The lived experience of Zimbabwean migrants raising children under conditions of illegality in Johannesburg South Africa

My research topic- An exploration of the lived experiences of illegal Zimbabwean migrants raising children under conditions of illegality in Johannesburg South Africa, fits in with one the conference themes. This study raises... [ view full abstract ]

My research topic- An exploration of the lived experiences of illegal Zimbabwean migrants raising children under conditions of illegality in Johannesburg South Africa, fits in with one the conference themes. This study raises awareness to the need of social work/social support for children and families living under illegal conditions in South Africa. The living conditions of of illegal migrants in South Africa are likely to be characterized by living in fear of police, other government officials, communities and fear of xenophobic attacks and attitudes associated with it (United Nations, 2014).  These conditions can be assumed to affect parenting and children negatively. This is a problem because social work as a discipline  is deeply concerned about the well-being of children and migrants who form two intertwined vulnerable groups (International Federation for Social Workers, 2016). 

A qualitative interpretive methodology has been adopted for the study. An exploratory-descriptive design will be used. Research participants will be selected through purposive sampling and accessed using snow ball sampling. The study will consist of 8-10 participants. Data will be collected using semi-structured individual interviews thereafter analysed using thematic content analysis. From an anti-oppressive social work discourse, the researcher selected concepts of misframing, oppression, social group identity, and internalized oppression to form a theoretical frame to also assist with the interpretation of study's findings (Mpofu, 2016).

Data collection started in January and expected to be completed by end of February. The conceptualisation on study experience so far has revealed ethical dilemmas unexpected to the researcher and will be shared with the results of the study. 

Key words: illegal migrants; social support; ethical dilemma