Involuntary Return Migration and Reintegration. The Case of Ghanaian Migrant Workers from Libya

Mensah, Esi Akyere

doi:10.1007/s12134-014-0407-8

Cited by 24 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In sum, the empirical results show that the concept of successful reintegration does not apply to the majority of the interviewees since they are not able to achieve their fundamental, existential, and security needs sufficiently. In line with Riaño ( 2013 ) and Mensah ( 2016 ), we can conclude that Colombian returnees experience high levels of dependency on family networks and (some) on international support and undertake dangerous mobilities in order to survive, given the weak governance and the absence of effective national reintegration policies. Why does this happen?…”

Section: The Role Of Entrepreneurship In Returnees’ Reintegrationsupporting

confidence: 77%

Migrant Entrepreneurs as Agents of Development? Geopolitical Context and Transmobility Strategies of Colombian Migrants Returning from Venezuela

Riaño

2022

Int. Migration & Integration

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Returnee entrepreneurs are often represented in migration and development discourses as agents of development. This assumes that they acquire valuable socio-economic resources abroad which help them to create successful businesses upon return. However, we have scant knowledge of the impact of the geopolitical context on returnee entrepreneurs or their coping strategies. Latin American returnees in particular have received little attention and few studies focus on migrants with ‘South-to-South’ return trajectories. Emphasising the role of territorial conflicts and the agency of individuals, I use a feminist geopolitical perspective to address these gaps. I contribute to migration, mobility, and development studies by studying whether Colombian migrants returning from Venezuela can reintegrate as successful entrepreneurs. Further, I offer the concept of transmobilities to study the cross-border nature of strategies of reintegration. The 30 returnees studied have a trajectory of repeated forced mobilities, ranging from internal displacement in Colombia, subsequent emigration to Venezuela, and final deportation to Colombia by Venezuela’s government. I combine the qualitative methods of multi-sited ethnography, biographical interviews, mental maps, and participatory Minga workshops. The analysis shows that Colombian returnees face intense difficulties in reintegrating despite their strong motivation and entrepreneurial spirit. The geopolitical context of armed struggle, an absent Colombian state, and territorial conflicts between Colombia and Venezuela create an unfavourable environment for returnee entrepreneurs. Consequently, they develop transmobility strategies — including the movement of people, goods, and capital across national borders — at the risk of their own lives. The simplistic discourse of returnees as agents of development needs to be revised.

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Section: The Role Of Entrepreneurship In Returnees’ Reintegrationsupporting

confidence: 77%

Migrant Entrepreneurs as Agents of Development? Geopolitical Context and Transmobility Strategies of Colombian Migrants Returning from Venezuela

Riaño

2022

Int. Migration & Integration

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“…The results in general confirm that involuntary return disrupts, slows and hampers migration projects but does not necessarily end them (Kleist, 2017 , 2018 ; Mouthaan, 2019 ). They cases furthermore corroborate findings showing that return caused conflict and economic strain, especially for female family members in poor families where remittances play a central part (Kandilige & Adiku, 2019 ; Mensah, 2016 ). As described in the literature we found migration to be a means to become a proper and respectable adult man – manifested in extensive social relations that in turn reify hegemonic masculinity ideals.…”

Section: Everyday Experiences Of Return and Reintegrationsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Facing the economic crisis and widespread unemployment in Ghana, since the 1990s and up to today, a large number of primarily young Ghanaian men have migrated to Libya in search of better job opportunities (Bredeloup & Pliez, 2011 ; Hamood, 2006 ; Kleist, 2018 ). In some cases, after having worked for some time to save money for the onward journey, Ghanaian Libya-bound migrants try to reach Europe across the Mediterranean while others return repeatedly (Bob-Milliar, 2012 ; Mensah, 2016 ). Despite the ongoing conflict and associated human rights’ violations, this practice could still be observed in our field research in 2020.…”

Section: Setting the Context: Migration Return And Reintegration In G...mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Same Wavelength? Differing Geopolitical Positionalities and Voluntary Return and Reintegration in Ghana

Mingot

Rudolf

2022

Int. Migration & Integration

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This paper explores the range of experiences of “voluntary” return to Ghana, based on the different positionalities of migrants set against migration and return regimes and broader socio-economic inequalities. The cases illustrate how geopolitical relations shape migrants’ mobilities, highlighting the unequal relations between different actors in the countries of origin and destination; primarily these are the migrants, their relatives, and communities of origin. Conflicting interests and expectations of these actors, as much as differing return policies, create unequal options and expectations of mobility. Migrant journeys, regardless the age, gender, legal status or social class, are always geopolitical journeys. The diverging experiences of return, thus, depend not only on the individual situations, but also on the broader politicized relations and interests between stakeholders in the migration and return processes.

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“…20. According to the IOM (2010: 80), voluntary returns constitute two key elements: freedom of choice and informed decisions, while decisions made under duress would be deemed 'involuntary' (Mensah, 2016). 21.…”

Section: Orcid Idmentioning

confidence: 99%

Returning home empty handed: Examining how COVID-19 exacerbates the non-payment of temporary migrant workers’ wages

Foley

Piper

2021

Global Social Policy

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The crisis unleashed by COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the world of work, with many workers losing their jobs or with insufficient safety measures in place for those still in work. Migrant workers are among the precarious workforce that is employed in particularly affected sectors where they have been subjected to labour rights’ violations for a long time. The pandemic has further exposed and exacerbated the exploitation of migrant workers in particular, as evident from the widespread occurrence of the non- or underpayment of wages for work that has been carried out. Despite the efforts made in recent years at the global level to arrive at a common framework to regulate international labour migration in accordance with international human and labour rights’ standards, little progress has been achieved on the issue of wage theft. This article analyses the reasons why the institutional architecture in place is ineffective to tackle the settlement of outstanding wage claims. We use the concept of access to justice as a starting point and steer our examination towards global advocacy as epitomised by a concerted campaign by an alliance between civil society organisations (CSOs) and global union confederations, which calls for the implementation of a justice mechanism for repatriated migrant workers. Our analysis is specifically centred on low-wage migrants on temporary, employer-tied contracts as illustrated by the South Asia–Middle East/Gulf migration corridor.

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Involuntary Return Migration and Reintegration. The Case of Ghanaian Migrant Workers from Libya

Cited by 24 publications

References 10 publications

Migrant Entrepreneurs as Agents of Development? Geopolitical Context and Transmobility Strategies of Colombian Migrants Returning from Venezuela

Migrant Entrepreneurs as Agents of Development? Geopolitical Context and Transmobility Strategies of Colombian Migrants Returning from Venezuela

On the Same Wavelength? Differing Geopolitical Positionalities and Voluntary Return and Reintegration in Ghana

Returning home empty handed: Examining how COVID-19 exacerbates the non-payment of temporary migrant workers’ wages

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