Established in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2014 the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA) conducts research that contributes to the development of informed policies and promotes the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees in Africa. Besides the research focus, SIHMA hosts a growing collection of printed books on migration related issues for public research and organizes events and conferences on human mobility in Africa.
An Africa where the human rights of people on the move are ensured and their dignity is promoted.
To conduct and disseminate research that contributes to the understanding of human mobility and informs policies that ensure the rights and dignity of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Africa.
What we do
Topics of our research and projects
- Human mobility in Africa has a long history spanning several centuries and the continent has a highly mobile population composed of nomads, frontier workers, highly skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, students, refugees and undocumented migrants. The discourse around migration trends and patterns in Africa is dominated by myths and false assumptions which fail to paint a true reflection of this phenomenon. Our research seeks clarity on the different forms of mobility in Africa.
- Migration policy: International migration is perceived by states as a global challenge and its governance represents a controversial matter for policy-makers who try to ramp up their consensus over policy matters. In recent years, scholars have debated migration policies’ effectiveness, grappling with the question of why such policies tend to fail and produce unintended consequences. Our research looks at the development of migration policies and also at the role played by the different actors involved in the process of policy making.
- Training and Capacity Building: SIHMA provides training to institutions, organizations, and individuals to better understand the relationship between ethical aspects of migration and human rights and to identify important policy frameworks which affect migration and development policies.