Discriminación, acceso a la ciudadanía y derechos conexos

La adaptación a la vida en un nuevo país puede ser muy difícil, en especial para los migrantes jóvenes que han hecho viajes sumamente largos y difíciles o que han llegado a países muy diferentes de los suyos. Los migrantes jóvenes recién llegados pueden tener problemas para adaptarse a la nueva realidad en el extranjero, desde el nuevo sistema escolar hasta la forma de encontrar amigos, de buscar trabajo, de superar las barreras lingüísticas y de desenvolverse en un ambiente cada vez más adverso a los inmigrantes (Instituto de Política Migratoria - Europa, 2017). Los gobiernos de las sociedades de destino pueden cumplir una función crucial a este respecto, ayudando a los migrantes jóvenes a adaptarse y velando por que sean tratados con el mismo respeto que los ciudadanos nacionales y no sean objeto de discriminación (véase también el capítulo Integración y cohesión social).

Es importante diferenciar las experiencias de los migrantes jóvenes recién llegados de aquellas de los hijos o nietos de inmigrantes, es decir, de los descendientes de migrantes. Cada grupo de migrantes jóvenes afronta dificultades diferentes que tienen que ver con sus experiencias migratorias y están marcadas también por el género, la situación jurídica, y el hecho de estar o no matriculado en una escuela o universidad, o de haber entrado ya en el mercado de trabajo. En particular, los descendientes de migrantes pueden tener problemas para adaptarse y encontrar un equilibrio entre las normas y expectativas de sus países de nacimiento y las de los países de origen de sus padres.

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Fuente

IOM, 2017.

Further, young migrant descendants may have a sense of emotional belonging to the countries that their parents migrated from or face intergenerational conflict when it comes to questions of identity. The issue of access to citizenship and subsequently their participation in public life, especially, can raise questions related to belonging and identity (see Active participation in public life and access to citizenship). This process of negotiating boundaries and integrating multiple, sometimes conflicting, worlds together has a large impact on how they are accepted by their social circles and by society.

Young migrant descendants can also be vulnerable to various forms of discrimination and xenophobia in the country they have been born and raised in. Being both young and belonging to an ethnic minority group is a double challenge. These young migrants are sometimes targets for radicalization, especially if their parents are struggling to integrate. For instance, young men and adolescent boys of migrant background especially have to deal with negative perceptions that they are criminals. Lack of work, education and other opportunities are difficulties that young migrants have to cope with. These can lead to negative feelings and resentment that can in turn have an impact on mental health and lead to substance abuse, and in some cases the radicalization of ethnic minority youth.

Many young people with a migrant background, though, are very resilient. They occupy a unique position, between two countries, equipped with significant social, cultural and economic resources. As such, they can be a benefit to both origin and receiving societies. It is therefore important to engage young migrant descendants, as well as newly arrived young migrants, in meaningful and participatory policymaking mechanisms. This can help inform, design and implement inclusive policies, which in turn has profound implications for their future and for building harmonious societies.

Policy Approaches
Building resilience among young people with a migrant background
  • Strengthen the educational performance of young people with migrant backgrounds through mentoring either by teachers or peers (IOM, 2015).
  • Provide a place for bonding and cultural exchange, for instance through social clubs, youth-led initiatives or leisure/sports activities where youth of both migrant and non-migrant background can foster solidarity and diversity.
  • Encourage civic and political participation in public life, such as volunteering, which can bring different communities across generations together to contribute to the integration process. Participation in public life can also heighten civic awareness and enhanced feelings of empowerment and belonging.
To Go Further

These resources demonstrate how youth-led groups can lead the implementation of projects aiming to prevent and address discrimination, thereby empowering broader groups of young people, their parents and communities at large:

  • Association Migration Solidarité et Échanges pour le Développement (AMSEAD).

    Based in Strasbourg, this association organized an exchange entitled “A meeting of cultures” for 36 youths from three European destination countries (Germany, Sweden, and France) and three Mediterranean origin countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Algeria).
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

    Initiated by the British Council, this project promotes youths from ethnically and culturally diverse schools take the lead in agenda-setting, negotiating agreements and creating a student charter for inclusive schools.
Participación de los jóvenes en el proceso de elaboración de políticas

Los migrantes jóvenes conocen mejor que nadie sus realidades cotidianas y las dificultades con que tropiezan para el ejercicio pleno de sus derechos. Por ello, deberían tener una voz y ser escuchados en la elaboración de las políticas y los programas que los conciernen y afectan. Los migrantes jóvenes poseen una perspectiva particular, que puede arrojar luz sobre la eficacia de las políticas vigentes e inspirar mejoras para las políticas futuras (Naciones Unidas, 2018).

Con respecto a los migrantes menores de 18 años, la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño refleja la obligación de los Estados de tener en cuenta el derecho del niño a la participación, y reconoce que los niños son capaces de enriquecer los procesos de adopción de decisiones, intercambiar perspectivas y participar como ciudadanos y como agentes de cambio (véase más información al respecto en el capítulo Migración de menores).

To Go Further
  • United Nations, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989.

    This Convention affirms that children are fully-fledged persons who have the right to participate, and to express their views in all matters affecting them. It requires that those views be heard and considered in accordance with the child’s age and maturity (see especially articles 9, 31 and 40).

Involving youth directly affected by migration as stakeholders in the policymaking process can have a large impact on the effectiveness of youth-related migration policies. Three types of participation can be identified: consultative, collaborative, and youth-led. Consultative youth participation is initiated and managed by qualified professionals but might involve surveys or engagement of migrant youth in research or participation in forums on youth and migration. Collaborative participation is also adult initiated but gives youth the opportunity to actively engage in the decision-making process at some or all stages. Youth-led participation gives youth significant control over the policy space, to initiate proposals and activities, and to organize themselves (Department for International Development [DFID], 2010).

Allowing young migrants to participate in the policy development process is also beneficial as it provides them with life skills, contributing to their self-esteem, social inclusion, sense of responsibility and understanding of decision-making processes. In countries of destination, participation can make young migrants feel more valued and accepted by society, while in origin countries, participation can make returned migrants or potential migrants reintegrate into society, find a voice and feel more appreciated. Participation can thus be a vital instrument in promoting social cohesion and undermining negative or false perceptions of migration (see Policy consultations).

Youth networks and development

At the core of youth networks is the idea of meaningful, self-organized youth engagement. Youth are referred to as the “torchbearers” of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which calls for the development and activation of sound, evidence-based youth policies and actions (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [UN DESA], 2018). Youth networks can bring about change by, for example, information sharing and participating in targeted engagement opportunities and decision-making. This is for the benefit of children, youth, adults, and programmes. These networks are uniquely positioned to adapt development policies and programmes to national and local contexts based on youths’ lived experiences. These networks often provide youth with individual development opportunities through skills and knowledge training. They contribute to wider development through their social impact and through youth participating in activities and projects in their communities.

Youth networks have been recognized as important stakeholders, and they have often been at the forefront of advocating for change on social justice issues, such as in the context of the Global Compact for Migration (see #Youth4Migration campaign). However, they often face barriers when it comes to participation (United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth [UNMGCY], 2019). These include the exclusion of youth networks and youth from the decision-making process in governmental platforms at regional, national, and local levels of implementation; insufficient funding that would enable meaningful youth engagement; and the lack of age-disaggregated data to formulate evidence-based policies.

To Go Further
  • United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY) is an official and self-organized space for children and youth to engage in certain intergovernmental and allied policy processes at the United Nations.
  • United Nations Youth Strategy aims to support youth initiatives and activities at the grassroots and national levels that contribute to development and to the realization of the 2030 Agenda. It features four functional areas (youth leadership; knowledge and innovation; investment and solution; accountability) and five programmatic priorities in order to empower youth to achieve their full potential.
Policy Approaches
Youth participation in policy development
  • Encourage young migrants and returnees to play a leadership role in changing awareness of and attitudes towards migration in communities, through social media and other communications channels.
  • Identify laws and other discriminatory practices that may restrict youth participation in associations based solely on their age, gender, class, sexual orientation or other characteristics.
  • Include a diverse range of youth, in terms of age, gender, nationality and socioeconomic background, among other characteristics, in the policy development process.
  • Acknowledge that some youth migrants may face barriers to participating in the policy development process; for instance, those who study and work do not have time.

In origin countries

  • Create forums for youth to share experiences of their journeys abroad in order to improve both reintegration and the services offered to return migrants.
  • Provide a space for youth to be more involved in negotiations with countries of destination for the development of regular channels and bilateral agreements, while raising awareness of the realities faced by young returnees and/or potential migrants.
  • Include in communication campaigns information on the dangers of irregular migration to deter other youth from taking the same route.

In destination countries

  • Foster dialogue and shared experiences between migrant groups from different countries as sources of advice to newly arrived migrants.
  • Promote civic and cultural activities of young migrants in their new community and increase their participation in the democratic process.
Fuente

GMG, 2014.

Good Practice
Youth career support in Germany (“Jugendberufshilfe”)

While youth participation in employment policymaking appears limited, there are examples of youth welfare agencies playing a role in regulating some employment and training sectors. One example can be found in Germany, where as part of vocational assistance for young people (“Jugendberufshilfe”), youth welfare organizations support socially and personally disadvantaged young people making the transition from school to vocational training and then to gainful employment. Since 1980, young people up to 25 years of age have been supported to make the transition from school to work.

Migración juvenil e información digital

Los avances tecnológicos pueden influir en diferentes aspectos de la migración. Desde un punto de vista positivo, la tecnología puede ser de ayuda en la regulación y el seguimiento de la migración, a la vez que proporciona información sobre los retos prácticos, los peligros y los riesgos. El uso de la tecnología digital es una esfera que ha despertado el interés de los investigadores académicos, particularmente en relación con el modo en que los migrantes jóvenes pueden utilizar los medios sociales para mejorar su conocimiento y comprensión de los procesos migratorios en general, y del suyo propio en particular. Los medios sociales son una fuente muy importante de conocimientos, que los jóvenes utilizan no solo como base para sus decisiones sobre la migración, sino también en otros aspectos de la vida, por ejemplo para la expresión de sus opiniones con respecto a la elaboración de políticas y a la vida cívica (véase más información sobre los medios sociales como fuente de información en el capítulo Datos, investigación y análisis para la formulación de políticas).

Los migrantes jóvenes utilizan también los medios sociales para crear conciencia y difundir información sobre cuestiones relacionadas con la migración y la juventud. Por ejemplo, los jóvenes recurren mucho a Facebook, Instagram y TikTok para obtener información sobre sus estudios, la renovación de sus visados, los cursos de idiomas organizados y las actividades deportivas y recreativas, y para debatir sobre una variedad de temas (véase más información acerca del uso de los medios sociales para compartir y recopilar información sobre los procesos migratorios y los retos y riesgos que entrañan en el capítulo Comunicación en materia de migración).

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Fuente

IOM, 2017.

On the other hand, young migrants also have a general distrust of social media platforms, preferring to rely on information that originates from existing social ties or personal experiences (Dekker et al., 2018). There is always a risk of misinformation, with social media. It is used in scams or frauds that exploit the vulnerability of migrants by asking for their personal data to obtain financial advantages. Technology can also be used by criminals seeking to threaten migrants’ safety, privacy and data protection. This means that there is a need to minimize the risks arising from the impact of technology on migration.

Emerging and frontier technologies have the potential to exacerbate the digital divide and pose further threats to inclusive development. However, young people tend to be the earliest adopters of new technological innovations. In this regard, policymakers should not ignore the social impact that could be harnessed through trending technologies as the basis for innovation within the themes of migration governance and management. Linking youth with emerging technologies represent a largely untapped opportunity to improve global welfare while developing the potential of young populations (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [UN DESA], 2020).

Mensajes clave
  • Para lograr la integración a nivel de las políticas habrá que subsanar las desigualdades del sistema educativo y la vida económica, respaldando al mismo tiempo las leyes y prácticas que combaten la discriminación, el racismo y las otras barreras estructurales que afectan a los migrantes jóvenes y los descendientes de migrantes en el hogar, la escuela o el lugar de trabajo.
  • La integración de los jóvenes depende de factores tales como el hecho de que sean migrantes recién llegados o descendientes de migrantes, el género o la situación jurídica que tengan, y de que estén matriculados en la enseñanza primaria, secundaria o universitaria o participen ya en el mercado laboral.
  • Los gobiernos nacionales y las administraciones locales pueden facilitar la colaboración provechosa de los migrantes jóvenes para recabar información que ayude a fundamentar, diseñar e implementar políticas sensibles e inclusivas.
  • Los gobiernos se benefician cuando fomentan las redes juveniles y su participación en la elaboración de políticas y programas para hacer frente a los problemas que afectan a los jóvenes a nivel nacional e internacional.
  • La vinculación de la población joven con las tecnologías emergentes puede ofrecer una oportunidad de mejorar la gestión y la gobernanza de la migración, desarrollando al mismo tiempo el potencial de las poblaciones jóvenes.