and organized crime. Stability will also help ensure U.S. private - sector access to a source of seven percent of U.S. petroleum imports, a figure likely to rise in the coming years, and to one of sub-Saharan Africa’s potential economic leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Prosopis a Curse Or a Blessing? – an Ecological-Economic 32 Analysis of an Invasive Alien Tree Species in Sudan
    Tropical32-kannet- 3.4.2007 09:23 Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K TROPICAL FORESTRY REPORTS 32 FORESTRY TROPICAL UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Viikki Tropical Resources Institute Viikki Tropical Resources Institute VITRI VITRI TROPICAL FORESTRY REPORTS No. 31 Luukkanen, O., Katila, P., Elsiddig, E., Glover, E. K., Sharawi, H. and Elfadl, M. 2006. TROPICAL FORESTRY REPORTS Partnership between Public and Private Actors in Forest-Sector Development. No. 32 Laxén, J. 2007. Is prosopis a curse or a blessing? – An ecological-economic 32 analysis of an invasive alien tree species in Sudan. Doctoral thesis. analysis of an invasive alien tree species in Sudan alien tree analysis of an invasive a curse or blessing? – An ecological-economicIs prosopis ISBN 978-952-10-3891-4 (paperback) Jörn Laxén ISBN 978-952-10-3892-1 (PDF) ISSN 0786-8170 Is prosopis a curse or a blessing? – An ecological-economic Helsinki 2007 analysis of an invasive alien tree species in Sudan Hakapaino Oy Composite Tropical32-sis.kan 11.4.2007 12:26 Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI No. 15 Mustafa, A. F. 1997. Regeneration of Acacia seyal forests on the dryland of the Sudan clay plain. Doctoral thesis. Viikki Tropical Resources Institute No. 16 El Fadl, M. A. 1997. Management of Prosopis juliflora for use in agroforestry systems VITRI in the Sudan. Doctoral thesis. No. 17 Kaarakka, V. & Holmberg, G. 1999. Environmental conflicts and development co- operation with special reference to conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests. No. 18 Li, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Impact of Internal Displaced Persons on the Tree Cover at El Genina Localilty, West Darfur State - Sudan
    IMPACT OF INTERNAL DISPLACED PERSONS ON THE TREE COVER AT EL GENINA LOCALILTY, WEST DARFUR STATE - SUDAN. By Mohamed Abuelgasim Ahmed Hasan B.Sc. Forestry (2003) Faculty of Forestry & Range Sciences University of Upper Nile A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of M.Sc. in Forestry Supervisor Dr. EL Amin Sanjak Mohamed Ali Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry University of Khartoum April 2010 DEDICATION I am proud to dedicate this simple work to:- The Soul of my late father My mother My wife and my son, whom are my life. My brother and sisters. And to the rest of my family. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First let me thank the almighty Allah for the blessing that contributed to the successful completion of this work. Secondly, I would like to express my profound of sense of gratitude to Dr. ELAmin Sanjak Mohamed for his support and valuable follow up, encouraging, supervision, considerable patience and endless advice through this study. I am also grateful for my mother, my wife Arafa Ahamed and my brother Sabrey Abulgasim for their patience, encouragement and support My gratitude are to Dr Mohamed Ali ELhadi & Mr Abdallha Adam Osuman from FNC for their encouraging me to take this Pass and continue my studies. My thanks includes my real brother Idris Sulieman for his help, and all other hands helped to make this work see the light. Many of people, and not all of them can be listed here, have helped in this work. It would be a vain effort to evaluate and list these contributions.
    [Show full text]
  • 2003 English
    Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases - Desert Locust Component - Central Region Programme EMPRES/CR Progress Report January - December 2003 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations EMPRES/CR – Progress Report, year 2003 A Introduction The Desert Locust component of EMPRES (Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases) was initiated in mid 1994. Its purpose was to strengthen the locust management capacity of locust-affected coun- tries with the aim of minimising the risk that Desert Locust plagues will develop. It was designed as a collaborative programme in which affected countries, regional or- ganizations, donors, and FAO, participate in the development of improved preventive control strategies. Preparatory activities started in 1995 in the Central Region, com- prising nine countries around the Red Sea (Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen). This area is considered to be the origin of most Desert Locust outbreaks. The primary development objective of the EMPRES Central Region Programme (EMPRES/CR) is stated as: “To minimise the risk of Desert Locust plagues emanating from the Central Region of the Desert Locust distribution area through well-directed surveys and timely, envi- ronmentally sound interventions in order to mitigate food security concerns in the Central Region and beyond.” The overall Programme goal was re-defined in February 2000 as: “To strengthen the capabilities and capacities of the national, regional, and interna- tional components of the Desert Locust management system to implement effective and efficient preventive control strategies based on early warning and timely, envi- ronmentally sound, early control interventions.
    [Show full text]