Scholar Dawn Kene‑Okafor’s mission: building safer migration pathways for women and children

We spoke to Dawn Kene‑Okafor, an MSc student in Migration, Mobility and Development, about her studies in migration and child protection, made possible through the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship.

Her goal is to become an intersectional migration expert, using data-driven research to develop safer pathways for women and children.

A life-changing scholarship

My name is Dawn Kene-Okafor, and I am an MSc student in Migration, Mobility and Development at SOAS.  

During my studies and professional work in Nigeria, I began to notice that many of the issues affecting women and children, from exploitation to violence, were linked to unsafe migration routes. This realisation pushed me to explore migration patterns more deeply and understand how they can be made safer.

SOAS stood out as a strong fit for my interests. However, I could not afford to finance the degree on my own, so I applied for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, which ultimately made my studies possible. 

The scholarship has had a profound impact on my academic journey. It has allowed me to focus fully on my coursework and research without the constant pressure of finances, and it has also made it possible for me to enjoy student life while remaining fully engaged with my academic experience at SOAS. 

A focus on migration and child protection 

While studying for my BSc in Social Work from the University of Nigeria, I focused on domestic and gender-based violence against Nigerian women.  

I would like to find out how policies and practices can shape safer migration pathways for children.

I started working with a Nigerian NGO, Ihuoma Girls Care and Support Initiative, which supports female domestic workers escaping abusive employers. I discovered that many of these women had been trafficked from other parts of the country, a pattern that fuels forced labour, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.  

That experience showed me how manipulated or unsafe migration routes expose vulnerable people to serious risks. 

Since migration cannot be stopped and is a fundamental human right, I chose to study its patterns to understand what drives these movements and how to improve safety for women and children, reducing their risk of exploitation. 

This interest ultimately led me to my current programme at SOAS. I am now exploring how policies and practices can shape safer migration pathways for unaccompanied children, one of the most vulnerable populations in these contexts.  

More specifically, I am examining how existing migration and child protection frameworks respond to current realities and where they fall short, particularly as emerging digital and technological tools offer new possibilities to support safer migration processes. I would like to build a strong data-driven research profile, particularly through the use of migration data tools like IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). 

Why study migration at SOAS 

I chose SOAS for several reasons. First, it is highly ranked in the field of development studies and well recognised within the international development community, where I am building my career. 

That diversity was very intriguing to me and played a key role in my decision to study at SOAS.

I was also drawn to SOAS’s decolonial approach and its strong focus on the Middle East and Africa, the region I come from and where I hope to contribute. I believe that if I want to help my people, I first need to understand them. 

Lastly, I was drawn to the diversity of the SOAS community — a community that values critical thinking, global justice, and meaningful engagement. Being in a space with people from different parts of the world feels like living among representations of many countries at once. That diversity was very intriguing to me and played a key role in my decision to study at SOAS. 

Long-term goals 

My long-term goal is to become an intersectional migration expert, working at the nexus of child protection, migration governance, and development policy. 

After graduation, I aim to work in research, policy advisory, or programme design roles. I also would like to build a strong data-driven research profile that contributes to evidence-based policy and practice, using migration data tools. 

I’d like to work for international organisations such as the IOM and ICMPD, as well as with migration-focused think tanks and NGOs. 

I am also open to research collaborations, knowledge exchange, and conversations with alumni working across migration, development, and policy spaces.