The preliminary report compiled by the International Organisation for Migration
(IOM) working in collaboration with the UN High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) is now in the hands of the government and as it has promised, the report
has been made public.
The report said, this preliminary analysis is based on responses provided by 110
individuals, representing migrant groups of interest during a rapid assessment
conducted between April 1-10, 2023, in Antigua and Barbuda. “The migrant group
of interest includes adults originating from West African countries who arrived in
Antigua between November and December 2022. The data was collected using
questionnaires created using The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) which forms part of a methodology
designed by The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Both the tool and
methodology were provided to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda prior to
the start of field work,” the report stated, outlining its methodology.
Overall, the report provides insights into the migrant community on the issues
concerning how they arrived in Antigua and Barbuda, what are their intentions
whilst here, and what are the forces that drove them to travel to Antigua and
Barbuda in the first place.
According to the report, on the question of migration, nearly all respondents (99%)
claimed to have arrived in Antigua and Barbuda via air and 98% used their
passport for travel. “Most respondents (51%) did not fund their own trip to Antigua
and Barbuda; the majority of those (31%) had family pay for their travel. At the
time of the assessment, most individuals claimed to be without regular migration
status,” the report revealed.
Additionally, 60% of the respondents claimed to have no plans of leaving Antigua
and Barbuda while 36 % had plans on leaving. Most (76%) had no plans on
returning to their country of origin / birth. A total of 94 % were afraid of returning
to their country of birth/origin. When asked which country was their final
destination most respondents (46%) said Antigua and Barbuda followed by 16 %
who said The United States. Most respondents said they needed information or
support regarding work permits, employment/income generation and legal
assistance (including migration status and refugee status determination).
A very high number of the respondents, a total of 82 %, said they had experienced
discrimination while in Antigua. A total of 94% said they left their country of
origin due to violence related reasons and 94 % answered they fear to return to
their country of birth/origin. A total of 44% cited migrant status (work permits) as
their major specific need, with 39 % citing employment and income generation. 29
% said they need legal assistance and legal status; 24% cited accommodation and
assistance with shelter as their main need. An estimated 53 % of respondents said
they received support since their arrival in Antigua. Most of the support took the
form of ‘in-kind’ donations.
HEALTH & OTHER VULNERABILITIES
Approximately 10% of all respondents were found to have a chronic medical
condition; 38% of females assessed were either currently pregnant or had been
pregnant before. When asked about food intake, most respondents (75 %) reported
to have either skipped meals, ate less than usual, or went at least a day without
eating. Roughly 28 % said they need medical care.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
A total of 110 adults (78 male and 32 female) gave consent to participate in and
completed the rapid assessment. Approximately 94% of respondents identified
their country of birth as Cameroon. About 52% said Nigeria was their last country
of residence. Most respondents (88%) were under the age of 40 and the majority
(64%) selected single as their marital status.
EDUCATION
Most respondents (44%) have completed a university degree.
