Abstract

Over the past decade, migration flows in Latin America have undergone significant transformations due to various socio-political crises, leading to an increase in intraregional migration. This shift has occurred in the context of restrictive new migration policies and a high number of irregular entries through unauthorized border crossings. Within this scenario, unaccompanied adolescents have emerged as an incipient and increasingly vulnerable group in Chile’s migration landscape. This article examines their migration trajectories, and challenges traditional explanatory factors of emigration, as well as adult-centric analytical perspectives, through an exploratory and descriptive study based on the qualitative analysis of 3 life stories. The article argues that migration trajectories constitute a complex articulation of experiences that begin in the country of origin and continue along the journey and into the host society. The findings reveal that this population develops within a context of precariousness and is subjected to multiple forms of violence, including physical, psychological, intrafamilial, and sexual abuse, as well as abandonment and family disintegration from childhood to adolescence. These factors not only highlight but also accelerate their processes of autonomy.

Continue reading - PDF