Out of sight – Out of mind: Refugees in situations of protracted limbo

The world is full of forgotten people. Out of media and public attention, forgotten people live far below the minimum human standards, as a result of poverty, armed conflict, natural disaster, or environmental degradation – themselves inter-connected.

Among this group are refugees in protracted refugee situations (PRS), those displaced from their country of origin and unable to return for a variety of reasons, such as their status as political dissidents. They are defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as groups of over 25,000 persons who have been in exile for over five years in a developing country.

At present 33 such groups are distributed among the third world, amounting to approximately six million individuals (more than the combined population of Winnipeg and Toronto), about 65 percent of the world’s refugees. This figure does not reflect the thousands of others who fall outside the UNHCR definition – such as the Rohingya community of 20,000 or more from Myanmar (Burma) that is exiled in Bangladesh.

Unlike those fleeing persecution and conflict, the lives of refugees in PRS are not at immediate risk (except due to disease and personal harm), but their basic rights and economic, social and psychological needs are left unfulfilled for decades.

James Milner, co-director of the PRS Project at the University of Oxford and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies, is a keen student of these vulnerable populations. Chris Pullenayegem interviewed Milner about protracted refugee situations. Here are some excerpts:

CPJ: What challenges do refugees, humanitarian agencies, host countries and other stakeholders face because of protracted situations?

MILNER: There are many. Host countries are becoming increasingly reluctant to open their borders to such communities due to the security and other risks they are seen to pose. Donor countries are reducing funding towards maintaining refugees in protracted situations. The broader UN system has offloaded the responsibility of dealing with these groups to the UNHCR, notwithstanding the fact that humanitarian agencies by themselves will never be able to find solutions to the political and security problems that cause refugee situations to become protracted.

For the refugees themselves, it’s a matter of day-to-day survival. They have no hope of living a normal life where they may enjoy freedom to exercise their civil and political rights, but instead have to depend totally on foreign aid. Men and boys are vulnerable to risks such as forced recruitment by raiding militia, while women in particular are defenseless against personal assaults to their dignity. These are on top of the psychological challenge of living in limbo through every phase of life, from birth to marriage to parenting.

CPJ: What solutions are being explored to resolve protracted refugee situations or mitigate the negative effects?

MILNER: Although comprehensive solutions through resettlement alone are not going to solve the problem of PRS, countries are starting to use resettlement as part of their efforts to encourage host countries to work towards solutions for refugees. The recent effort of Canada to resettle Karen refugees provides an example.

Because resettlement countries such as the U.S.A., Australia and Canada demonstrated their solidarity with Thailand by resettling refugees, the Thai government unofficially agreed to review its obligation towards those remaining; to allow movement outside the camp and perhaps access to employment for the Karen population.

CPJ: What do you think Canada should do to deal with the problem of refugees in protracted situations?

MILNER: Canada has shown remarkable leadership and innovation in trying to find solutions. In February 2007 an interdepartmental working group was struck that brought together, among others, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canadian International Development Agency, and Citizenship and Immigration, to work out a model and methodology that would address the root of the issue of PRS – something that other countries could replicate.

Canada is also playing a leadership role in multilateral discussions in Geneva and elsewhere to find solutions for specific refugee situations in Asia and Africa.

Canada has a critical role to play in providing global leadership to find and model innovative ways of eliminating this specific manifestation of human misery. Meanwhile it is the duty of citizen groups, civil society and others to bring the issue to the attention of the government and the public to ensure that Canada maintains its political will to make a difference in the world.

The Catalyst, spring 2007, Volume 30 / Number 2