Karolina Lukasiewicz published an academic article examining the asylum and social policies for refugees that force some migrants into poverty and social exclusion. A study was conducted in Poland because the author believed it has little experience with immigration and poorly monitors the situation of refugees. Poland’s asylum policy relocates refugees into areas that are distant from populated cities and are known for high rates of unemployment and levels of discrimination against foreigners.
A participant included in the study described how he was unable to provide basic needs for his family and was forced to live in overcrowded housing conditions, which is an experience other refugees reported. Others reported episodes of homelessness. Some refugee children could not attend school activities because their parents could not afford books and school trips. Participants reported that when their foreign status was disclosed, they were rejected for housing rentals, asked to pay more in rent, and offered lower salaries. Representatives of the public administration blame the refugees for living in those conditions and failing to use the opportunities given.
The author does have a bias throughout the academic article. It is clear that the author is in favor of the refugees who are settling in Poland and wanted to examine the refugee’s stories in order to prove that they are facing hardships. When the author speaks about the public administration, it is done in a negative light to give readers the impression that the administration does not help refugees successfully integrate within society. The author leans towards advancing the refugees’ positions that public policy is not relocating them into areas that will help them find good housings and jobs to provide for their families.
Lukasiewicz, Karolina. “Exile to Poverty: Policies and Poverty Among Refugees in Poland.” International Migration, vol. 55, no. 6, Dec. 2017, pp. 56–72. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/imig.12356.