Institutionalized migrant youth: a view from the Southern Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Introduction  The migration process involves a series of occupational, social, and cultural challenges; however, when this process involves unaccompanied youth who become institutionalized, it radically changes their entire performance and occupational identity.

Objective  To analyze the occupational impact of unaccompanied youth institutionalized in a protection and emergency service in Catalonia, Spain.

Method  Ethnographic study that used as an information-gathering technique: field observations, semi-structured interviews, and informal conversations, which were transcribed and coded through a content analysis process.

Results  They brought up three main themes that explain the phenomenon a) The precarious context of the country of origin: the construction of the migratory desire, b) Institutional racism: cultural production of social discrimination and c) Occupational deprivation: as a limitation for autonomy and cultural insertion.

Conclusion  The influence of institutionalization is evidenced as a structural factor that limits the choice and occupational participation of young people. This problem takes refuge in a legal imperative of “protection” that ends up reproducing a system of colonial, racial, and welfare discrimination that violates the human rights of young migrants.

Keywords:
Social Justice; Human Rights; International Migration; Youth; Occupational Therapy