Hope Springs Eternal: Exploring the Early Settlement Experiences of Highly Educated Eritrean Refugees in the UK

Abstract

Millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes for socio-economic and political reasons. This paper explores the early settlement experiences of highly educated Eritrean refugees in the UK. It is a phenomenological study informed by narrative interviews with 24 Eritrean refugees who gained a university degree in Eritrea, before migrating to the UK. The participants of this study are what Bauman (1996) calls 'vagabonds' who mainly left their country due to the lengthy national service, human rights abuses and/or the political situation of the country. They chose the UK, as their final destination, for its democratic principles and English language. Furthermore, they hoped to receive asylum and start their lives anew within a very short time. Hence, they were happy to reach the UK following a long, costly and risky route. However, contrary to their hope and expectations, some of the circumstances they find exposed them to humiliation, powerlessness, uncertainty, and other difficult conditions. Despite they did not face any overt discrimination, many felt humiliated for seeking asylum. In addition, delays in asylum decisions, cultural differences and the loneliness and exclusion they faced in the UK made them vulnerable. This further led to anxiety, psychological distress and integration paradox. The findings indicate that asylum seekers have less control over their life and future until their asylum application is accepted.This study contributes to a better understanding of refugees' experiences from their stories.

The efficacy of social welfare in social policy: Challenges, prospects and a way forward in Social Work Practise with young refugee women in Zimbabwe

“…Millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes for socioeconomic and political reasons. However contrary to their hope and expectations some of the circumstances they find exposed them to humiliation, powerlessness, uncertainty and other difficult conditions [10]. According to the UNHCR [11], in 2015, one in every 113 people globally was either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced or a refugee.…”

International Migration: Definition, Causes and Effects

“…Nevertheless, it is important to note that not all their information is complete or reliable (Lieber and Weisberg 2002). They just use the information they have to decide where to go because, in most cases, they travel a long, risky and costly journey to reach their destination place (Laub 2016;Tsegay 2022;UNHCR 2018a). Most of them understand that the intervening factors such as distance and cost of the journey could be barriers, but they pay a huge price, in some cases their lives, to make their dream a reality: to escape war, human rights abuse, and economic hardships.…”

“…As indicated, many migrants travel through long and risky routes which expose them to mistreatment and even death (Laub 2016;Tsegay 2022;UNHCR 2018a). Such situations are prevalent for vagabonds, who often flee their countries to avoid harsh conditions (Bauman 1996).…”