Forced International Migration: The Breakup of Life Plans

Abstract

The article is based on a qualitative research project carried out in seven Colombian cities regarding the changes and conflicts arising in families when either of the parents migrates to another country, leaving children under the age of 24 in Colombia. On the one hand, the article addresses the conditions leading to forced migration in Colombia, seeking to answer questions such as why people migrate and what their process involves. On the other hand, it analyzes the way in which migration entails an abrupt break with the life plan built in the country of origin, causing the exiled individuals to lose their identity and frames of reference, since they do not adopt those of their new country

Keywords

• circuito migratorio
• exilio
• familia
• migración forzada
• retorno
• reunificación
• violencia