Unaccompanied girls’ migration : A comparative analysis of Afghanistan and Somalia

Sweden is the country in Europe that receives most applicants from asylum seeking unaccompanied children. The majority of all unaccompanied children are boys and the two biggest sending countries are Afghanistan and Somalia. There is however a big difference between the proportion of unaccompanied girls between the two countries, Somalia with a big proportion of girls and Afghanistan with a low proportion of girls. Previous research has shown that there is a big knowledge gap about unaccompanied girls’ migration. Hence this study seek to examine why the proportion of girls differ so much between Afghanistan and Somalia. It does also explore how the girls’ social networks in their home country effects the girls possibilities to migrate. To explain the aim of this study I have used social network theory. To investigate family structures and girls’ social networks in Afghanistan and Somalia I have collected reports from for example the United Nations, the Swedish Migration Board and other countries´ Migration Boards. My main results are that girls from Somalia have bigger social networks that can assist them arrange and support a flight from Somalia. Girls from Somalia are further subjected to threats from persons outside their social networks that can be met with a strategy on household level, like splitting the household and sending the exposed girl abroad. Girls from Afghanistan on the other hand are much harder bound to the private sphere and lack social networks outside their extended family. The threats against girls in Afghanistan emanate from the girls own family which means she can’t get protection from her social network. My result show that for Somali girls’ social networks work as a resource when it comes to girls migration while Afghan girls social networks on the other hand work as an obstacle.