“Will you listen and take action?” Youth voices on migration
Michael Boampong
On 14 February 2014, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched its flagship UN World Youth Report (WYR) “Youth and Migration”. The Report examines, for the first time, the concerns, challenges and opportunities of young migrants based on their own experience and in their own voices.
In highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by the young migrants, the Report features stories, quotes and comments of youth migrants taken from a series of online consultations and surveys organized by DESA. The stories shared in the Report tell us migration can hugely benefit youth through increased income –including the opportunity to send remittances back home to their families – and access to better health and higher education prospects. At the same time, we learn that not all young migrants have positive experiences. Depending on their migration motive, gender and status, they may experience culture shock, loneliness, homelessness, employment challenges, language barriers, stereotyping and discrimination in destination societies. The most vulnerable migrants, including irregular and female migrants, face unique challenges including abuse and lack of access to basic services like healthcare. These factors affect their social and economic integration and their chances to succeed as migrants.
In this context, obtaining reliable migration-related information, is one of the prime challenges faced by the young people cited in the report, considering that “without accurate information, young people can fall vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.” Thus, it is suggested, youth-friendly migration information is made accessible to facilitate decision making, planning and integration in destination societies.
While youth migration is beneficial for both originating and destination societies, some originating countries feel threatened by the movement of highly skilled young migrants and the ensuing impact of brain drain. It is critical to find ways to facilitate the return of migrants through, for instance, providing information that enable them to reintegrate to the social and economic life, and benefit the originating societies through “brain gain”.
Some recent and previous programs by both state and non-state actors recognise the importance of addressing youth migration issues from a human rights, gender sensitive and sustainable development standpoint. These efforts, including youth-led interventions, identified in the WYR, could be sustained and scaled up considering youth migration is likely to be stimulated in the short and medium term from a demographic perspective. At the same time it is important for young people, especially youth-led civil society organisations, to recognise that the WYR’s focus on youth migration presents an opportunity to strengthen youth leadership/engagement and evidence-based policy advocacy in addressing the challenges young people face with the migration process.
While it is important for stakeholders who seek the best outcomes of youth migration to address the structural barriers (including the lack of youth-friendly migration policy engagement spaces) that youth-led organisations face, young people have the opportunity to design and implement context-specific actions for “safe migration” as identified by the Report. If young people would like their migration to be ‘safe’, practical actions to influence policies and programmes are required. As suggested by the Report, practical action can be taken from the organisation of information campaigns to encourage safe migration while discouraging irregular migration by lobbying for laws and policies that protect and promote the rights of young migrants. However, the challenge lies in the need for a greater focus on addressing the marginalised and most vulnerable young migrants (including irregular migrants, female migrants and forced migrants).
Youth migration can facilitate youth development. Now that the issues have been brought to the limelight, the question arises; will we listen and take action? But keep in mind that “no action” isn’t really an option!
For more information and relevant documents of the UN World Youth Report please visit: www.unworldyouthreport.org
About the Author: Michael Boampong, age 29, has been actively engaged in youth development and migration issues since 2005. He currently works for UNDP on migration and development, and previously moderated the online consultations for the World Youth Report.
United Nations World Youth Report: Youth and Migration
The United Nations World Youth Report “Youth and Migration” offers a broad understanding of the situation of young migrants from the perspective of young migrants themselves. The report highlights some of the concerns, challenges and successes experienced by young migrants based on their own lives and told in their own voices. More information..
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