An international E- conference on ‘Migration, Diasporas and Sustainable Development: Perspectives, Policies, Opportunities and Challenges’ was jointly organized by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT) and Center for Research on North America (CISAN), from 2nd to 5th November, 2020. In a discussion that spanned continents, experts from various countries shared their perspectives on the migrant issues and possibilities of rebuilding a better future for migrants by making the global migration regime more equitable and fairer.
On the first day, i.e., 2 November 2020,five parallel discussions were held on various topics. The third and fourth sessions were devoted to the topic of ‘Forced Migration’. Session 4 was chaired by Ms. Paddy Siyanga Knudsen, Migration Governance Analyst and Development Economist, who initiated the discussion by describing the format of the session and introducing the speakers.
EU Deviating from Liberal Ethos
Ms. Evelyn Ariyaratnam, Researcher affiliated to Asian Press Institute – Sri Lanka / The Training Nest – Sri Lanka, presented paper on the topic, ‘EU Refugee Crisis and Dimensions of International Relations’. Tracing roots to the European Refugee Crisis, which peaked in 2015, Ms. Ariyaratnam described how the crisis questioned the liberal essence of EU and caused a shift to realist principles.
It is important to apply political lens to understand forced migration, as migration itself is an impact of political behaviors. There are two dominant theories that govern the dynamics of international relations- Liberalism, with its focus on international cooperation, human rights, democracy, diplomacy and rule of law; and Realism built around statism, survival and self-help. EU initially took the liberal trajectory by accommodating the refugees on humanitarian grounds, from 2013. But by 2015, there was a huge influx of refugees and opinions began to differ among member states. Conflicts arose as many, especially East European countries, began asserting their sovereignty and militarizing their borders to prevent refugees from entering. This was also marked by a parallel rise in nationalism and xenophobia. The Brexit and measures like EU-Turkey deal of 2016 to facilitate sending back refugees even before entering EU, are further proofs to the realist shift undertaken by European states.
With the advent of refugee crisis, “EU was caught between its liberal beliefs and realist beliefs of member states… who deviated from liberal norms towards a realistic self-centered approach to maximize their security and power”, Ms. Ariyatnam pointed out.
Integration Outcomes of Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong
A discussion on ‘Segmented Assimilation? Diversified Integration Outcomes among the Vietnamese Boat People Settled in Hong Kong’ was carried out by Mr. Ka Wang Kelvin LAM from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who spoke about the post resettlement life experiences of Vietnamese Boat People. The Vietnamese exodus started in mid 1970s following the end of Vietnamese war in 1975. Due to geographical proximity and unique political context as a British colony, Vietnamese refugees arrived via boats to Hong Kong, which received over 2,20,000 boat people between 1975 and 2000, though most of them have been repatriated or resettled in third countries today. It was observed that despite sharing similar contexts of exit and reception, there were diversified integration outcomes amongst the boat people settled in Hong Kong.
Mr. Ka Wang stated that both selective and dissonant acculturation have taken place in Hong Kong. Those having better living conditions showed selective acculturation, with minimal social support from government accentuating importance of ethnic community and causing upward assimilation. Those who have become homeless after resettlement shows dissonant acculturation, who affected adversely from limited resources and minimal social support, and became a part of underclass subcultures, causing downward assimilation.
Issues of IDPs in Pakistan’s erstwhile FATA
Mr. Abhishek Yadav, PhD Candidate and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, presented paper on the topic, ‘Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan’s erstwhile FATA: Issues and Challenges’. Mr. Yadav initiated the discussion by briefing about FATA. FATA refers to semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the north western Pakistan, predominantly inhabited by the Pashtun community. Mr. Yadav highlighted the two major push factors that has resulted in displacement of members of this community from their native places:
- ‘Talibanization, which denotes the use of the region by terrorists belonging to organizations like Taliban and Al Qaeda, as a safe haven,
- The stringent military response to this, which has destabilized the region.
They are also disadvantaged from regressive policies inherited from colonial era like Frontier Crimes Regulation which was repealed only in 2018, stereotyping and ethnic profiling of Pashtuns, and administrative apathy. The changing of terminology from Internally Displaced People to Temporarily Dislocated People further strips them of their rights owing to special status, and human rights violations committed against them was brought to spotlight by the Pashtun Tahafuz (Protection) Movement.
Though the displacement had provided secure environment for these people, especially women who were saved from the clutches of patriarchy, “there is the need for a comprehensive national policy on displacement… appreciation of ethnic diversity instead of mere acknowledgement, and… political willingness to address the issues of these displaced people”, Mr. Yadav concluded.
Ensuring Human Security
Mr. Milind Sen, PhD Scholar at University of Hyderabad. Telangana, India, shed light on the topic, “Forced Migration: Impact on Socio-Economic Status of Informal Workers in India”. The worst affected due to the COVID-19 global pandemic were the communities at the fringes, including the informal sector workers, who constitute 85% of the total workforce in India. The job loss and loss of livelihood that followed the restrictive measures adopted to battle pandemic, the migrants were forced to return in mass numbers back to their homes, and the painful journeys made on foot by India’s internal migrants invoked popular sympathy. However, their lives continued to remain insecure, with their precarities enhanced by the lack of access to social support like Public Distribution System, due to reasons like lack of identity cards, and social exclusion due to stigmatization. This has pushed them to depression, anxiety and suicides.
Drawing on the capabilities approach of Amartya Sen, Mr. Milind Sen pointed out the poor ranking of India in human security indicators like World Hunger Index, and called for a coherent health policy addressing these concerns, in addition to interstate migration policy, provision of social security services, promotion of social inclusion and improved connectivity amongst governments, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations, migrant workers and all other stakeholders.
The Cost of Development
‘Development-induced Displacement and Development-induced Environmental Degradation: Understanding the Risks of Development on Communities & Environment in India’ was the topic elaborated upon by Mr. Faisal Mahmood, Aligarh Muslim University, India. Mr. Mahmood began the discussion by detailing ‘the impoverishment risks and risk reconstruction model’ of Prof. Michael Cernia, which identified the risks intrinsic to forced migration and suggested a possible solution for reconstruction and sustainable development. “The eight risks identified by the model are landlessness, joblessness, homelessness, marginalization, food insecurity, increased morbidity, social disarticulation and loss of access to common property resources.” This provide a ground to investigate further upon the risks faced by displaced people due to development projects.
“On being displaced, people not only lose their economic security, but also social status and empowerment achieved through political movement and land reforms”:Mr. Faisal Mahmood
Landlessness leads to joblessness and results in loss of productivity, while displacement from home also results in loss of a group’s cultural space, resulting in further deprivation. Relocation plans are not properly implemented and culminates in loss of socio-economic status of displaced, whose entire livelihood is threatened. The environment is also degraded in the process, due to pollution, exploitation of natural resources and removal of people who took care of the environment sustainably since centuries. This has led to rise in natural calamities, and falling quality of air and water, especially in cities. Mr. Mahmood concluded by stating that development in the absence of nature friendly approach is not lasting and sustainable development must be adopted, by taking in the concerns of both the environment and the people living there.
Challenges Faced by Syrian Women Refugees
Ms. Saba Fatima, PhD Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia MilliaIslamia, New Delhi, presented paper on the topic, ‘Integration Challenges of Syrian Women in the midst of Syrian Crisis’. Ms. Fatima initiated the discussion by highlighting that during war, women suffer greater harm due to their gender, making them very vulnerable. Despite this, practices and policies of reconstruction of conflict-ridden societies often fail to acknowledge the special needs of women. Since the advent of Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have fled their native countries, heading for the Middle Eastern countries, from where they moved to third countries in Europe or North America. In Turkey, the major transit country, there are about 3.6 million refugees and 90% of them are living without access to basic amenities. Sex and gender-based violence is prevalent and this has resulted in early marriages of Syrian women refugees. Similar are the plights of women in other Middle Eastern transit/destination countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, where in addition to physical exhaustion, sexual abuse and violence, women also face psychological stress and trauma due to the loss of loved ones and the ordeal they went through. Reaching Europe or North America and attaining asylum remains a difficult challenge due to the current hostility towards undocumented migrants and refugees.
“Syrian women refugees are facing multiple challenges in host countries. They need more than humanitarian assistance. They need to become self-sufficient”: Ms. Saba Fatima
Ms. Fatima concluded by stating that despite the challenges, many Syrian women refugees have managed to tackle the language barrier and arise out of systematic constraints and violence, to establish a better life for themselves and aid other vulnerable refugees.
Bearing the Cost of Ecological Degradation
Ms. Ananya Pattnaik and Ms. Devika Singh Shekhawat, PhD scholars at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and Ambedkar University, Delhi, respectively, elaborated on the topic ‘Ecological crisis and discourses of migration and infiltration in the Coastal areas of Odisha’.
Bangladeshi immigrants, who began settling in Odisha following the Dandakaranya rehabilitation project of the government, were the first to move to small scale sea fishing and introduce new modes of fishing in Odisha, which gained the support of local population. The business began to thrive after aquaculture getting international attention and World Bank announcing incentives for third world countries in early 1990s, sanctioning the growing prawn culture and terming it the ‘blue revolution’. Soon ecological treasures like the Chilika Lake began to be exploited excessively to meet the rising demands. For instance, “60% of Chilika Lake shrimp culture is illegal and practiced by mafia who enjoy political impunity and use force and intimidation against local fishing community”, Ms. Ananya pointed out.
With India becoming a leading export country in marine products like shrimp, there has been a rise in big corporations and bourgeoise class exploiting the marine life, leading to ecological damage in the form of soil salination and loss of mangrove forests, as well as loss of traditional and small-scale fishing practices which are far more sustainable.
A linkage between conservation and illegal immigration and citizenship has been formed recently with the creation of an insider- outsider binary that places the blame of ecological decline solely on Bangladeshi immigrants, ignoring the prominent factors in playlike the institutional changes introduced by the “state which extracts productivity from fishing community for luxury export market of seafood and on the other hand, places the onus of environmental depletion on marginalized inhabitants of the region”, Ms. Devika concluded.
The session brought diverse dimensions of forced migration and its varying impacts on the same platform of discussion and had been very informative.
Manjima. A, the writer, a human rights enthusiast, is an undergraduate Political Science Hons. student at Miranda House, Delhi University. She can be reached on twitter @manjima_a