Experiences and needs of unaccompanied irregular migrant minors who arrive in Spain on small boats: A qualitative study

Abstract

The European Union receives thousands of unaccompanied irregular migrant minors every year, but little is known about their life experiences during the migration process. The aim of this study is to describe their experiences as minors when they arrived in Spain in small boats, which will help to understand their psychosocial and health needs. A descriptive qualitative study was undertaken. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 unaccompanied irregular migrants (15 men and 3 women) from different African countries with a mean age of 20.05 years (SD = 2.77). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three main themes emerged such as (1) unaccompanied irregular migrant minors: risking it all for a better life; (2) redefining your identity as a means of adaptation and (3) obtaining legal status to avoid deportation. Unaccompanied migrant minors risk their lives on the migration journey, but do not always find better conditions in the destination country. The unaccompanied irregular migrant minors are forced to rebuild their lives at a high cost; they experience rejection from the host society and their culture of origin, which has a negative impact on their physical and psychological health over time.