Youth Day and The Release of Border Towns and Spaces of (In)visibility
On the 16th of June, South Africa will come together and recognize Youth Day. In honor of Youth Day, SIHMA would like to recognize the importance of youth migration and its impacts on the advancement of opportunities. To highlight the lived experiences of youth migrants, SIHMA is pleased to announce the release of a new report, Border towns and spaces of (in)visibility: Study of young people on the move in the border towns of Chipata and Katete, Zambia....
June Press Review
International: Little protection for the vulnerable, even on major migration routes UNHCR UN News ,4 June 2024 The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirms that hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives to migrate from Sub-Saharan Africa in search of asylum. Migrants are without access to immediate assistance, leaving many to face unavoidable dangers such as trafficking and lack of shelter. Vincent Cochetel, the UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean, explains that the absence of critical...
May Press Review
National: South Africa election 2024: ‘You see skeletons’ - the deadly migrant crossing 4 April, 2024, BBC News Migrants continue to risk it all in order to seek asylum and opportunities in South Africa. With the influx of migrants typically traveling from Zimbabwe into South Africa, political tension and xenophobia are on the rise. The crossing of the Zimbabwean border into South Africa is dangerous due to wild animals and gangs of criminals that can be...
February Press Review
International “Not the France I Imagined” Human Rights Watch, 30 January 2024 A Human Rights Watch report highlights the plight of unaccompanied migrant children in Marseille, France, who face delays in age assessments, leading to negative outcomes that result in evictions and life on the streets. The report emphasizes the physical and mental health toll on these children, with many experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms, difficulty accessing healthcare, and delays in education enrollment. The prolonged legal limbo also has implications for...
January Press Review
International Everything politicians tell you about immigration is wrong. This is how it actually works The Guardian, 29 December 2023 The article challenges the perception of an accelerating global migration crisis, emphasizing that international migrants constitute only about 3% of the world population, with a stable percentage over the past 50 years. It argues that poverty is not the primary driver of migration, as evidence shows that migration increases as poor countries become richer. The piece highlights that labor demand,...
December Press Review
International Across the globe, compassion for migrants has given way to cruel, performative politics The Guardian, 12 Nov 2023 The article argues that leaders in various countries, including Britain, Italy, Tunisia, and Pakistan, are using tough immigration policies as a distraction from domestic failures. The focus on performative policymaking, such as deportation schemes and detention centers, is criticized for being more about projecting an image of toughness than addressing the actual complexities of immigration. The author highlights the contradiction between...
