Child Migration in Djibouti: Navigating Labels and Liminal Living
Author
Spagna, Giulia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Pages
75
Abstract
Child migration in developing countries is growing yet under-researched. This thesis examines how attitudes, labels, and ideas shape the experiences of Ethiopian and Somali children migrating to Djibouti, a key Horn of Africa hub where 30–40% of migrants are underage. Guided by an ethnographic approach, the study combines a desk review of legal frameworks and literature with two months of fieldwork in Djibouti, including semi-structured interviews with 15 migrant children aged 7–16 and unstructured interviews with protection organizations and UN agencies. It asks which views and definitions surround child migration in Djibouti, from which actors they originate, and how these labels relate to children’s plans and lives. Findings indicate that international definitions and aid programs often pathologize young movers by emphasizing exploitation and overlooking context, agency, and realities of work and schooling. In Djibouti, children are commonly placed along a victim–delinquent continuum, with treatments that constrain choices and erode individuality, yet some children strategically mobilize imposed labels to access resources or safety. Constraints and strategies vary by age, nationality, and gender. The study contributes to research on child and South-to-South migration by foregrounding perceptions and their practical consequences for young migrants’ liminal lives in Djibouti.
Barnemigration i udviklingslande vokser, men er underbelyst. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan holdninger, etiketter og forestillinger former oplevelserne for etiopiske og somaliske børn, der migrerer til Djibouti, et centralt transitknudepunkt i Afrikas Horn, hvor 30–40% af migranterne er mindreårige. Med en etnografisk tilgang kombinerer studiet en desk review af juridiske rammer og litteratur med to måneders feltarbejde i Djibouti, herunder semistrukturerede interviews med 15 migrantbørn i alderen 7–16 år og ustrukturerede interviews med beskyttelsesorganisationer og FN-agenturer. Det spørger: hvilke syn og definitioner omgiver barnemigration i Djibouti, og fra hvilke aktører stammer de; og hvordan relaterer disse etiketter sig til børnenes planer og liv. Resultaterne viser, at internationale definitioner og hjælpeprogrammer ofte patologiserer unge migranter ved at fokusere på udnyttelse og overse kontekst, handlekraft samt realiteter omkring arbejde og skolegang. I Djibouti ses børn typisk langs et spektrum fra offer til kriminel, med behandlinger der begrænser valg og undergraver individualitet, men nogle børn bruger pålagte etiketter strategisk for at få adgang til ressourcer eller beskyttelse. Begrænsninger og strategier varierer efter alder, nationalitet og køn. Studiet bidrager til forskning i barnemigration og syd-til-syd-migration ved at fremhæve opfattelser og deres praktiske konsekvenser for unge migranters liminale liv i Djibouti.
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Keywords
child migration ; Djibouti ; Horn of Africa ; labels ; perceptions ; childhood ; migration