Migración y violencia: las caravanas de migrantes centroamericanos

Migration and violence: the caravans of Central American Migrants

Central American migrants transiting through Mexico to reach the United States are subjected to abductions, rape, and enforced disappearances. From October 2018 Central American migrants began to move in large groups known as migrant caravans to defend themselves against harassment by the authorities and the aggressions of organized crime. Unlike the traditional subreptitious migration model, the caravan migration model is bustling, visible, collective, and is imbued with a denunciation character. However, violence scenarios also emerged inside the caravans. The purpose of this article is to examine the forms of violence suffered by Central American migrants who joined the caravans.

This research is based on a qualitative methodological approach. The technique used for collecting discursive material was the in-depth interview. From July 2019 to February 2020, 24 Central American migrants (9 males and 15 women) were interviewed in four geographical areas of Mexico:  Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Mexico City, and Puebla. We selected adults who joined one of the caravans formed during October and November of 2018 but abandoned the caravans to migrate alone due to scenarios of violence occurring inside the caravans.

The results show that women suffered the most violent situations. Women complained about everyday violence originating from interactions with the other actors in the social field of migration. Many women were victims of routine practices and expressions of interpersonal aggressions initiated by their male peers. To escape from everyday violence interviewed women decided to abandon the security of advancing as a group to emigrate alone. On the other hand, interviewed men left the caravans because they somatized a vision and division of the world that defined them as guilty and not deserving.

Central American migrants transiting through Mexico to reach the United States are subjected to abductions, rape and enforced disappearances. Fom October 2018 Central American migrants began to move in large groups, in the so-called migrant caravans, to defend themselves against harassment by the authorities and the aggressions of organized crime. Unlike the traditional subreptitious migration model, the caravan migration model is bustling, visible, collective, and is imbued with a denunciation character. However, violence scenarios also emerged inside the caravans. The purpose of this article is to examine the forms of violence suffered by Central American migrants who joined the caravans.

This research is based on a qualitative methodological approach. The technique used for collecting discursive material was the in-depth interview. From July 2019 to February 2020, 24 Central American migrants (9 males and 15 women) were interviewed in four geographical areas of Mexico:  Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Mexico City and Puebla. We selected adults who joined one of the caravans formed during October and November of 2018, but abandoned  the caravans to migrate alone due to scenarios of violence occurring inside the caravans.

The results show that women suffered the most violent situations. Women complained about everyday violence originating from interactions with the other actors in the social field of migration. Many women were victims of routine practices and expressions of interpersonal aggression initiated by their male peers. To escape from everyday violence interviewed women decided to abandon the security of advancing as a group to emigrate alone. On the other hand, interviewed men left the caravans because they somatized a vision and division of the world that defined them as guilty and not deserving.

Migrantes da América Central que transitam pelo México para chegar aos Estados Unidos são submetidos a sequestros, estupros e desaparecimentos forçados. A fim de se defender do assédio das autoridades e das agressões do crime organizado a partir de outubro de 2018, os migrantes da América Central começaram a se mover em grandes grupos, nas chamadas caravanas de migrantes. Ao contrário do modelo tradicional de migração sub-reptícia, o modelo de migração de caravanas é movimentado, visível, coletivo, e está imbuído de um caráter de denúncia. No entanto, cenários de violência também surgiram dentro das caravanas. O objetivo deste artigo é examinar as formas de violência sofridas pelos migrantes da América Central que se juntaram às caravanas.

Esta pesquisa baseia-se em uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa. A técnica utilizada para a coleta de material discursivo foi entrevista aprofundada. Em julho de 2019 e fevereiro de 2020, 24 migrantes da América Central (9 homens e 15 mulheres) foram entrevistados em quatro áreas geográficas do México: Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Cidade do México e Puebla. Os idosos foram selecionados para participar de uma das caravanas formadas durante outubro e novembro de 2018, mas abandonaram-nas para migrar sozinhas devido a cenários de violência protagonizados dentro das caravanas.

Os resultados mostram que as mulheres sofreram as situações mais violentas. Eles reclamaram da violência cotidiana emanando das interações com os demais atores do campo social da migração. Muitos foram vítimas de práticas rotineiras e expressões de agressão interpessoal iniciadas por seus pares masculinos.  Para escapar da violência diária, as mulheres entrevistadas decidiram abandonar a segurança de avançar em grupo para emigrar solitária. Além disso, os machos entrevistados deixaram as caravanas porque somatizaram uma visão e divisão do mundo que os definiu como culpados e não merecedores.