Female Central American Migrants in Transit Through Mexico: Victimisation and Smuggler-Use

• In Event: Violence against Women

Abstract

The flow of migrants from the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America (i.e., Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) to the United States has risen sharply in recent years. A substantial body of scholarship, largely based on qualitative research, has documented the victimisation of these migrants during their transit through México, with strong evidence indicating that female migrants face a heightened risk of victimisation. Additionally, previous qualitative research suggests that female migrants may be more likely to hire a smuggler. While the literature remains inconclusive regarding the risk of victimisation when using a smuggler, a significant body of qualitative evidence indicates that smuggler-assisted journeys tend to be more dangerous. To add to the literature in a quantitative way, this study utilised 2022 data from the Encuesta sobre Migración en la Frontera Sur de México (Emif Sur), an annually conducted survey that aims to understand the characteristics of migratory movement on the southern border of México. Thereby, this study sought to examine how victimisation risk varies by gender and how this relationship is influenced by smuggler-use. This study hypothesised that female Central American migrants are more likely to be victimised as well as hire a smuggler in transit through México than male migrants. Subsequently, smuggler-use was expected to mediate the relationship between gender and personal victimisation. The hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analyses. The findings revealed that female migrants were more likely both to hire a smuggler and to experience victimisation. Furthermore, the relationship between gender and victimisation was found to be partially mediated by smuggler-use, although effect sizes were small. These findings underscore the urgent need for safer migration pathways, especially for female migrants, and highlight the inadequacies of current migration policies in the United States and México.

Author

• Jennifer Hauschildt, Universität Hamburg