The Roles of Family Members and Friends in Youth Internat Migration Decision: The Case of Returned Migrant Youths in WoreIllu Woreda South Wollo
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Illegal migration of youth to the Arab countries has become a common phenomenon for
most households in Ethiopia. Research emphasizing on aspects of migration in Ethiopia has
focused on economic and political issues; particularly the problem of youth unemployment are
recursively pointed out as the major reasons behind migration. However, this cannot be reliable
explanation for immigration of Ethiopians to the Middle East unless the causes of migration are
thoroughly investigated. In the absence of detailed explanations of migration, it would have been
erroneous to generalize the motive of youth for immigration. Thus, this cross-sectional research
with the objective of revealing causes of youth immigration, engage at exploring the roles of
family members and friends in youth‟s immigration decision. The study participants of this
research are eight forced returnee youth from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), eight family
members and three key informants from Kebele 03 Administration and Wore-Illu Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College. Findings of this research indicate that
intersection of multiple stressors: poverty, harmful traditional practices, family breakdown and
being a member of reconstituted family, pressure of family members and friends, feelings of
inferiority and desire of independence made youth vulnerable for illegal immigration. The
finding unearths the roles of family members and friends at four operational phases of migration
which are in the pre-migration phase, on the journey, at the destination country and on return. At
the end, the study recommends that all concerned bodies working to curb the incidence of illegal
immigration need to focus at micro and mezzo level intervention
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Keywords
Irregular migration; family and friends roles; youth; Human trafficking ;Human smuggling