Children on the move tra politiche di protezione ed esclusione di genere: il caso dei minori nelle strade di Dire Dawa (Etiopia)

Abstract

This article demonstrates how policies designed to promote the welfare and well-being of vulnerable groups – in this case, migrant minors or “children on the move” in Ethiopia – may, through the use of seemingly neutral categories, conceal forms of gender bias. To support this argument, the article examines the concepts of protection, mobility, and the deinstitutionalization of childcare facilities, focusing in particular on family reintegration policies and identifying the critical points where gender becomes a decisive factor. Ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the city of Dire Dawa made it possible to highlight these issues.