Prerequisites Of Return And Reintegration For Long Term Internally Displaced Persons In Northern Uganda

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 2,0, Management Center Innsbruck, course: Non-profit Management, Peace Studies, language: English, abstract: Relative peace since 2006, after 20 years of armed conflict in Northern Uganda, brings the possibility for the internal displaced persons (IDPs) to leave displacement camps and return to the area of their original residence. Through a standardized survey of 178 individuals from the Gulu district in Northern Uganda, this study examines the needs and prerequisites of return and reintegration. Lasting peace is the uttermost condition for any other prerequisite of this study. IDPs need the voluntary wish to return, which 75% did indicate since they are longing for their ancestral land to engage in agriculture and want to leave behind the harsh and unfavourable conditions of the IDP camps. The population of the Gulu district has been highly traumatized by the lasting armed conflict, making counselling and psychological treatment of trauma necessary. 1/3 is suffering from nightmares and 1/4 fears evil spirits from murdered members of their communities. Over 2/3 of IDPs believe that justice was not achieved. Voluntary movement has to be guaranteed, as the returnees who felt forced to return show significantly high movement between the return area and the old IDP camp and lower ability for reintegration. Although, 90% of the once 1.8 million IDPs have returned, only 50% have been able to fully reintegrate back into a life of social, economic and cultural balance. The majority from the remaining IDPs are unable to return out of their own strength. 9% percent has lost hope to be able to return, since they cannot find assistance or do not have land to return to. 46% are extremely vulnerable, needing special assistance and tailored interventions, as they lack the financial and human capacity to return. 1/5 of the IDPs do not know the bou

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 2,0, Management Center Innsbruck (Nonprofit-, Sozial-, & Gesundheitsmanagement), language: English, abstract: The achievement of relative peace in Northern Uganda in 2006, was the stardom to end the mass internal displacement for over 1.8 million people. Return and resettlement became the major task for recovery and development. It is not only the time and intensity of the Northern Ugandan conflict influencing people's decision to leave the displacement camps to return to their former place residence, but certain requirements need to be met as well as obstacles overcome. This study identifies and describes these requirements based upon a broad literature review. Basic services and infrastructure, such as health care, clean water sources and schools need to be reconstructed, as they are essential to ensure basic human needs. The most vulnerable and war affected individuals, such as the elderly, sick, disabled, widows and orphans are the ones most reluctant to return and require special assistance. Shelter construction and solutions to land disputes are most crucial, as they are the major obstacles hindering the return process. The average income in the first year after return is almost half than that, ç which was earned during the last year in camp, making monetary empowerment and food security important factors. Promised governmental resettlement packages have not been delivered sufficiently but are necessary, not only for successful return but also to compensate for the lack of justice. Governmental directives generate pressure for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to leave the camps. Also, the land owners of the displacement camps want to see the IDPs gone, as they want to make use of their land. The major factor pushing people to leave the camps however are the unfavourable living conditions in the overcrowded camps. This goes hand in hand with the hope to find

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 2,0, Management Center Innsbruck (Nonprofit-, Sozial-, & Gesundheitsmanagement), language: English, abstract: The achievement of relative peace in Northern Uganda in 2006, was the stardom to end the mass internal displacement for over 1.8 million people. Return and resettlement became the major task for recovery and development. It is not only the time and intensity of the Northern Ugandan conflict influencing people’s decision to leave the displacement camps to return to their former place residence, but certain requirements need to be met as well as obstacles overcome. This study identifies and describes these requirements based upon a broad literature review. Basic services and infrastructure, such as health care, clean water sources and schools need to be reconstructed, as they are essential to ensure basic human needs. The most vulnerable and war affected individuals, such as the elderly, sick, disabled, widows and orphans are the ones most reluctant to return and require special assistance. Shelter construction and solutions to land disputes are most crucial, as they are the major obstacles hindering the return process. The average income in the first year after return is almost half than that, ç which was earned during the last year in camp, making monetary empowerment and food security important factors. Promised governmental resettlement packages have not been delivered sufficiently but are necessary, not only for successful return but also to compensate for the lack of justice. Governmental directives generate pressure for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to leave the camps. Also, the land owners of the displacement camps want to see the IDPs gone, as they want to make use of their land. The major factor pushing people to leave the camps however are the unfavourable living conditions in the overcrowded camps. This goes hand in hand with the hope to find freedom in the place one can call home. The possibility to be in accordance with individual beliefs and in harmony with culture, nature and tradition, generates the wish to leave the displacement camps. Nevertheless, all requirements for successful return and resettlement after long term internal displacement in Northern Uganda are only valid if the uttermost condition of lasting peace and political stability can be guaranteed first.

Of the over 33 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world today, a disproportionate percentage are found in Africa. Most have been driven from their homes by armed strife, displacing people into settings that fail to meet standards for even basic human dignity. Protection of the human rights of these people is highly uncertain and unpredictable. Many refugee service agencies agree advocacy on behalf of the displaced is a key aspect of their task. But those working in the field are so pressed by urgent crises that they can rarely analyze the requirements of advocacy systematically. Yet advocacy must go beyond international law to human rights as an ethical standard to prevent displaced people from falling through the cracks of our conflicted world. Refugee Rights: Ethics, Advocacy, and Africa draws upon David Hollenbach, SJ's work as founder and director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College to provide an analytical framework for vigorous advocacy on behalf of refugees and internally displaced people. Representing both religious and secular perspectives, the contributors are scholars, practitioners, and refugee advocates—all of whom have spent time "on the ground" in Africa. The book begins with the poignant narrative of Abebe Feyissa, an Ethiopian refugee who has spent over fifteen years in a refugee camp from hell. Other chapters identify the social and political conditions integral to the plight of refugees and displaced persons. Topics discussed include the fundamental right to freedom of movement, gender roles and the rights of women, the effects of war, and the importance of reconstruction and reintegration following armed conflict. The book concludes with suggestions of how humanitarian groups and international organizations can help mitigate the problem of forced displacement and enforce the belief that all displaced people have the right to be treated as their human dignity demands. Refugee Rights offers an important analytical resource for advocates and students of human rights. It will be of particular value to practitioners working in the field.

The war in Syria, now in its eighth year, continues to take its toll on the Syrian people. More than half of the population of Syria remains displaced; 5.6 million persons are registered as refugees outside of the country and another 6.2 million are displaced within Syria's borders. The internally displaced persons include 2 million school-age children; of these, less than half attend school. Another 739,000 Syrian children are out of school in the five neighborhood countries that host Syria's refugees. The loss of human capital is staggering, and it will create permanent hardships for generations of Syrians going forward. Despite the tragic prospects for renewed fighting in certain parts of the country, an overall reduction in armed conflict is possible going forward. However, international experience shows that the absence of fighting is rarely a singular trigger for the return of displaced people. Numerous other factors—including improved security and socioeconomic conditions in origin states, access to property and assets, the availability of key services, and restitution in home areas—play important roles in shaping the scale and composition of the returns. Overall, refugees have their own calculus of return that considers all of these factors and assesses available options. The Mobility of Displaced Syrians: An Economic and Social Analysis sheds light on the 'mobility calculus' of Syrian refugees. While dismissing any policies that imply wrongful practices involving forced repatriation, the study analyzes factors that may be considered by refugees in their own decisions to relocate. It provides a conceptual framework, supported by data and analysis, to facilitate an impartial conversation about refugees and their mobility choices. It also explores the diversified policy toolkit that the international community has available—and the most effective ways in which the toolkit can be adapted—to maximize the well-being of refugees, host countries, and the people in Syria.

This book examines the origins and evolution of refugee protection over the past four centuries.

For many OECD countries, how to ensure the safe and dignified return to their origin countries of migrants who do not have grounds to remain is a key question. Sustainable Reintegration of Returning Migrants: A Better Homecoming reports the results of a multi-country peer review project carried out by the OECD, with support from the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).