Presentation to sensitise journalists on migration terminologies

1. Migration Terminologies
Centre for Migration Studies, UG. Ghana
Presented at
MEDIA TRAINING WORKSHOP,
YURI LODGE, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
2ND – 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2014
By
Dr. Joseph K. Teye

2. Specific Objectives of the Workshop
Specifically, the workshop shall seek to:
• Increase the coverage of migration in West African Media
platforms and also improve upon the quality of migration stories.
• Broaden and deepen journalist understanding in the area of
migration to enable them appreciate the positive aspects of
migration, including migration’s potential for economic
development and poverty reduction.
• Train journalists to conduct comprehensive investigations into
migration-related stories and to consider various perspectives in
their coverage to avoid bias.
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3. Objectives Cont.
• Provide a platform for disseminating Ghana RPC
research findings.
• Facilitate the strengthening of the West Africa
Network of Journalists on Migration (WANJOM)
leading to a more sustainable journalist’s network.
• Strengthen the relationship between the media and
the RPC to enhance their engagement and
effectiveness in disseminating RPC-related research
across the West African sub-region
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4. MIGRATION TERMINOLOGIES
Objectives of this session:
By the end of this session participants should be
able to:
-explain the concept of migration
-identify the causes and effects of migration
-outline some theories of migration
-explain some basic migration terminologies
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5. Definition and measurement of
Migration
• Hauser and Duncan (1971), define migration as “movement
across space between one geographical unit and another
involving a permanent or semi-permanent change in
residence”.
• Migration must involved movement across a geographical
boundary (e.g. district boundary, regional boundary,
national boundary) (Carr, 1990). Yet, what constitutes a
geographical boundary is sometimes contested as such
boundaries may be ‘artificially’ created. Awumbila, 2014).
• Distinction between internal migration and international
migration.
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6. Definitions
• The duration of stay at the destination is a key factor in determining whether a
movement can be considered migration.
• In many West African countries, a migrant is defined as a person who has moved
and stayed at his current place of residence for at least a year. This definition has
been contested on the grounds that it does not cover seasonal migrants who
migrate periodically for a few months.
• Distinction between long term migrants and short -term migrants.
• Mobility is broader term and includes a whole range of population movements
from one place to another and varying in scale and varying in time.
• Contested migration Status: There are many people who are considered migrants
in the countries where they were born because of national laws that equate
migration status with nationality (e.g. so called ‘second generation migrants’ ).
• Journalists sometimes use certain terms to capture migration status, even when
this is not needed: E.G.“ An American by name Asafo , whose parents originally
came from Pakistan, was arrested with bombs in London’
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7. MIGRATION STATISTICAL DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS
IN WEST AFRICA
• Population and Housing Census data (Ghana Statistical
Service).
• National immigration departments (e.g. Ghana
Immigration Services). Completion of questionnaire at
point of entry or exit.
• Surveys (e.g. Global Quantitative survey)
• International agencies . E.G. The United Nations High
Commission on Refugees (UNHCR); The UN DESA
Population Division; World Bank
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8. Causes of Migration
• Economic Factors: Movements in search of for job opportunities; job transfers;
exploitation of natural resources (e.g. gold, diamond etc).
• Social Factors: Movements for better education; medical services; marriage; to join
spouses and families; move away from some traditional practices; etc
• Political Factors: Migration to avoid political or religious persecution; movements
during wars (political refugees)
• Environmental Factors: Migration as a strategy to deal with environmental hazards (e.g.
drought, famine, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes) and poverty (Tacoli, 2009; Black,
Bennett, Thomas, & Beddington 2011).
• Several factors interact to drive people away from their usual places of residence. While
some movements are voluntary, others are forced. Faced with the same
economic/environmental problems, some people may choose to migrate while others
may still remain at the origin because of lack of resources to migrate or unwillingness to
do so. The term ‘trapped migration’ is used for situations whereby people facing
serious environmental and economic challenges want to migrate, but they are unable to
do so.
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9. EFFECTS OF MIGRATION ON SENDING COUNTRIES/ AREAS
Benefits Negative effects
• Remittances: Migrants may send
money/goods back home. This may
help raise living standards of their
origins.
• Acquisition of new skills by
migrants (Brain gain.
• Reduction in population pressure on
agricultural lands
• Decline in the rate of
unemployment
• Reduction in pressure on social
amenities
• Shortage of labour
• Reduction in size of market
• Food shortage, especially if
youth moves leaving aged
and women
• Brain drain
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10. EFFECTS OF MIGRATION ON DESTINATIONS/RECEIVING COUNTRIES/AREAS
Benefits Negative effects
• Cheap labour
• Large market size
• Increased productivity
• Increased revenue
• Pressure on housing and
health services
• Congestion and
development of slums
• Environmental degradation
• Increase in the number of
crimes and social vices
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11. Selected Theories of Migration
Neo-Classical Economic Theory
• Migration is caused by geographical differences in the supply and demand for
labour.
• Workers migrate for economic reasons, from low-wage, labour-surplus regions to
high-wage, labour scarce regions (Harris & Todaro 1970; Todaro & Maruszko 1987).
• Migration will eventually lead to convergence of wages and this will reduce
incentives to migrate.
Limitations??
Push-Pull Framework
• Decision to migrate is determined by : Push factors at origin; Pull factors at
destination; and Intervening obstacles (e.g. long distance, immigration laws;
psychological and economic cost) (Lee, 1966).
• Discussion: To what extent does the pull-push theory explain rural-urban migration
in Ghana?
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12. Theories cont
The Migration Hump Theory
• Theory assumes that in the early stages of development, an increase in
wealth leads to a rise in migration. Only at later stages of development,
does emigration tend to decrease ( Rotte et al 1997).
Network Theories of Migration
• The theory explains migration in terms of social networks between earlier
migrants at the destination and potential migrants at the destination.
• Networks are interpersonal ties that connect migrants and non-migrants
through bonds of kinship and friendship (Massey et al 1993). Networks
lead to migrants clustering (Awumbila, Owusu and Teye, 2014).
The New Economics of Labour Migration Model
• Migration is a risk-sharing strategy by families.
• Households may decide that one or more members of their members
should migrate, not just to get higher wages, but also to minimize risks
and diversify income sources.
• Remittances are used during periods of low harvest etc.
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13. Livelihoods Framework of Migration
It posits that migration is a livelihood strategy adopted by poor households
to deal with their vulnerabilities and improve livelihoods
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14. Migration A process of moving, either across an international border, or
within a state. It includes migration of refugees, displaced
persons and migrants moving for other purposes.
Immigration A process by which non-nationals move into a country for the
purpose of settlement.
Emigration The act of departing or exiting from one state with a view to
settling in another.
Internal
migration
A movement of people from one area of a country to another for
the purpose or with the effect of establishing a new residence.
(e.g. rural to urban migration; urban –rural migration, rural-rural
migration, urban-urban migration).
International
migration
Movement of persons from their country of origin, or the
country of habitual residence, to establish themselves either
permanently or temporarily in another country.
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15. Labour
migration
Movement of persons from their home state to another state or
within their own country of residence for the purpose of
employment
Circular
migration
The fluid movement of people between countries, including
temporary or long-term movement which may be beneficial to all
involved, if occurring voluntarily and linked to the labour needs of
countries of origin and destination.
Clandestine
migration
Secret or concealed migration in breach of immigration
requirements. It can occur when a non-national breaches the entry
regulations of a country; or having entered a country legally
overstays in breach of immigration regulations. The generic term
“irregular migration” should preferably be used.
Feminization of
migration
The growing participation of women in migration. Women now
move around more independently and no longer in relation to their
family position or under a man’s authority (about 48 per cent of all
migrants are women).
Forced
migration
A migratory movement in which an element of coercion exists,
including threats to life and livelihood, whether arising from natural
or man-made causes
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16. step migration Where a person moves to one or more locations within the
country before emigration to another country, or from one
country to another before moving to his/her ultimate or final
country of destination.
illegal/irregular/u
nauthorized entry
Act of crossing borders without complying with the necessary
requirements for legal entry into the receiving state.
regular migration Migration that occurs through recognized, authorized channels
Internally
displaced persons
(IDPs):
Persons or groups of persons who have been forced to flee their
homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of
or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of
generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or
human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an
internationally recognized state border.
brain drain Emigration of trained and talented individuals from the country
of origin to a third country.
brain gain Immigration of trained and talented individuals from a third
country into the receiving country. Also called reverse brain
drain.
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17. diaspora Refers to any people or ethnic population that leave their
traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other
parts of the world.
transnational
identity/transnationalism
:
The process whereby people establish and maintain socio-cultural
connections across geopolitical borders.
migrant flow The number of migrants counted as moving, or being
authorized to move, to or from a given location in a defined
period of time
migrant stock The number of migrants residing in a given location at a
particular point in time.
mixed flows: Complex population movements including refugees, asylum
seekers, economic migrants and other migrants.
Net migration This is the balance resulting from the difference between
arrivals and departures.
replacement migration: Internal migration that occurs where the vacuum created by
workers departing for another country is filled by workers from
other parts of the country, or international migration that a
country would need to offset population decline and population
ageing resulting from low fertility and mortality rates
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18. refugee A person, who “owing to well-founded fear of persecution
for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a
particular social group or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear,
is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.
seasonal migrant
worker/migration
A migrant worker whose work, or migration for work that, by
its character is dependent on seasonal conditions and is
performed only during part of the year
return migration The movement of a person returning to his/her country of
origin or habitual residence usually after at least one year in
another country. The return may or may not be voluntary.
integration The process by which migrants become accepted into society,
both as individuals and as groups. It generally refers to a two-way
process of adaptation by migrants and host societies,
while the particular requirements for acceptance by a host
society vary from country to country. Integration does not
necessarily imply permanent settlement.
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19. Migrant smuggling: The procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a
financial or other material benefit, of the illegal [or
unauthorized] entry of a person into a state party of which
the person is not a national or a permanent resident
smuggler (of migrants): An intermediary who is moving people by agreement with
them, in order to transport them in an unauthorized manner
across an internationally recognized state border.
trafficking in persons: The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or
receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or
other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of
deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of
vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or
benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control
over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
forced/compulsory
labour:
All work or service which is exacted from any person under
the menace of any penalty and for which the said person
has not offered himself/herself voluntarily.
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20. Group Work
• Report back in 10 minutes
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