Vienna, October 2022: Migrant Resource Centres in the Silk Routes region were set up to (1) reduce irregular emigration; (2) raise awareness of possibilities of safe, regular emigration opportunities; and (3) increase the safety of migrants when in transit or destination.
This new study provides a measure of the impact of the MRCs on achieving these objectives. These MRCs are interesting from a scientific perspective in that most of their activities are interactive, offering personalised counsel to potential migrants and thus a relatively novel form of intervention.
This study provides experimental evidence of the effect of four MRC activities across six MRCs in four countries.
The effects of the MRCs are a large reduction in self-reported likelihood of migrating irregularly and a strong increase in awareness of safe options. They suggest that new information from a reliable source presented in an interactive, personalised manner has dramatic effects on the individuals’ level of awareness of issues and migration decision-making
The report was prepared by Dr James Dennison. Dr Dennison’s efforts were supplemented by the support of all staff in the Migrant Resource Centre Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq and Pakistan. The report benefitted from the review of ICMPD staff members Audrey Misquith, Golda Roma and Isabelle Wolfsgruber.
