Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa - SIHMA

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Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa - SIHMA A research institute that contributes to the development of informed policies for the rights and dignity of migrants

“My future is not here.” ⁣⁣Why do young Gambians risk the “Backway” even when they know the dangers? A 2026 journal arti...
09/10/2026

“My future is not here.” ⁣
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Why do young Gambians risk the “Backway” even when they know the dangers? A 2026 journal article by Saidyejeng & Drammeh found that it comes down to economic opportunity, not hope or belonging.⁣
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Our blog unpacks what it means for governments and for people on the move.⁣
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Link in bio 📖⁣
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Mental Health and Pastoral Accompaniment in Humanitarian ContextsHow does the Church walk alongside people living throug...
05/10/2026

Mental Health and Pastoral Accompaniment in Humanitarian Contexts

How does the Church walk alongside people living through conflict, displacement, and loss?

Join SIMI for a Study Day on Tuesday, October 13, 3:00–4:30 p.m. (Rome time) at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, or online via Zoom.

Hear from Archbishop Joseph Tobji of Aleppo, Dr. Márcio Gagliato, and other voices from the field as we explore the link between pastoral care and mental health, and present a new document for pastoral workers.

🌍 Hybrid event, in English and Italian, with simultaneous interpretation into Italian, Spanish, and English online.

Organized by SIMI and Católica University Portugal, in collaboration with the Dicastery.

Register: https://dqkac.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/6rqJfgq8dINmO7rFGAlOBY192et/TwCNYIozuBUA

Libya once hosted up to 2.5 million migrant workers drawn by steady jobs and good wages. ⁣⁣Today, it is one of the most ...
02/10/2026

Libya once hosted up to 2.5 million migrant workers drawn by steady jobs and good wages. ⁣
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Today, it is one of the most dangerous places in the world for the same people who helped build its economy, and for many more, a stop on the way to Europe that becomes a trap.⁣
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Our latest blog goes beyond the headlines to ask a harder question: what happens when the laws meant to protect borders end up locking people away indefinitely, with no asylum system to turn to?⁣
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The piece explores Libya's criminalisation of irregular migration, the heavy toll on women and children, and Europe's role in funding the interceptions that return thousands to detention.⁣
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Read it now on our Blog on the Move.⁣
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From a few thousand refugees in the early 2010s to over 127,000 today. Nigeria's role as a host nation has grown dramati...
18/09/2026

From a few thousand refugees in the early 2010s to over 127,000 today. Nigeria's role as a host nation has grown dramatically, even as it manages 3.5 million of its own internally displaced people.⁣⁣
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Our latest blog looks at what it means to protect others while still protecting your own: Nigeria's welcoming refugee laws, the barriers refugees face in practice, and the trafficking crisis simmering beneath it all. Read it now on our Blog on the Move.⁣⁣
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Since 2023, more than 1.5 million refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan and the Sahel have sought shelter in Chad including...
04/09/2026

Since 2023, more than 1.5 million refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan and the Sahel have sought shelter in Chad including skilled professionals like Sarra, a nurse now living in a camp, yet face severe economic restrictions while host communities simultaneously struggle for basic resources.⁣⁣
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Our latest blog looks past the usual "humanitarian aid" narrative to ask a harder question: what does sustainable integration look like when an emergency displacement situation stretches into a permanent reality for both refugees and host communities?⁣⁣
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The piece draws on findings from the Atlas of African Migration and is published on our Blog on the Move.⁣⁣
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Fifteen years. Still "𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆."⁣⁣Since 2009, thousands of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit holders have taught in our schoo...
28/08/2026

Fifteen years. Still "𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆."⁣
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Since 2009, thousands of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit holders have taught in our schools, nursed in our hospitals, run local shops, and paid their taxes, yet still can't apply for permanent residence in South Africa.⁣
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Our latest blog looks past the usual "open vs. closed borders" debate to ask a harder question: what does South Africa owe its residents when a "temporary" measure stretches on for a decade and a half?⁣
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The piece draws on research by Christine Hobden and is published on our Blog on the Move.⁣
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Behind every border statistic is a web of history, policy, economics, and human choices. ⁣⁣Migration is far more complex...
14/08/2026

Behind every border statistic is a web of history, policy, economics, and human choices. ⁣
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Migration is far more complex than headlines suggest. ⁣
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To move beyond assumptions and tackle misinformation, SIHMA partnered with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) and the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town for a 2-day training on “Understanding Human Mobility in Africa.”⁣
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From unpacking the drivers of movement and theological reflections on hospitality to navigating legal frameworks and ethical support work, 17 leaders and community members came together to turn awareness into action.⁣
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Real protection, dignity, and integration start when communities are equipped with evidence, empathy, and accurate knowledge.⁣
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Tougher laws aren't stopping irregular migration from Ethiopia and this study shows why.⁣⁣Migrants aren't uninformed. ⁣T...
07/08/2026

Tougher laws aren't stopping irregular migration from Ethiopia and this study shows why.⁣
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Migrants aren't uninformed. ⁣
They're weighing two risks: staying home jobless, or leaving irregularly. For many, staying feels riskier.⁣
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📖 Based on research by Getye Abneh & Fekadu Adugna Tufa, sourced via SIHMA (Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa).⁣
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Link to the full journal in bio 🔗⁣
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Belonging isn't just about where you live, it's about whether the law lets you stay.⁣⁣South Africa's new White Paper on ...
31/07/2026

Belonging isn't just about where you live, it's about whether the law lets you stay.⁣
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South Africa's new White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection is rewriting who gets a path to permanent residency and who doesn't. For refugees who've spent decades building lives here, the message is blunt: 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.⁣
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We break down what the reform means for the government trying to fix an overwhelmed system, and for the families caught in the paperwork. 🧵👇⁣
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Inspired by Leah Alexis Ndimurwimo's journal "Redefining Belonging: South Africa's 2024 White Paper Reshapes Asylum Policy," published by SIHMA (Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa). Full journal linked below.⁣
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The clock ticks. Nothing moves. 🕓⁣⁣⁣⁣That's how researchers describe "waithood" the experience of asylum seekers in Sout...
16/07/2026

The clock ticks. Nothing moves. 🕓⁣⁣
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That's how researchers describe "waithood" the experience of asylum seekers in South Africa who've waited 15+ years for a decision that never quite comes. Not denied. Not approved. Just stuck.⁣⁣
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A new study by Pineteh E. Angu (published in the African Human Mobility Review) goes inside this suspended existence, permits that shrink from 4 years to 6 months overnight, reception centres open just one day a week, kids born in SA still tied to their parents' unresolved case files.⁣⁣
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But it's not just a story of struggle. It's also one of quiet resilience, people finding informal ways to build lives despite a system that leaves them little room to.⁣⁣
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Swipe to learn more about a story that doesn't make headlines but shapes real lives every single day. 👇⁣⁣
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Address

47 Commercial Street
Cape Town
8001

Opening Hours

Monday 08:30 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:30 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:30 - 17:00
Thursday 08:30 - 17:00
Friday 08:30 - 17:00

Telephone

+27214614741

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