ISBN | 9781920409098 |
Pages | 252 |
Dimensions | 244 x 170 mm |
Illustrations | B/W Illustrations |
Published | 2010 |
Publisher | Idasa, South Africa |
Format | Paperback |
Surviving on the Move
Migration, Poverty and Development in Southern Africa
edited by Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne
Since the collapse of apartheid, there have been major increases in migration flows within, to and from the Southern African region. Cross-border movements are at an all-time high across the region and internal migration is at record levels. The implications of greater mobility for areas of origin and destination have not been systematically explored. Migration is most often seen as a negative phenomenon, a result of increased poverty and the failure of development. More recently, the positive relationship between migration and development has been emphasised by agencies such as the Global Commission on International Migration, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the United Nations Development Programme and the African Union.
The chapters in this publication are all based on primary research and examine various facets of the relationship between migration, poverty and development, including issues that are often ignored in the migration-development debate like migration and food security and migration and vulnerability to HIV. The book argues that the development and poverty reduction potential of migration is being hindered by national policies that fail to recognise and build on the positive aspects and potential of migration. As a result, as these studies show, migrants are often pushed to the margins where they are forced to "survive on the move". Their treatment violates labour laws and basic human rights and compromises the potential of migration as a means to create sustainable livelihoods, reduce poverty and food insecurity, mitigate the brain drain and promote the productive use of remittances.
This book shows that migrant lives and livelihoods should be at the centre of international and African debates about migration, poverty and development.
About the Editors
Jonathan Crush is a Professor and CIGI Chair in Global Migration and Development at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, Canada, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town.
Bruce Frayne is a Research Fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Coordinator of the Regional Network on Aids, Livelihoods and Food Security.