Abstract
Migration (irregular and forced) represents one of the major challenges the international community faces today. Inasmuch as the phenomenon of irregular and forced migration is the marker of the state of socio-economic systems around the world, the response to and the ways of navigating the resulting multi-scalar challenges mirror not only the efficiency of the global regulatory frameworks, but also our civility. Recognizing the potential inherent in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT), specifically the blockchain technology and smart contracts, this paper focuses on the special case of “welcome centers” that irregular migrants enter in the hope of acquiring international legal protection and thus refugee status. Since the process may be time-consuming and the living conditions undignified, this paper proposes a tool, named here “responsible wallet”, aka rWallet, that bears the promise of navigating some of these challenges. rWallet derives from the recognition that in modern societies ICT should serve the purpose of improving the quality of life of all people.
•(Irregular) migration is the key challenge our societies face today.•Precarity and immobility are the key issues that challenge irregular migrants.•Also the receiving communities are challenged and their vulnerability rises.•Blockchain-based tools offer a way of navigating these challenges.•The rWallet is a blockchain-based tool that does it.