Gender, Return Migration and Reintegration in the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal

How does gender shape the reintegration process of migrants and how do patterns of return mobilities and reintegration impact upon gender in the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal?

Project Summary

Since the peak of the ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015, migration policies have become more restrictive in Europe, including measures of increased deportation and repatriation. As a result, IOs, European state development agencies, and NGOs have expanded their engagement in return-led schemes, such as in ‘assisted voluntary return programmes’. Moreover, return migration has become a prominent subject of the global development agenda, where it is considered a priority area of migration–development policies.

In our research we intend to deconstruct the international return policy discourse by introducing the migrants’ subjective experiences on their return and reintegration processes. While gendered analysis has become more integral in migration studies, it is by far less existent in post-return reintegration. Thus, the overall aim of this project is to understand:

  • How does gender shape the reintegration process of migrants?
  • How patterns of return mobilities and reintegration impact upon gender in the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal?
  • What are the similarities and divergences between the return policy discourse and migrants’ personal experiences?

Thereby, we focus on three groups of returnees: 1) migrants seeking institutional support before returning to Gambia, Guinea or Senegal, 2) returnees only seeking support after arrival, and 3) returnees seeking no support.

The study is based on a multi-sited ethnography, using a variety of fieldwork methods. Given that both gender and return are subject to complex temporal dynamics, the project is partly designed as a longitudinal study. In order to investigate the full scope of the interlinkages between reintegration and gender as well as the support mechanisms addressed to returnees, we opt for a pluri-disciplinary approach that involves social anthropology, development studies, human geography, sociology, and social work.

The expected project results will enable a wide range of users – governments, IOs/NGOs, among others – to obtain knowledge on gender aspects inherent to return and reintegration processes in the countries under study, so as to optimise their return infrastructure.

Academic Output

Executive Summary

This qualitative research engages with the social contours of return migration and reintegration focusing on gender aspects inherent to the reintegration process.
Whilst gendered analysis has become increasingly mainstream in studies on migrant integration, the incorporation of gender analysis in the study of reintegration is still less frequently applied (c.f. Anghel/Fauser/Boccagni 2019). In this light, our research focus is to elicit the ways in which gender plays out in the return and reintegration process of returnees and in the institutionalised support. Our aim is to contribute to a more nuanced discussion surrounding gender dynamics inherent to reintegration. The second objective is to invite to think of ways how to address gender-related challenges more appropriate in the international and national return and reintegration landscape, so as to avoid the reproduction of gender inequalities within the existing return support infrastructure.
The study is based on a multi-sited ethnography, using a variety of fieldwork methods. We focused on three groups of returnees: 1) migrants seeking institutional support before returning to Gambia, Guinea or Senegal, 2) returnees only seeking support after arrival, and 3) returnees seeking no support. In order to investigate the temporal dynamics of return processes, we opted for a longitudinal study design.
The study shows that in the West African countries under study, a return is commonly viewed as the opposite of a successful life and simply not envisaged. Hence, migrants return to a hostile environment, in which they face numerous economic, social and psycho-social obstacles. These challenges vary according to the society’s expectations and reflect the dominant gender roles.
Furthermore, families and communities play a crucial role in shaping the multi-dimensional reintegration process of returnees. Considering the family, a ‘negotiated return’ – with the consent of the family – facilitates the reintegration process for both female and male returnees.
Moreover, return migrants are victims of gender-based stigma. Female returnees are predominantly stigmatised for returning alone, while male returnees are stigmatised for returning empty-handed. Given returnees’ gender-related challenges, gaps in the return and reintegration support landscape regarding gender-sensible approaches need to be addressed.
Lastly, it was found that the reintegration process of female and male returnees is still very fragile and far from complete between the first and second interviews (T1 and T2). Thus, joint efforts consisting of material and non-material institutional support and of informal support (e.g. family and community members) are required to enable returnees to cope with their complex reintegration processes.

Report

Gendered analysis has become increasingly integral in migration studies, and it is well accepted that societal conventions of gender and gender relations can affect migrants’ experiences throughout all stages of migration: from the decision to migrate, how to migrate, the integration processes in the countries of arrival, to remittance behaviours, and decisions to return (c.f. Benería et al. 2012). While during the 1980s and 1990s, research had mainly covered the experience of women (women’s studies), it is nowadays widely recognised that “gendered experiences of migration and return are about experiences of both women and men (and of other identities)” (King and Lulle 2022:53). Yet, the incorporation of gender analysis in the study of reintegration in the countries of origin is either not addressed (e.g. recent textbooks on gender and migration by Christou and Kofman 2022; Mora and Piper 2021), or less frequently applied (c.f. Anghel/Fauser/Boccagni 2019). Furthermore, although, there exists a large body of literature on the topic of return, few studies emphasis on gender dimensions inherent to the reintegration process (Strachan 2019). If gender is covered in mandated research, it is mainly addressed in terms of sex ratio or in reference to support schemes (c.f. IOM 2020, Samuel Hall, 2021). Thus, there exists still a gap in in-depth studies on gender in the process of reintegration. Lastly, while there is a growing body of literature on “sustainable return and reintegration” (Kuschminder 2017a, b) and on research focusing on reintegration as a complex process, it remains still unclear, how this process can be best conceptualised (Lietaert and Kuschminder, 2021). In sum, there is doubtlessly further scope for longitudinal research on the multifaceted and multi-dimensional reintegration processes (Majid et al. 2022).

  • La compréhension du retour et de la réintégration varient selon les différents acteurs impliqués.
  • De nombreux obstacles sont à surmonter pour les retourné(e)s tant au niveau économique, social que psychosocial.
  • Afin de maîtriser le processus de la réintégration, les retourné(e)s nécessitent du soutien matériel et non-matériel de la part des institutions, de la famille et de la communauté.

Other Output

Retour et réintégration au Sénégal

La réintégration est un processus complexe, multidimensionnel et de longue durée. Elle implique de nombreux acteurs différents aux pays de départ et d’arrivée. Afin de mieux comprendre le processus de réintégration, nous avons mené une étude multisite et longitudinale des différentes perspectives, notamment des retourné(e)s, leurs familles et communauté, ainsi que des acteurs clés dans les structures de soutien et de la politique (OI et ONG) dans les pays de destination (Suisse et Allemagne) et du Sénégal. Il en résulte que :

  • La compréhension du retour et de la réintégration varient selon les différents acteurs.
  • Il y a de nombreux obstacles à surmonter pour les retourné(e)s tant au niveau économique, social que psychosocial.
  • Afin de maîtriser le processus de la réintégration, les retourné(e)s nécessitent du soutien matériel et non-matériel de la part des institutions, de la famille et de la communauté.

Other Output

Le rôle du genre dans le retour et la réintégration

Une recherche financée par SNIS (Swiss Network for International Studies) a démontré que les défis du retour et de la réintégration en Gambie, Guinée et au Sénégal se diffèrent selon le genre. Cela se manifeste non seulement dans la manière dont la société traite les migrantes et les migrants de retour mais aussi dans le système de soutien. Parmi ces différences sont:

  • Des attentes différentes de la famille vis-à-vis des retourné(e)s
  • Des stigmates dans le processus de la réintégration, qui varient selonle genre et qui sont plus persistantes pour les retournées
  • La vulnérabilité est prise en compte par les conseillers des OI et desONG, surtout en ce qui concerne les femmes.

Par une étude multisite et longitudinale nous avons poursuivi le processus de la réintégration. Nous avons mené une enquête auprès des retournés à deux reprises dans un intervalle de six mois. Nos résultats montrent que le système du soutien est fragmenté, tant en ce qui concerne le type et le moment de l’aide que sur le plan géographique. Ceci rend la coordination de l’aide compliquée. Il en résulte différentes possibilités et conditions d’accès au soutien pour les femmes et les hommes de retour, ce qui a une influence sur leur processus de la réintégration.

Other Output

Retour et réintégration en Guinée

La réintégration est un processus complexe, multidimensionnel et de longue durée. Elle implique de nombreux acteurs différents dans le pays de départ et d’arrivée. Afin de mieux comprendre ce processus de réintégration, nous avons mené une étude multisite et longitudinale qui prend en compte les différentes perspectives, notamment des retourné(e)s, leurs familles et communauté, ainsi que des acteurs clés dans les structures de soutien et de la politique (OI et ONG) dans les pays de destination (Suisse et Allemagne) et du Guinée. Il en résulte que :

  • La compréhension du retour et de la réintégration varient selon les différents acteurs impliqués.
  • De nombreux obstacles sont à surmonter pour les retourné(e)s tant au niveau économique, social que psychosocial.
  • Afin de maîtriser le processus de la réintégration, les retourné(e)s nécessitent du soutien matériel et non-matériel de la part des institutions, de la famille et de la communauté.

Research Team

Eveline Odermatt
Coordinator
University of Fribourg

Luzia Jurt
Co-Coordinator
School of Social Work, University of Northwestern Switzerland

Abdoulaye Wotem Sompare
Principal Member
University Julius Nyerere, Kankan (Guinea Conakry)

Ester Botta
Principal Member
University Julius Nyerere, Kankan (Guinea Conakry)

 

Cheikh Mbacke Sene
Principal Member
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

Doudou Gueye
Principal Member
University Assane Seck, Ziguinchor (Senegal)

Eduard B. Diouf
Principal Member
University Assane Seck, Ziguinchor (Senegal)

Aminata Beye
Principal Member
University Assane Seck, Ziguinchor (Senegal)

Status

completed

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