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Taylor & Francis Online
Having a historical presence in a country and citizenship of that country are two basic conditions under which national minority rights are granted in many countries, but increasing international migration has started to pose a challenge to this conception. Like other countries of Central Europe, the Czech Republic has adopted the two conditions for granting rights to traditional 'national minorities' and has developed a separate policy for the 'integration of foreigners'; however, the emergence of the second generation of Vietnamese has presented a special challenge to this two-tier policy system. Recent renegotiation of the historicity of this immigrant group has resulted in its 'official recognition' as a national minority. This paper discusses this case in its wider Central European context, and addresses the question of whether we are observing an erosion of the two-tier policy system or a reconsideration of the distinction between 'old' and 'new' minorities. Finally, the paper touches upon the question of the role and usability of 'old' minority language rights, considering the lack of interest among the traditional minorities vs. the linguistic situation of the migrants' second generation.
tags: newjournalarticles
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Sexual abuses of left-behind children of migrant women: community-perceived vulnerabilities and barriers in prevention: International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care: Vol 11, No 4
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to describe hitherto unexplored issues related to sexual abuse of left-behind children of migrant women in Sri Lanka.
Design/methodology/approach
– This qualitative study was conducted in high labour-sending districts. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with school teachers, community youth groups and members of civil organisations, and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with community leaders, religious leaders, social workers, and primary healthcare workers. Data were analysed using content analysis, and emerging themes were mapped.
Findings
– Community members reported that sexual abuses of migrant women's children, although not uncommon, are scarcely notified due to societal and institutional factors. They have a high awareness on types of sexual abuses faced by migrants' children, extent of such abuses, and physical, emotional, and social complications of such abuses. They also reported factors that increase these children's vulnerability to abuse. Role perceived to be played by state and non-state social institutions and authorised personnel in protecting children is inadequate, leading to low reporting and community cooperation.
Practical implications
– High community awareness found provides a good platform to launch culturally sensitive child protection interventions.
Social implications
– Findings of barriers and opportunities indicate that effective policy instruments and cogent and functional programmes interlinking all stakeholder-institutions are required to protect migrant women's children.
Originality/value
– This study provided first in-depth exploration of issues related to sexual abuses of migrant women's children in Sri Lanka and possible opportunities for community-based interventions.
tags: newjournalarticles
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Health disparities of Latino immigrant workers in the United States: International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care: Vol 11, No 4
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature pertaining to occupational health disparities experienced by Latino immigrant workers in the USA and to advance a general framework based on systems science to inform epidemiological and intervention research.
Design/methodology/approach
– Using papers and other sources from 2000 to the present, the authors examined the employment conditions and health outcomes of Latino immigrant workers and critically analyzed the pervasive evidence of health disparities, including causal mechanisms and associated intervention programs.
Findings
– The occupations, including the work environment and resultant living conditions, frequently performed by Latino immigrants in the USA represent a distinct trigger of increased injury risk and poor health outcomes. Extant intervention programs have had modest results at best and are in need of more comprehensive approaches to address the complex nature of health disparities.
Practical implications
– An integrated, systems-based framework concerning occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers allows for a holistic approach encompassing innovative methods and can inform high-leverage interventions including public policy.
Originality/value
– Reductionist approaches to health disparities have had significant limitations and miss the complete picture of the many influences. The framework the authors have provided elucidates a valuable method for reducing occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers as well as other populations.
tags: newjournalarticles
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Legislators' perceptions of unaccompanied children seeking asylum: International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care: Vol 11, No 4
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore how individual legislators perceive unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, their life situation, needs and best interests.
Design/methodology/approach
– The total number of participants were 15. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was used in order to identify and analyze patterns in the interview data. The authors focused on their responses to the questions about the best interest of the child in migration policy and practice, and how this principle was related to unaccompanied children seeking asylum.
Findings
– The main finding is that chronological age becomes a key sign for how legislators understand the life situation, needs and best interests of unaccompanied children. Also, the findings from this study suggest that the moralizing welfare ideology of the past is still present in political discourse and social planning, construing unaccompanied minors as an ambivalent category between civilization and savagery. The findings from this study indicate that legislators enact reforms of importance for unaccompanied children without considering them as agents of their own future, with their own motives and reasons to seek asylum.
Practical implications
– The findings from this study indicate a need to adapt the understanding of the existing Aliens Act (SFS 2005:716) to the knowledge that unaccompanied minors need to be assessed on their own terms.
Originality/value
– This study contributes to increasing the understanding about how the subjective values of legislators may have influenced migration reform in Sweden that can be valuable to both legal and social research, as well as policy planners.
tags: newjournalarticles
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