The Somali Profile in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Somali Profile in UK - Essay Example The paper also analysis the unemployment issue of the Somalis and the causes of the unemployment in London. The map below shows the location of Somalia in the African continent. Somalis in the UK, Migration and History Trends The Somali migrated to UK due to civic problems in Somalia. Somalia has had many problems since the ousting of formal government in 1991. Most of the Somali natives have escaped the worn-torn country to various destination including Kenya, Ethiopia and UK. The Somalis started their migration to England in notable figures in the early 1990s and formed the biggest group of refugees in the land then (Griffiths 2004, p25). The Somalis who fled to UK are a mixture of various clans most of whom are Muslims. Some of the Somalis migrated to Diaspora to join others who were living there (Werbner 2002, p126). Previous researches indicate that the Somali population has been in UK since the early 1980s (Grifiths 2002, p20). Most of the Somalis living in England are found in London. The number of Somalis living in London is approximately 70,000 people while the large proportion of them is found in Tower Hamlets. These are approximately 13,000 people (IOM 2006, p5). The map below shows the distribution of the community in UK. ... Some of the barriers causing the unemployment of the Somali people in London include invalid pre-migration qualifications and improper or inappropriate contacts in the land in addition to loss of significant skills due to the migrations. The unemployment problem is enhanced by the fact that most of Somalis prefer similar job to those they held in Somalia. Only a few of them about 15% have the required skills and training to acquire jobs in London. In 2006, more than 70% of the Somali living in London were jobless (Adfam 2009, p20). Lack of employment opportunities has led to desperation among many Somali people. They have in turn resulted to chewing khat as a means of passing time (Baafuo-Awuah 2005, p20). This has been a major problem and has been blamed for rising in crime and impotence among the males (James 2006, p44). Men 35years and above Women 35 years and above Young people 35 years and below With Jobs 900 400 450 Jobless 1100 2800 2350 Total 2000 3200 2800 Source:Adfam2009,p 20 Discrimination and racial issues Part of the unemployment problem of the Somalis in London is based on the issue of education. This is because compared to other ethnic groups in London in issues such as levels of wages and retaining of jobs, the Somalis perform worst. The issue of unemployment thus cannot be justified based on discrimination of black minority groups Harris 2006, p54). The Somalis are discriminated on the first impression created by nomadic settlers that they are poorly educated. Most of the women are poorly educated while the only educated people are the young individuals who have been able to enroll in the UK education system (Harris 2006,