An Assessment of Psycho-social Driving Factors on Illegal Migration from Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples to South Africa: A Case of Shinshicho Town.

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.