Publication: Empowering Migrant Women: Regularization Programs and Crime
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2021-11
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2021-11-04
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Do undocumented forced migrants change their propensity to report or commit a crime when they are granted proper documentation, a job permit, and access to social services? This paper examines the impacts of a regularization program that granted temporary economic rights to over 281,000 undocumented Venezuelan forced migrants in Colombia. The program resulted in a general reduction in crimes committed by forced migrants, also while increasing the number of domestic abuse and sex crimes female migrants reported. These findings suggest that empowerment and greater trust in local authorities are key mechanisms driving the behavioral changes for females, while proper enforcement facilitated by adequate documentation and the positive income effects of the program reduced the general propensity for migrants to commit crimes.
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“Ibáñez, Ana María; Rozo, Sandra V.; Bahar, Dany. 2021. Empowering Migrant Women: Regularization Programs and Crime. Policy Research Working Paper; 9833. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36484 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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