" I found him living on the street”: views of informal caregivers on challenges faced by migrant children

Abstract

This study was aimed at exploring challenges faced by migrant children from their informal caregivers in Johannesburg, South Africa. A qualitative exploratory case study design was adopted. A purposive sampling technique was used to sampled 12 caregivers who care for migrant children and used face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The collected data was analysed thematically to allow caregivers share their own comprehensive narratives on challenges faced by migrant children in Johannesburg, South Africa. The informal caregivers have also shared that migrant children experience multifaceted challenges amongst others including, financial stress due to the loss of the breadwinner through deportation. Some of the children then find themselves homeless and only find basic human needs through informal caregivers. However, even after finding temporary shelter, some of the children are denied access to education, exploited and abused in the community as they were abandoned by their parents. However, they have noticed the resilience in the form of various coping mechanisms that they employed to address their challenges. The study draw conclusion that not only caregivers experience challenges, children in their care face multifaceted challenges. Thus, the paper calls for collaborative efforts from different stakeholders to provide support to migrant children especially after their parents’ deportation.