Research and publications
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Scholarship and research submitted to the Forced Migration Research Archive.
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Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Human trafficking risks in countries unaccustomed to migration: Romanian assistance providers’ experiences with conflict-affected migrants from Ukraine(Sage Journals, 2025-11-06) Bejinariu, Alexa; Flanigan, ShawnThis article aims to enhance our understanding of social assistance providers as important sites of potential human trafficking identification, prevention, and disruption, particularly in countries newly experiencing the phenomenon of mass incoming migration. We do so by examining the experiences of Romanian NGOs and other voluntary actors in Romania providing assistance to migrants traveling from Ukraine during the early months of the Russian invasion. Drawing upon data from semistructured qualitative interviews and site visits with over 20 distinct civil society initiatives in summer 2022, we identify five themes that enhance our understanding of system capacities to address human trafficking in countries unaccustomed to migration, and discuss the implications for criminal justice. The article has implications for countries encountering migration due to regional conflicts, but also for migration related to natural disasters, climate change, and other causes.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Life in Limbo: Asylum Detention and the Environmental Conditions of Hope(Cambridge University Press, 2026-01-28) Trautmann, MicahWithin the recent glut of philosophical work on hope, relatively little attention has been devoted to the circumstantial conditions that frustrate or accommodate hoping. In this article, I show how an individual’s spatial environment can constrain their capacity to sustain determinate hopes for the future via an extended case study: long-term refugee detention. Taking seriously refugees’ claims that a central cause of widespread hopelessness is the feeling of being in limbo, and drawing on recent work on the role of the imagination in hoping, I demonstrate how an individual’s spatial environment can limit imaginative access to the interim steps between their present circumstances and a desired future, making it difficult to see any way their hope could be realized.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Hacia viajes más seguros: experiencias de separación, desaparición o muerte de mujeres y niños migrantes(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross & Missing Persons Centre, ICRC Central Tracing Agency, 2025) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Bhardwaj, Sanjana; Robins, Simon; Stockwell, Jill; Mudaliar, Sanushka; Otieno, DamianA medida que siguen migrando mujeres y niños de todo el mundo, muchos lo hacen en circunstancias peligrosas que los exponen a la violencia, la explotación y otros riesgos, incluido el riesgo de quedar separados, desaparecer o morir durante el viaje. A pesar de esta realidad y del reconocimiento cada vez mayor de que el género y la edad configuran muchos aspectos de la migración, hay pocos datos y análisis que traten de forma sistemática y directa cómo y por qué las mujeres y los niños migrantes quedan separados o desaparecen. Para comprender mejor y responder a esta cuestión, el Laboratorio mundial de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja sobre migración (“Laboratorio mundial sobre migración”), junto con el Centro de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja de personas desaparecidas, de la Agencia Central de Búsquedas (CICR) y 17 Sociedades Nacionales de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja (Sociedades Nacionales), llevaron a cabo una investigación cualitativa con mujeres y niños migrantes, familias de migrantes desaparecidos e informantes clave en las Américas, África y Europa.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Vers des parcours plus sûrs: Expériences de séparation, de disparition et de décès vécues par les femmes et les enfants migrants(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross & Missing Persons Centre, ICRC Central Tracing Agency, 2025) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Bhardwaj, Sanjana; Robins, Simon; Stockwell, Jill; Mudaliar, Sanushka; Otieno, DamianAlors que des femmes et des enfants continuent de migrer à travers le monde, beaucoup le font dans des conditions dangereuses qui les rendent vulnérables à la violence, à l’exploitation et à d’autres risques, y compris celui d’être séparés, de disparaître ou de mourir lors du parcours. Malgré cette réalité - et bien que l’on reconnaisse de plus en plus l’influence déterminante du genre et de l’âge sur de nombreux d’aspects de la migration - il existe encore peu de données et d’analyses permettant d’expliquer de manière systématique et directe comment et pourquoi les femmes et les enfants migrants se retrouvent séparés ou disparaissent. Afin de mieux comprendre ce problème et d’y répondre, le Laboratoire mondial de la Croix-Rouge et du CroissantRouge sur la migration (« Laboratoire mondial sur la migration»), en collaboration avec le Centre Croix-Rouge/Croissant-Rouge pour les personnes disparues, de l’Agence Centrale de Recherche du CICR (« Centre pour les personnes disparues ») et 17 Sociétés nationales de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (« les Sociétés nationales ») ont entrepris des recherches qualitatives auprès de femmes et d’enfants migrants, de familles de personnes migrantes disparues et d’informateurs clés dans les Amériques, en Afrique et en Europe.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Towards Safer Journeys: Migrant women and children’s experiences of separation, going missing or dying(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross & Missing Persons Centre, ICRC Central Tracing Agency, 2025) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Bhardwaj, Sanjana; Robins, Simon; Stockwell, Jill; Mudaliar, Sanushka; Otieno, DamianAs women and children around the world continue to migrate, many do so under dangerous circumstances that render them vulnerable to violence, exploitation and other risks, including the risk of becoming separated, going missing or dying during their journeys. Despite this reality, and the growing recognition that gender and age shape many aspects of migration, there is little data and analysis that systematically and directly addresses how and why migrant women and children become separated or go missing. To better understand and respond to this issue, the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab together with the ICRC Central Tracing Agency’s Red Cross Red Crescent Missing Persons Centre and 17 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, undertook qualitative research with migrants, primarily women and children, families of missing migrants and key informants in the Americas, Africa, and Europe. The purpose of the project was to listen to migrants’ perceptions and experiences of threats and risks related to becoming separated, going missing or dying, and to support National Societies to ensure their migration programs and humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy are informed by migrants’ voices and expertise.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Perspectivas de los migrantes: Generar confianza en la acción humanitaria(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2022) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Mudaliar, SanushkaEn el contexto de la migración, la confianza en las organizaciones humanitarias es fundamental dados las vulnerabilidades y los riesgos a los que se enfrentan muchos migrantes a lo largo de sus viajes, como la ausencia de redes de apoyo comunitario, las barreras lingüísticas, la condición de irregularidad, la xenofobia y los riesgos de abusos, violencia y violaciones de su seguridad y dignidad. La confianza también es importante en el contexto de la creciente securitización de la migración y de la fusión de las políticas de control de fronteras y migración con la ayuda humanitaria. A pesar de la mayor cantidad de pruebas y la preocupación por la pérdida de confianza entre los migrantes y las organizaciones humanitarias, se sabe poco sobre en quién confían los migrantes al acceder a la protección y asistencia humanitaria y por qué; y cómo esta confianza o desconfianza influye en la capacidad y la voluntad de los migrantes de buscar ayuda en las diferentes etapas de sus viajes. Para conocer mejor las perspectivas de los migrantes con respecto a las organizaciones humanitarias y su confianza en ellas, el Laboratorio Mundial de la Migración de la Cruz Roja y la Media Luna Roja, junto con el Movimiento, realizó una investigación con migrantes de América, África, Asia-Pacífico y Europa. La razón de ser de la investigación es que, al escuchar y responder a las ideas, los temores, las dudas y las preocupaciones de los migrantes sobre su situación y la protección y asistencia humanitaria recibida, las organizaciones humanitarias pueden construir, mantener mejor y, cuando sea necesario, reparar la confianza.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Perspectives de personnes migrantes: Instaurer la confiance dans l’action humanitaire(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2022) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Mudaliar, SanushkaDans le contexte de la migration, la confiance dans les organisations humanitaires est essentielle compte tenu des vulnérabilités et des risques auxquels de nombreuses personnes migrantes sont confrontées tout au long de leur parcours — notamment l’absence de réseaux de soutien communautaires, les barrières linguistiques, le statut d’irrégulier, la xénophobie et les risques d’abus, de violence et d’atteintes à leur sécurité et à leur dignité. La confiance est également importante dans le contexte de la sécurisation accrue de la migration et de l’amalgame entre les politiques de contrôle des frontières et de la migration et l’aide humanitaire. Pourtant, malgré les preuves et les préoccupations croissantes concernant la perte de confiance entre les personnes migrantes et les organisations humanitaires, on sait peu de choses sur les personnes auxquelles les personnes migrantes font confiance et sur les raisons de cette confiance. On ignore l’impact de cette confiance sur la capacité et la volonté des personnes migrantes de rechercher et d’obtenir une protection et une assistance humanitaires aux différentes étapes de leur parcours. Pour mieux comprendre le point de vue des personnes migrantes sur les organisations humanitaires et la confiance qu’elles leur accordent, le Laboratoire mondial des migrations de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, en collaboration avec le Mouvement, a mené des recherches auprès de personnes migrantes dans les Amériques, en Afrique, en Asie-Pacifique et en Europe. La raison d’être de cette recherche est qu’en écoutant et en répondant aux pensées, aux craintes, aux doutes et aux préoccupations des personnes migrantes concernant leur situation et l’aide humanitaire et la protection qu’elles reçoivent, les organisations humanitaires peuvent mieux construire, maintenir (et, si nécessaire, réparer) la confiance.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Migrants’ Perspectives: Building Trust in Humanitarian Action(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2022) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Hoagland, Nicole; Mudaliar, SanushkaIn the context of migration, trust in humanitarian organisations is critical given the vulnerabilities and risks many migrants face throughout their journeys – including an absence of community support networks, language barriers, irregular status, xenophobia and risks of abuse, violence and violations of their safety and dignity. Trust is also important in the context of the increased securitisation of migration and the conflation of border and migration control policies with humanitarian aid. Despite growing evidence and concern of a breakdown in trust between migrants and humanitarian organisations, little is known about who migrants trust when accessing humanitarian assistance and protection, and why, and how trust or distrust impacts migrants’ ability and willingness to seek help at different stages of their journeys. To gain further insight into migrants’ perspectives of – and trust in – humanitarian organisations, the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab together with the Movement, undertook research with migrants in the Americas, Africa, the Asia Pacific and Europe. The rationale for the research is that by listening and responding to the thoughts, fears, doubts, and concerns of migrants about their situations and the humanitarian assistance and protection they receive, humanitarian organisations can better build, maintain – and, where needed, repair – trust.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , ¿Confinados y Excluidos? Por qué el acceso a los servicios básicos para los migrantes es fundamental para nuestra respuesta y recuperación ante el COVID-19(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2021) Hoagland, Nicole; Randrianarisoa, AgatheEste informe fue elaborado por el recién establecido Laboratorio Mundial de la Migración de la Cruz Roja y la Media Luna Roja (CRMLR) y se basa en investigaciones realizadas por ocho Sociedades Nacionales de la CRMLR (Sociedades Nacionales): de Australia, Colombia, Egipto, Etiopía, Filipinas, Sudán, Suecia y el Reino Unido. El informe proporciona evidencia de los impactos directos e indirectos que la pandemia de COVID-19 y las medidas de política relacionadas han tenido en el acceso a servicios básicos, incluyendo vacunas, por parte de los migrantes.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Confinés et exclus? Pourquoi l’accès des migrants aux services de base est essentiel à nos activités d’intervention et de rétablissement face à la pandémie de COVID-19(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2021) Hoagland, Nicole; Randrianarisoa, AgatheCe rapport a été élaboré par le nouveau Laboratoire mondial de la Migration de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (CRCR) et se base sur des études menées par huit Sociétés nationales du CRCR (Sociétés nationales) d’Australie, de Colombie, d’Égypte, d’Éthiopie, des Philippines, du Soudan, de Suède et du Royaume-Uni. Il fournit la preuve des répercussions directes et indirectes de la pandémie de COVID-19 et des mesures politiques relatives à l’accès des migrants aux services de base, y compris les vaccins.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Locked down and left out? Why access to basic services for migrants is critical to our COVID-19 response and recovery(Global Migration Lab, Australian Red Cross, 2021) Hoagland, Nicole; Randrianarisoa, AgatheThis report was prepared by the newly established Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Global Migration Lab and draws on research conducted by eight National RCRC Societies (National Societies) from Australia, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sudan, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It provides evidence of the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy measures on migrants’ access to basic services, including vaccines.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , ‘We assist them address their distorted thoughts’: reintegration actors and the politics of post-expulsion in Kosovo(Taylor & Francis, 2026-04-27) Junuzi, ValonThe mainstreaming of the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) policy at the global and regional level has led to increased academic attention to the actors implementing it. However, critical research has focused on ‘assisted voluntary return’ practices in host countries during pre-expulsion, giving insufficient attention to post-expulsion dynamics in the countries of citizenship. Addressing this gap, the article examines the work of reintegration actors in Kosovo, where various state and non-state actors provide reintegration services. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of interviews with reintegration actors and drawing on the ‘analytics of government’ framework, the article conceptualises reintegration as a technology of governance that aims to influence the conduct of expelled irregular migrants in the post-expulsion phase. The article finds that reintegration actors understand irregular migration as a product of structural and individual factors, but at the level of interventions, they problematise the perceived individual psychological predispositions towards irregular migration. The analysis further shows how these actors employ psychosocial techniques to promote neoliberal subjectivities that are assumed to deter irregular re-migration while producing ‘proper’ mobile subjects. By centring the practices of reintegration actors, the article extends the spatial and temporal scope of critical scholarship towards the politics underpinning post-expulsion interventions.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Managerializing expulsion: Examining the discursive critique of assisted voluntary return and reintegration policy(Oxford Academic, 2026-04-03) Junuzi, ValonThis article examines the assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) programmes as a distinct discourse that redefines the governance of the expulsion of irregular migrants. While critical scholarship has largely blurred the line between AVRR and deportation by emphasizing how AVRR masks coercion by using the rhetoric of ‘voluntariness’, this article moves beyond that debate to argue that AVRR’s distinctiveness lies in the production of specific knowledge on expulsion. Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA) of key AVRR policy documents and informed by the concept of problematization, the article explores how AVRR reshapes the knowledge and techniques surrounding expulsion and establishes post-expulsion as a problematic domain that requires reintegration interventions. The analysis shows that AVRR policy actors make use of migration management discourse to position itself as a humane, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to deportation. Three key discursive moves are identified: first, AVRR redefines expulsion as a process involving mutually exclusive interests that needs to address the concerns of all parties involved in the expulsion process; second, it recasts coercive techniques as counterproductive and instead promotes neoliberal tools such as financial incentives and psychosocial counselling; and third, it incorporates reintegration assistance as an essential domain of governance, bringing post-expulsion condition of expelled irregular migrants under the remit of expulsion policy. Yet the article shows that these discursive moves also reveal important limitations, as they remain embedded in existing power asymmetries and ultimately centralize the interests of receiving states over those of countries of origin and irregular migrants.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Hesitant sharing, hesitant caring: How global and national policies on refugees and asylum seekers interact in the global South(Springer, 2026-04-07) Barsoum, Ghada; Al-Barrawi, AlaaThe principle of responsibility sharing is anchored on the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the ethical duty of countries in the global North towards refugees and asylum seekers. There is a growing recognition, however, of a North–South impasse in responsibility sharing. With focus on the case of Egypt, this paper seeks to illustrate the interdependence of transnational factors relating to global humanitarian and development aid with national policies relating to refugees and asylum seekers. Despite the growing refugee crisis in Egypt, the financial resources the country receives dim in comparison to the large number of refugees the country hosts. We argue that the hesitancy of high-income countries to share responsibilities in the global refugee crisis, which is manifest in the limited and conditional allocation of resources, has ramifications on national policies in this host country. Weakened international solidarity, a situation of hesitant sharing, translates into hesitant caring, a situation of weakened social policy support to refugees and asylum seekers. Hesitant caring, we argue, is the downstream effect of the global reluctance to support refugees and asylum seekers. In the case of Egypt, we trace it in the form of an incongruence in the country’s position towards international legal frameworks, restricting commitments to refugees and asylum seekers in some frameworks while not in others. This legislative ("de jure") incongruence is also associated with unequal and weak ("de facto") realization of care and protection.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , The Glaring Gap: Undervalued and Unrecognized Knowledges and Expertise in International Migration Research(Sage Journals, 2024-10-15) Arias Cubas, Magdalena; Mudaliar, SanushkaAs we reach the 60th anniversary of the International Migration Review, a key question for those engaged in migration research remains: has migration studies become more inclusive of knowledges and expertise outside the Global North? In short, the answer is no, and both the passage of time and the persistent awareness of this inequality require urgent and immediate action. In this article, we draw on our experiences as first- and second-generation migrant women, and as practitioner-researchers working in the humanitarian sector, to reflect on the significance of undervalued and unrecognized knowledges and expertise on migration research. We share insights from our recent work with the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab, an initiative established to conduct migration research that informs humanitarian operations and advocacy, and we reflect on key opportunities and challenges that have impacted our efforts to generate knowledge that is more inclusive of migrants, and of practitioners and researchers from the Global South. In doing so, we highlight the possibility—even if still limited—of doing research that engages more ethically and meaningfully with those whose knowledge and expertise has long been excluded from dominant debates. We do this with a sense of hope and urgency that, by the 70th anniversary of this journal, the landscape of migration research will have changed—as a result of a concerted investment of time, resources and new ways of working—to broaden the questions asked, the objects of study and the methodologies adopted.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Refugee-Led Organizations in Uganda: Agency, Gender, and Politics of Self-Organizing in Exile(McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2026-04) Krause, Ulrike; Joshua, Gato Ndabaramiye; Schmidt, HannahSelf-organization plays an essential yet often overlooked role in the everyday lives of refugees in exile. By self-organizing, they challenge restrictions, claim political representation, foster social relations and belonging, and create ongoing economic opportunities. While government authorities and aid organizations are supposed to provide protection and assistance, refugees often continue to face adversities, restrictions, and risks, prompting them to establish and maintain their own support systems. Refugee-Led Organizations in Uganda offers nuanced insight into the problems arising from the aid system and especially the significance of the spectrum of informal and formalized self-organizations. Ulrike Krause, Gato Ndabaramiye Joshua, and Hannah Schmidt draw on a gender-sensitive understanding of relational agency and situated knowledge and use empirical research in Uganda’s camp Kyaka II and the capital, Kampala, to reveal how individuals collectively contribute to their own support in times of emergency and in everyday life. Interwoven with reflections written by refugees in Uganda – Bengekya Mugay Gédéon, Noella Kabale, Paul, Janvier Hafasha, and Isreal Katembo, as well as the director of an LGBTQ+ refugee-led organization – the book centres on individuals’ lived experiences of self-organization in exile.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , East African Queer and Trans Displacements(Bloomsbury Academic, 2026-02-26) Marnell, John; Camminga, B; Bompani, Barbara; Wairuri, KamauBringing together diverse case studies and interdisciplinary perspectives, this open access collection serves as the first in-depth examination of queer and trans displacement in East Africa. The collection features original creative works by queer and trans diasporic writers and artists with first-hand experiences of displacement. The last decade has seen a sharp rise in state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia in East Africa. This includes discriminatory legislation, such as the widely condemned Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda, and government-initiated crackdowns, such as the 'anti-gay taskforce' launched in Tanzania in 2018. The politicisation of sexual and gender rights in the region is often presented as a moral crusade (i.e. a return to traditional/family values) and is enacted with the support of many religious and cultural leaders. It is within this context that an ever-increasing number of LGBTQI+ people are leaving their homes and seeking protection elsewhere. But East Africa cannot be reduced to a site from which LGBTQI+ displacement emanates. Several countries in the region act as either host countries or transit points, even as they produce LGBTQI+ refugees of their own. These complex social, political and legal dynamics make East Africa a productive site for theorising queer and trans displacement. The region offers insights into how, when and why LGBTQI+ Africans move, the social obstacles they face, and the different survival strategies they deploy. Despite this, research on East African queer and trans displacements remains sparse.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Gendered Implications of Restricted Residence Obligation Policies on Refugees’ Employment in Germany(DIW Berlin, 2023) Cardozo Silva, Adriana R.; Kosyakova, Yuliya; Yurdakul, AslıhanThis paper investigates the gender-specific impact of settlement policies on the labor market integration of refugees in Germany, utilizing a gender-specific approach. Analyzing data from the IAB- BAMF-SOEP Refugees Survey (2016-2020) through a pooled logit model with an intention-to-treat design, we explore how restrictive residency obligation policies, in conjunction with local conditions in the assigned county—such as local labor market conditions and ethnic enclaves – influence outcomes. Results reveal that female refugees experience reduced employment prospects, independent of mobility restrictions, while the residency obligation policy bears a significant negative impact on employed male refugees. In turn, the impact of analyzed local labor market characteristics and linguistic enclaves on employment probability remains consistent across gender and residency obligation. Our results highlight the multidimensional nature of refugees’ labor market integration and underscore the significance of gender-sensitive approaches.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Job Quality as a Crucial Measure of Migrants’ Economic Integration(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026-03-19) Fendel, Tanja; Kosyakova, YuliyaResearch highlights the challenges migrants face when integrating into labour markets, often being concentrated in low-skilled, low-paid, physically demanding jobs. Intersectionality creates multiple layers of disadvantage. Traditional studies focus on labour market entrance and earnings as indicators of integration, but fewer explore factors such as job security or subjective evaluations. This chapter examines the job quality of migrants, differentiating between work migrants, family migrants and refugees compared to the native-born population. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, including the IAB-BAMF SOEP Survey of Refugees and the IAB-SOEP Migration Sample 2016–2022, differences in various dimensions of job quality are explored by gender and migration duration. The findings reveal that, while earnings improve with duration, for some migrant groups, other dimensions such as job security do not comparably improve. Identifying the barriers to integration is crucial to policies on improving social and labour market integration, particularly for disadvantaged migrant groups.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Resilient or Vulnerable? Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Mental Health of Refugees in Germany(MDPI, 2022-06-16) Goßner, Laura; Kosyakova, Yuliya; Laible, Marie-ChristineEven though the COVID-19 pandemic had consequences for the whole society, like during most crises, some population groups tended to be disproportionally affected. We rely on the most recent data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees to explore the resilience or vulnerability of refugees in the face of the pandemic. As the 2020 wave of the survey was in the field when the second nationwide lockdown started in December, we are able to apply a regression discontinuity design to analyze how refugees in Germany are coping with these measures. Our results reveal a negative effect of the lockdown on refugees’ life satisfaction. Male refugees and those with a weaker support system face stronger negative outcomes than their counterparts. Since mental health is an important prerequisite for all forms of integration, understanding the related psychological needs in times of crisis can be highly important for policymakers and other stakeholders.