Volume 13, 2004

Issue N. 3

Andrew Butcher
"Departures and Arrivals: International Students Returning to the Countries of Origin," Vol. 13 (3), pp. 275-303, 2004
 

This paper examines notions of re-entry, or return migration, through the experiences of East Asian tertiary international students who had studied in New Zealand. After identifying specific methodological contexts of re-entry for these students, and briefly considering international students’ experiences in New Zealand, this article examines various transitions encountered during re-entry. These transitions center on expectations, a longing to belong, identity crisis, and a sense of homelessness and loss, as well as various social responses and other general transitions. The paper then argues that the re-integration of identity and place is crucial in ameliorating some of the re-entry difficulties, which also provides a useful conceptual framework to understand re-entry.

Monique Hennink and Padam Simkhada

Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Context and Process," Vol. 13 (3), pp. 305-338, 2004

The aim of this study was to provide a clearer understanding of the process and context of sex trafficking from Nepal using data from trafficked women themselves. It develops a conceptual framework of the trafficking process and uses this to identify detailed strategies for reducing the risk of trafficking. Quantitative data were analyzed from case records of 202 sex-trafficked women at rehabilitation centers in Nepal. In-depth interviews with 42 sex trafficked women, mostly residing at rehabilitation centers in Kathmandu, provide contextual information on the process and circumstances of sex trafficking. The results of this study provide a clearer understanding of the stages of movement through the sex trafficking process; in particular that sex trafficking does not always begin at the village level, it may also occur after voluntary migration or after trafficking to urban areas for other purposes (i.e., labor exploitation). Interventions therefore need to target each stage of movement through sex trafficking. Respondents were most commonly sex trafficked by familiar persons, including relatives; and force and abduction are less common. Women exited from sex trafficking through rescue, escape or release. One of the outcomes of sex trafficking is a return to sex work upon return to Nepal.

 

Susan Thieme and Ulrike Müller-Böker
Financial Self-Help Associations Among Far West Nepalese Labor Migrants in Delhi, India," Vol. 13 (3), pp. 339-361, 2004

Labor migration to India is the most important source of income for people in Far West Nepal. To better understand the effects of labor migration, a research analyzing why and how migrants invest their money in financial self-help organizations was undertaken. Fieldwork was conducted in the communities of origin in Nepal and migrant communities in India. Based on the study, the paper provides an overview of the existing financial self-help associations, their strengths and weaknesses, accessibility and possibilities of benefits and losses for the migrants and their families. The major conclusion is that migration helps to improve income or security but can also undermine a household’s financial situation by perpetuating debt and dependency. 

Juliet Clark
Filipino Women in Tasmania: Negotiating Gender Ideologies," Vol. 13 (3), pp. 363-380, 2004
 

This paper investigates the experiences of Filipino women who have migrated from the Philippines to Tasmania, Australia. Commonly referred to as ‘mail-order brides,’ the women have migrated to Tasmania for the purpose of marriage, usually after a long process of letter writing and friendship. This paper argues that Filipino women in Tasmania do not always regard themselves as ‘victims’ as suggested in many scholarly and media representations of ‘mail-order brides.’ Instead, based on their accounts, this paper provides insights into the phenomenon of Filipino migration for marriage, questioning and challenging the many assumptions that are made about their migration and settlement.
 

Chiho Ogaya
Filipino Domestic Workers and the Creation of New Subjectivities," Vol. 13 (3), pp. 381-405, 2004
 

This article analyzes the social activities of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong and Singapore in the context of the feminization of migration. It classifies these activities into those that move towards (1) upholding the rights of migrant domestic workers, and (2) upgrading their social status to promote social mobility. These two activities and the changes they effect may be achieved individually and collectively, and clearly show the capability of migrant domestic workers to be counter-hegemonic subjects, both in the form of ‘everyday resistance’ and as agents of social change. This article also explores how these two activities intertwine through migrant women’s volunteer work. The emergence of networks of migrant organizations and NGOs and new solidarity across different ethnicities are also discussed as a form of dynamism resulting from the feminization of migration.