Abstract:
The issue of illegal human migration has become one of the alarming issues in Ethiopia as it is
highly prevalent in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Kembata_Tembero Zone
Shinshicho Town Administration. Many studies have attempted to explain the causes and
consequences of this phenomenon in the study area. But still, illegal migration has not come to
an end and got a solution in the study area. Taking this into account, this study has assessed
psycho-social factors that are driving youth illegal migration from Shinshicho Town. The study
employed a qualitative research method and generates data from both primary and secondary
sources. The data collection methods employed includes an in-depth interview, focus group
discussion and document reviews as data collection techniques. The study participants were
selected from returnees, migrants’ families’ and law enforcement agents. The data were
analyzed through thematic analysis, through transcription of the raw data, coded, categorized.
Further, the study brought similar concepts together in and contextualizing them in a similar
category. The findings of the study reveal psycho-social factors such as community attitude
towards illegal migration, pressure from others, the presence of social network both at home and
abroad, and soon create migratory intentions and induce migratory decisions. In addition, the
journey and destination experiences of migrants are affected by the socio-cultural consequences
of illegal migration at individual, household and community levels. Therefore, this thesis calls
for further investigation of the psycho-social aspects and for consideration of psycho-social
aspects in any policy intervention by government and non-government organizations to mitigate
the problem. Finally, the researcher recommended the importance of further study on social
media and its influence on illegal migration because social media enables people to create
working social bonding despite geography.
