Exploring the Socio-Economic Challenges of Irregular Migrants/Migration: A Case Study of Zalambesa Town, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

This thesis investigates the multifaceted socioeconomic challenges of irregular migration in Zalambesa Town, Tigray, a region profoundly affected by recent conflict and long-standing economic devastation. This study explored the tangible socioeconomic challenges of irregular migration on migrants, their families, and the wider community. Employing a mixed-methods research design, this study triangulates quantitative data from questionnaires with 50 participants and qualitative data from 25 in-depth interviews, three focus group discussions (18 participants), and 15 key informant interviews. The study reveals that irregular migration from Zalambesa is primarily driven by economic desperation, stemming from a severe lack of local employment opportunities and pervasive poverty. This situation creates a multitude of overwhelming challenges for the community. Economically, this migration frequently results in crippling debt for migrants and their families. While remittances offer some financial relief, they often foster disruptive dependency, exacerbate economic inequality, and deplete the local labor force. Socially, irregular migration contributes significantly to family fragmentation and places a disproportionate burden of responsibility on women. It further erodes community cohesion and, critically, devalues education, thereby threatening the emergence of a "lost generation." Institutionally, responses to irregular migration are perceived as largely ineffective. This ineffectiveness is attributed to a significant policy-implementation gap, where top-down policies consistently fail to address the fundamental economic root causes of the issue. In conclusion, irregular migration in Zalambesa is not a sustainable solution but rather a symptom of a deeper structural crisis. This creates a vicious cycle where the negative consequences of migration paradoxically intensify its initial drivers.