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The purpose of this study was to understand the loneliness felt by refugees who are living in Cyprus and Ireland, countries that are foreign to them. This was primarily viewed through the eyes of employees that dedicate their careers to helping them. The research was conducted using qualitative methods. two employees from Cyprus and Ireland were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used in order to identify different themes within the findings. The data was manually analysed in order to bring these themes to light. The refugee theory developed by Kunz was chosen in order to understand the topic on a deeper level. The findings showed multiple examples of how these employees understood the loneliness that refugees feel. It was also revealed that they do believe that loneliness is a prevailing factor amongst all types of refugees.

The aim of this thesis to high lights the Afghanistan complex situation and itsimplications on Pakistan. Though out the history, Afghanistan complex situation andweak government create a security threat for Pakistan. Since the late 1970s Afghanistanhad suffered brutal civil war in addition to foreign interventions in the form of the 1979Soviet invasion and the 2001 U.S. invasion. Pakistan is significantly and directly affectedby the foreign invasion in Afghanistan. Pakistan is facing a variety of security threats; aninternal threat, an Indian threat, and the threat from Afghanistan. In order to comprehendPakistan's security dilemma, it is necessary to start our discussion with analyze theAfghanistan geographically importance, foreign intervention in Afghanistan, pak-afghanrelation, Pakistan’s foreign policies towards Afghanistan, the resistance movement andrefugee problems, and then evaluate the security situation. Admittedly, the India factorcannot be ignored in studying Pakistan's security dilemma.

The thesis refines the analytical categories of ‘refugee’ and ‘highly skilled migrant’ by exploring the experiences of non-European medical doctors who came to Sweden as refugees. As a narrative research study, the thesis is based on seven in-depth semi-structured interviews with refugee doctors who live in Sweden. By employing Van Hear’s concept of mixed migration and the notions of human, social and cultural capital, the thesis accounts for the interconnectedness of research participants’ migratory and professional trajectories. The analysis of the complex criss-crossing of their doctor and refugee identities makes use of Brubaker and Cooper’s concepts of identification and categorization, and self-understanding and social location which are further developed by Jenkins’ theory on social identity and Anthias’ concept of translocational positionality. The thesis concludes that these individuals’ migratory trajectories cannot be ranked as either forced or voluntary, but have to be conceptualized in terms of mixed migratory movements. In the same vein, the thesis points to the processual nature of identity which is always partly self-constructed and partly determined by the external categorizations, and hence pleads against the essentialization of migrants’ identities, be it that of a ‘refugee’ or ‘highly skilled migrant’.

In the mediated narrative about Lampedusa as a destination, thetourist’s mobility is indicating consumption. The recommendation of a boatride off Lampedusa’s coast to best experience/consume Lampedusa’s beauty,stands in great contrast to the boat rides in the narrative of the mobility ofthe migrant/refugee. This research is investigating the mediation andmobility processes working in the narrative of Lampedusa’s social structuresas a destination for the two human mobility categories the Tourist and theMigrant/Refugee. Mediated material concerning the two categories of humanmobility, the tourist and the migrant/refugee has been collected on theInternet. Material from two tourist destination communication platforms isillustrating the mobility of the tourist and the narrative of Lampedusa as atourist destination. While material from two humanitarian-aidcommunication platforms serve to illustrate the narrative of the mobility ofthe migrant/refugee and of the humanitarian crisis at the destination and itssurrounding waters. In order to a get fuller understanding of the mediatednarrative of Lampedusa I have added articles from English and Italianspeaking online news channels. The included material is selected following anon-probability, purposive sampling method. The result of the studydemonstrates that by maintaining the meditated narrative of the tourist as aconsumer, the mobility of the tourist is weakening the mobility of themigrant/refugee. And the narrative of Lampedusa is reinforcing the socialpower structures of the tourist from the Global North and themigrant/refugee from the Global South, as a representation of the politicaland moral consensus of postcolonialism.

This study explores how the terms ‘refugee’ and ‘migrant’ relate to the visual representation of these individuals and groups in five Danish newspapers. This study is particularly concerned with how the visual representation constructs an ‘us’ and ‘them’ between Danish society and these individuals. This study draws on a conceptual outline of ‘racialization’ that understands the concept as a ‘lens’ that ‘race’-thinking operates through in the process of constructing group boundaries. This study will draw on Gillian Rose’s visual discourse analysis in the study of Danish newspaper images. It is argued that the ‘refugee’ and ‘migrant’ are represented as a racialized ‘Other’ to the Dane, in particular the Muslim identity. It is shown that a Muslim identity is a main racialized identity. Moreover, it is pointed out that the use of the term ‘refugee’ is dominant which indicates that this term is in danger of becoming a catch-all category.

Evidence points to that the prevalence of teenage pregnancies is higher within refugee camps than elsewhere. Yet little research attention has been given the subject of teenage pregnancy within refugee situations where the numbers are steadily increasing, an area that therefore needs to be explored further. This thesis is based on a qualitative field study conducted within two Burundian refugee camps in Tanzania, Nduta and Kanembwa. Semi structured interviews were conducted with both teen mothers and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Bloc leader with knowledge in the area in order to investigate the reasons for and implications of teenage pregnancy within a refugee setting. The research question is why the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is higher within a refugee context. And what can be done to empower young mothers with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and to successfully claim their reproductive and sexual rights? The findings of the study points to that similar factors contributing to teenage pregnancy such as education, culture, poverty and unstable family relations are also applicable in a refugee situation. Conditions within refugee camps are however more extreme and the prevalence are therefore higher than in other settings. Taking a Liberal feminist standpoint based on the ideas of Amartyra Sen (1999) it is argued that the empowerment of women’s free agency and wellbeing is the key to a decline in fertility rate amongst teen mothers in refugee camps. Thus it follows that if women are to successfully claim their sexual and reproductive rights more efforts needs to be made in promoting the inclusion of women into educational and vocational activities.

An unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced from their homes; 22.5 million of these individuals are refugees and 10 million are considered stateless (UNHCR, 2016a). Although, the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and the large arrival of asylum-seekers at the European borders in 2015 and 2016 gained significant global media attention, the frequently interchangeable use of the terms “migrant” and “refugee” to describe population within news headlines imposes significant implications on the legal protections entitled to each label. Conflating refugees and migrants can undermine public support for refugees and the asylum system at a time when there are more refugees than at any previously recorded time (UNHCR, 2016a). To better understand, two electronic databases CBCA Reference and Current Events and Canadian Periodical Index were searched for headlines containing the key term “refugee(s)” in Canadian English language newspapers. A total of 94 words were identified that offered an indication of the portrayal of refugees in the news media. Fourteen words were categorized as positive, 56 words were negative and 25 words were identified as neutral In addition, a literature review was conducted mirroring the five-stage Arksey and O’Malley (2005) scoping review framework and a data charting form was used to extract descriptive themes. Seven electronic databases (Sociology, Social Sciences Abstract, Web of Science, Communication Source, JSTOR and Social Work) were searched.. A total of 32 studies were selected for the literature review (16 through the database search and 16 through reference list search). From the included literature, five descriptive themes were found: securitization, immigration, legitimacy, economic considerations and othering. Both analyses indicated a dominant securitized discourse that portrays refugees negatively as a threat to the state and revealed a decrease in humanitarian dialogue within news media coverage. Positive representations of refugees were limited to the narrative of a passive victim or contributors to the economy. In addition, refugee voices within news media were restricted to their expression of gratitude towards the state and their compassion. The lack of refugee perspective and the use of journalistic semantic strategies perpetuate a one-sided negative portrayal of refugees. A more balanced media narrative is required to ensure that refugees are being portrayed accurately and their voices are heard. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Background: Since the 1980s, there has been a growing interest in research to focus on positive mental health instead of narrowing attention toward risk factors and to foster resilience instead of treating trauma. There is substantial empirical evidence that despite being exposed to the same risk; individuals react differently to the same stimuli. The ability of some people to successfully cope and adapt despite adversity is what constitutes resilience. In the context of forced migration, resilience research examines the elements that ameliorate wellbeing and positive adjustment rather than focusing on the pathological consequences of trauma. However, little is known about how the construct of resilience is conceptualized within the field of forced migration research. This research aims to critically appraise and map the existing literature on resilience in the forced migration population, and to analyze how the concept of resilience is defined, operationalized, and applied in refugee research. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley scoping review framework was followed to search 5 online databases. Numerical and thematic analysis were both conducted to examine the breadth of the literature and to chart the relevant data. Results: A total of 20 studies were selected for the scoping review. The findings included a description of the literature regarding geographic distribution, recruited methods, and targeted populations. In addition, the results investigated definitions of resilience, measures used to operationalize resilience, the relationship between resilience and mental health illnesses, internal and external protective factors contributing to fostering resilience processes, and resilience across cultures and languages. Conclusion: There is an increase in interest to understand the concept of resilience through synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative data. However, longitude and evaluation studies remain the exception. Further research is needed to validate resilience instruments across cultures and languages. The interactions between mental health illnesses and resilience should be better understood in the context of forced migration as well. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

Housing is a key social determinant of health. Further to this, my research will show that it is through housing that all other health determinants are fully actualized. For refugee claimant (RC) families, housing is the most immediate and pressing need upon their arrival in Canada. The objective of this exploratory qualitative study is to examine the housing experiences of refugee claimant (RC) families in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and its impact on the health, well-being, settlement and integration of this population from the perspectives of services providers. Given the increasing inflows of asylum seekers in Canada over the past few years, there is an urgent need to examine their housing experiences and subsequent impacts on health and well-being. Using purposive sampling, seven service providers from five different refugee centres and family shelters in the GTHA were recruited. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed thematically. Findings demonstrate that accessing both emergency and permanent housing upon arrival is particularly difficult for RCs, given that the demand for housing continues to surpass availability in the emergency shelter system and private housing market in the GTHA. In their search for permanent housing, many RCs rely on the private housing market, where discrimination and affordability are common barriers. With an uneven and difficult trajectory towards housing access, many RCs face health issues associated with stress, poverty, and homelessness, which disrupt their settlement and integration in Canada. This research concludes by offering recommendations for policy and program level changes to improve refugee housing access in the GTHA. These recommendations include increasing service provision capacity in shelters, expanding transitional housing options for RCs, increasing investments in subsidized housing, limiting government involvement in REITS and increasing incentives to build more subsidized housing. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)