Displacement, miseries, and responsibilities: what does it mean to rebuild the home among young people affected by conflict in the southern Philippines?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined the experiences of young people as they navigate the life of hardships owing to conflict-induced displacement. The study is particularly aimed at investigating how the family misery under displaced context has shaped the attitudes and dispositions of the young members of the family to proceed in life despite discouraging environments. Findings were drawn from face-to-face interviews with ten young internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur, in the Philippines, the site of a conflict in 2017 which has displaced thousands of people. Results reveal that young people perceive the displacement situation as an extremely difficult part of their lives, but which has strengthened their spirit to be better for their families. This article argued that, instead of feeling defeated and unmotivated, young adult members of the family are capable of rising above the occasion though engaging or sharing in parental roles and maintaining the focus on helpful goals for the family. This article demonstrated then that young people can become one of the family resources during difficult times among internally displaced families (IDPs).