The Migration Stories and Pre-returning Experiences of Ethiopian Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children (USMC) from Yemen
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Date
2017-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore understandings about the migration stories and the prereturning
experiences of Ethiopian USMC returned from Yemen. The study was conducted using
constructivist researcher’s paradigm of qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry with a
cross-sectional exploratory study design. The data was collected through in-depth interview, FGD
and observation from purposefully selected twelve participant returnee USMC, with the registered
age of sixteen and seventeen. Addis Ababa Voluntary Assisted Returnee Transit Center was the
study site where the data was collected. Thematic analysis that consists phases of familiarizing to
the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing the themes, defining and naming
the themes, and producing the final report was used to analyze the data. The study indicated that
the experiences and living situations of USMC before migration was diversified in the form of
family’s living condition, school dropout, previous migration, and marriage tracked divorce. The
interconnected primary reasons such as migration as emerging fashion; family situation; absence
guarantee for future; and desire for change were the major rationale for international migration of
USMC. The experiences of USMC in the process of migration include strained foot journey,
starvation, and physical as well as emotional problems. Dreadful experiences such as detention;
bomb attack; physical abuses; emotional problems; imprisonment; starvation; health problems;
military recruitment; loss of basic rights; sexual abuse; and dispute with the Yemenis were part of
USMC’s life in Yemen. The study uniquely implied for comprehensive social work services;
participatory policy implementation and evaluation; further research gaps (magnitude in the nation
wide, experiences of minors returned from other countries, the role of social workers in the transit
center etc.); and primary level of educations about migration
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Keywords
Children; Unaccompanied; Separated; Migration stories; Pre-returning experiences; Ethiopian; Yemen