International Refugee Research Articles

Józef Jakubowski (1899–1984) – activist in scout, community, and émigré organisations in the light of Polish and French archival resources

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the life, activities, and preserved archival documents concerning Józef Jakubowski (1899–1984), whose work in support of Polish emigrants residing in France during the Second World War deserves highest recognition and respect. Jakubowski was born in Warsaw, where he spent his childhood, completed primary and secondary education, and began his studies at the Warsaw University of Technology in 1917. He was was actively involved in the scouting movement. His participation in the Polish–Soviet War forced him to leave the university . It was only in 1924 that he completed his higher education at another university, the Higher School of Commerce. His professional life also started in Warsaw, where he worked for the Association of Polish Merchants until 1939. His life was interrupted by the Second World War, and he decided to emigrate first to Switzerland and then to France. At that time of his life, he became involved with the Polish Red Cross. He was primarily involved in developing forms of aid and organising support for Poles in France. Once the Polish Red Cross was banned from further activities, he worked in the Welfare Society for the Poles in France. He cooperated with the Polish Resistance Movement in France and with military authorities on the evacuation of the Polish armed forces to England, as well as with many institutions, including the French Red Cross, the Department of Social Welfare for Foreigners, the International Refugee Organisation, and the Association of Polish Veterans. The archival documents concerning Jakubowski, surviving at the Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw and at the Polish Library in Paris, make it possible to reconstruct not only the facts of his life but also the events related to the functioning of the institutions, organisations, and associations he worked for.

Evidence as a Specific Knowledge to Inform Humanitarian Decision-Making in Migration Crisis Contexts: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Jordan

To fulfill their missions, humanitarian organizations are engaged in the production and dissemination of a specific form of knowledge about refugees—namely, evidence. Yet relatively little scholarly work has been done on evidence as a basis for humanitarian decision-making in refugee crises. In this article, we analyze the evidence produced on Syrian refugees in Jordan between 2012 and 2017 by humanitarian actors, its appropriateness and relevance, to assess (a) potential side-effects for refugees and (b) functions for humanitarian organizations. Drawing on 234 documents on Syrian refugees in Jordan collected on major humanitarian platforms and interviews with experts from international organizations, this article shows that, due to the type of evidence produced, Syrian refugees living outside camps are invisibilized and their needs might be less considered in aid projects. The article also shows that some evidence practices are related to the outsourcing of data collection and analysis to specialized actors, and to quantification and standardization of evidence that plays a part in consolidating the legitimacy of humanitarian organizations. Our results highlight the importance of considering this specific form of knowledge when studying humanitarian interventions in international migration and refugee governance.

From the Bottom Up

In this article special focus is given to the casefiles of Soviet Central Asian nationals as they relate to the Care and Maintenance program under the International Refugee Organization (IRO). While refugees are often portrayed as void of agency or remain invisible, incidentally, these minorities’ voices and narratives are underrepresented in history of displacement and refugeedom too. The available records of this small group of refugees or displaced persons (DPs) are helpful in capturing their agency through exploring the ways they were navigating through the process of claiming assistance and protection in their particular circumstances.

Lost in data translation: A critical review of datasets on refugees

AbstractQuantitative data are the backbone of the international refugee regime. Academic researchers and international organizations have been drawing attention to the problems of refugee data that obscure refugee vulnerabilities. Despite these efforts, the limitations of quantitative refugee data, particularly with regard to gendered aspects of refugee vulnerabilities, have often been overlooked. This article aims to address this issue by examining the major limitations of quantitative refugee data. It focuses on the question of “What are the major limitations of quantitative refugee data regarding gendered aspects of refugee vulnerabilities?” By conducting a systematic review of 67 datasets from international organizations, nation‐states, and independent data collectors, it argues that there are five fundamental problems with the data: (1) lack of disaggregation, (2) lack of cross‐tabulation and inability to harmonize datasets, (3) inconsistent periodization frequency, (4) lack of sex and gender diversity measurement, and (5) survivor bias. This article highlights the importance of critically analysing the data that informs theories and decisions regarding refugee vulnerabilities.

Protecting the Human Rights of Refugees in Camps in Thailand: The Complementary Role of International Law on Indigenous Peoples

This paper investigates whether and how International Law on Indigenous Peoples (ILIP) can complement protections granted under International Refugee Law (IRL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) to refugees in camps in Thailand. Presently, there are over 90,000 refugees from Myanmar in Thailand, confined to nine camps along the Thailand–Myanmar border. These refugees belong to different ethnic minority groups, but the vast majority are Karen—Indigenous Peoples from the Thailand–Myanmar border regions. They have fled to Thailand due to persecution by Myanmar authorities and segments of the Myanmar population. To date, Thailand has refused to become a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. The country has failed to develop an asylum system and its laws continue to regard refugees as ‘illegal migrants’. These refugees have been surviving in conditions of profound rightlessness. I posit that ILIP has a critical role to play in addressing the protection gaps and limitations in IRL and IHRL. In particular, the ILIP system of collective rights is vital in recognising the specific needs of refugees who are indigenous peoples. ILIP therefore provides a potent tool to make IRL and IHRL more responsive to the protection needs of indigenous refugees.

Invoking International Human Rights Law To Prevent Statelessness Of International Refugee Children Born In Indonesia

The right to a nationality is an essential human right. The importance of having a nationality lies in the fact that it is a necessary condition for the protection and enjoyment of certain basic human rights. Consequently, the failure to fulfil the right of a child to get citizenship will have an impact on the fulfillment of their basic rights. This study explores the urgency of granting citizenship status for the statelessness of international refugee children born in Indonesia, and Indonesia’s responsibility to fulfill the right to a nationality for International Refugee children born in Indonesia under International Human Rights Law. This type of research is normative research using statutory and conceptual approaches. The results of this study indicate that, under international human rights law, everyone has the right to have citizenship and be recognized by their nationality from birth, including children born to refugees. Citizenship status in a person has become a practical prerequisite to be able to obtain respect, protection, and optimal fulfillment of human rights. Indonesian laws and regulations provide two approaches to obtaining citizenship status for refugee children born in Indonesia. The first solution is to prevent citizenship through positive law, and the second solution is to provide citizenship through naturalization. It is hoped that the Indonesian government will be proactive in fulfilling its obligation to provide Indonesian citizenship rights in refugee children’s best interests, and the Indonesian government is expected to ratify the 1954 and 1961 Refugee Conventions.

International protection of persons with disabilities in risk situations

The article analyzes the provisions of international legal acts on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in situations of risk (the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006, the Charter on inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action of 2016, UN Security Council resolutions, etc.) It is indicated that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has changed the approach to disability: persons with disabilities are recognized not as objects of medical care and charity, but as holders of rights; this human rights-based approach to disability requires a new understanding of international humanitarian law, refugee law and emergency response mechanisms for persons with disabilities. The factors that increase the vulnerability of persons with disabilities in risk situations are identified, such as: the difficulty of self-evacuation; inaccessibility of information about evacuation routes, shelters and safe places, humanitarian assistance, warnings due to sensory impairments (blindness, hearing impairment) etc. The gaps in the national legal framework in this area are highlighted, in particular: the lack of specific measures to ensure the safety of persons with disabilities and various health disorders in risk situations; the lack of simultaneous visual and voice warning systems in public places and services; the lack of emergency accommodation for persons with disabilities; the lack of periodic risk assessments and measures to collect disaggregated data to identify and eliminate specific risks etc. The author highlights the measures aimed at ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities in risk situations: promoting the protection of persons with disabilities in conflict-affected areas, including their evacuation; taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities in evacuation plans and ensuring their accessibility; ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities are fully taken into account in the provision of humanitarian assistance; providing persons with disabilities with access to emergency accommodation in risk situations, etc.

Food demand displaced by global refugee migration influences water use in already water stressed countries

Millions of people displaced by conflicts have found refuge in water-scarce countries, where their perceived effect on water availability has shaped local water security discourses. Using an annual global data set, we explain the effects of refugee migrations on the host countries’ water stress through the food demand displaced by refugees and the water necessary to produce that food. The water footprint of refugee displacement increased by nearly 75% globally between 2005 and 2016. Although minimal in most countries, implications can be severe in countries already facing severe water stress. For example, refugees may have contributed up to 75 percentage points to water stress in Jordan. While water considerations should not, alone, determine trade and migration policy, we find that small changes to current international food supply flows and refugee resettlement procedures can potentially ease the effect of refugee displacement on water stress in water-vulnerable countries.

Aggressive geopolitics and questions about the theory of space

In the 21st century, no nation is immune from the problem of forced displacement, and many countries and communities are showing extraordinary generosity and compassion towards those who are forced to flee. However, the distribution of refugees around the world is still significantly skewed towards less affluent regions. Nearly 90% of UN-mandated refugees live in low- and middle-income countries, often very close to situations of conflict. Countries that are among the least developed host a quarter of all refugees in the world. The international refugee protection system developed after World War II was designed to respond to the potentially destabilizing effects of population displacement. International solidarity and responsibility-sharing are essential but often elusive elements of this system, vital to protecting the rights of refugees wherever they are, as well as providing support to host countries. At a time when solidarity and responsibility-sharing are needed more than ever, states are concerned about the security concerns of international terrorism and are once again focusing on border controls. Hostility towards foreigners is on the rise in many countries, and physical and legal barriers designed to prevent irregular migration affect many people who are trying to find security. As the authors of this Handbook attempt to explain, border management and refugee protection are not mutually exclusive. States can and should put in place robust mechanisms to identify individuals in need of protection, just as they can and should identify individuals who may pose a security threat. On the other hand, it should be noted that the states themselves are the cause of conflicts, since aggressive geopolitics leads to wars, changes in borders, and sometimes the creation of new states and, accordingly, people are forced to leave their homes. In the study of international relations, the question of interleaving, refugees and their new space has arisen, which causes new conflicts in the new space. In the theory of territories and space, there are several views on these issues, the coverage of these issues is the task of the presented article.

Shakespeare's Hand, or "the strangers' case": Remediating Sir Thomas More in the context of the Refugee Crisis

Among the literary and artistic responses to the contemporary humanitarian crisis of refuge is Sir Thomas More, the late Elizabethan play that Shakespeare had a hand in and in which the protagonist offers a powerful articulation of "the strangers' case." It is the modern uses of this speech that this article focuses on, in particular on digital platforms, and as a response to the contemporary refugee crisis and discourses about migrants. Notable uses of the speech include Ian McKellen's recitations and their remediation on Twitter (with the hashtag #strangerscase) and YouTube (McKellen 2010); the Bell Shakespeare Company, who produced a video featuring "new arrivals to Australia" (Change Media 2011); Stephen Greenblatt's inclusion of it to suggest that Shakespeare is a "cure for xenophobia" (Greenblatt 2017); the Shakespeare Association of America (James 2017), which cited More's words in reaction to Trump's travel ban; and a series of events at Shakespeare's Globe to mark international refugee week (@The_Globe 2018). Tracking such examples, the article employs theories of remediation and of media flow to examine critically how the More speech, that itself imagines flows of people, circulates as a digital object online, be it in the form of the tweet hashtag #strangerscase, or a YouTube video. It also makes use of the digital affordances of Borrowers and Lenders, embedding links and samples to construct a digital archive of the speech's remediation and circulation. These iterations draw Shakespeare, long imagined as a type of transnational traveller, into urgent ethical questions about borders, displaced peoples, and responsibility to the Other, as More's empathetic plea comes to function synecdochally for Shakespeare, the "Hand D" of the play's collaborative authorship. The article explores how a dismembered Bard returns through processes of remediation in digital settings, where unseen or nonhuman agents are increasingly constitutive of the thing we call "Shakespeare." The article deliberately avoids rehearsing familiar debates about Shakespeare's cultural value, however, to address instead the challenges and also the possibilities of applying Shakespeare to humanitarian crises. I suggest that the remediated More / Shakespeare constitute spaces where values of empathy, tolerance, and diversity can find articulation.

A multidimensional criteria for designing refugee camps: the case of Al Baqa'a, Jordan

Humanistic needs of refugees are widely considered in early camp designs. Several of them evolve to more than just a temporary solution, having generations of refugees spending years in these settlements. During this time, refugees experience multiple humanistic needs, such as social and cultural adequacy, sustainability, community integration and improved access to essential services. Considering these conceptualisations, a multidimensional approach to refugee camp design is required in terms of urban planning development. The paper employs the case study of Al Baqa’a camp in Jordan to explore the use of integrated criteria specifications as a solution for capturing the multidimensional elements of refugees’ higher-level needs and their impact on urban planning development. The criteria were formulated from literature based on human needs theories, international refugee studies and reports from humanitarian organisations and developed through fieldwork and observation. Outputs demonstrate how shelter requirements and urban planning by non-governmental organisations, often based on time management and budgets, differs from standards and criteria that address people's humanistic needs. A multidimensional approach to meeting the requirements of refugees living in warm and dry climates is proposed to support the multi-transitional levels of shelter and socio-spatial urban organisation and evolution taking place in refugee camps.

‘Plausible Enough’: The IRO and the Negotiation of Refugee Status After the Second World War

National Socialism, the Second World War, Stalinism, the expansion of the Soviet Union, and other political crises in Europe led to millions of people fleeing or being abducted in the 1930s and 1940s. The ‘European refugee problem’ led to the establishment of several international organizations. With the founding of the International Refugee Organization (IRO) in 1946, the concept of refugees changed. For the first time, those that had previously been inevitably labelled refugees – whether as groups or individuals – now had to apply for this status. I argue that refugee status was not simply granted or denied by the IRO, but rather negotiated between IRO officers and applicants, often via a protracted, multistage process. These negotiations were based on the applicants’ portrayal of their own personal history and not (only) an objective history itself. However, the question is not only whether people told the ‘truth’ or not; rather, the applicants’ individual ‘negotiation skills’ and individual perceptions of the IRO officers also played a decisive role. Whilst most current research looks at the actions and strategies of ethnic, religious, national, or social groups, I expand this perspective with a focus on individual negotiations of being recognized as a refugee or Displaced Person by the IRO.

China’s and Japan’s winding path to the Refugee Convention: State identity transformations and the evolving international refugee regime

AbstractIn the early 1980s, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Japan joined the international refugee regime. This timing similarity is puzzling due to the stark differences between the PRC as a communist and authoritarian state versus Japan as a prime example of capitalist development and democratization. Moreover, although both signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol without major reservations, neither of them has fully implemented these treaties. Discussions regarding the PRC’s and Japan’s engagement with the international refugee regime tend to start with the beginning of the Indochina refugee crisis in 1975. However, this article shows that the early decades of their interaction with the international refugee regime are of crucial importance for a full understanding of the timing and form of accession to the international refugee regime. Although the Southeast Asian refugee crisis played an important role as a trigger, it was the changing character of the international refugee regime and the transformations of state identity in both countries that set the ground for the signing of the refugee-related conventions.

The influence of international criminal law on refugee law

This article will discuss the relationship between International Criminal Law (ICL) and refugee law. The emphasis will be on the interplay between concepts developed in ICL with respect to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as the notion of extended liability on one hand and the exclusion provision in the 1951 Refugee Convention (Refugee Convention) on the other.

The role of developmental ‘buzzwords’ in the international refugee regime: Self-reliance, resilience, and economic inclusion

Buzzwords play an important role in setting up the scope and direction of aid policies. Alongside the growing focus on development-led approaches in the international refugee regime, three buzzwords – self-reliance, resilience, and economic inclusion – have achieved particular prominence in recent refugee policy-making. Drawing upon a review of policy documents and multi-sited empirical research in Sub-Saharan Africa, this article gives a detailed analysis of how these buzzwords intersect with one another and elucidates the roles they play in shaping development-oriented approaches to refugees. While this trifecta is painted with positive connotations, empirical research shows that developmental approaches underpinned by these buzzwords can have detrimental effects on both refugees and hosts. Building upon this analysis, it offers a theoretical approach to understand the current mainstreaming of developmental support within the international refugee regime from a lens of ‘reframing’, which is a strategy to redefine social problems and thereby control discourses around their solutions. The study shows that as a discursive apparatus, this triad of buzzwords is instrumentalised by policymakers to reframe the absence of solutions for ‘displacement crisis’ as ‘development opportunities’ in order to protect the damaged global refugee system. In so doing, such buzzwords play a crucial role in redefining the responsibility of refugees and their hosts in undertaking neoliberal development, while simultaneously reducing the ambit of responsibility of the international refugee regime. By analysing these popular buzzwords as a set, the article contributes to a deepened understanding of the ways in which these innocuous words are embedded in a broader ‘ideological project’ informed by the political and economic incentives of the global policymakers. It also sheds light on the possible wider consequences of the current mainstreaming of development-led approaches for refugee rights and protection issues.

The Time of the Migrant

The Time of the Migrant

Is Australia a Model for the UK? A Critical Assessment of Parallels of Cruelty in Refugee Externalization Policies

Abstract For several years, Australia has been regarded by some politicians and observers in Europe as a model for hard-line policies towards refugees. At the same time, Australia’s implementation of refugee externalization measures has been subject to considerable scholarly attention and critique. Although the Australian approach has featured prominently in political debates in several European states, this article analyses the implications of a possible adoption of the Australian offshore detention approach for refugee policy-making in the UK, and the consequences this will have for the integrity of the international refugee protection regime. The article considers how states might influence each other’s policies—both directly and indirectly—by focusing on a case study of offshore detention and processing with regard to Australia’s influence on—and similarity to—the UK, to the extent that we observe policy parallels, as the article brings to light substantial policy convergence of detrimental practice of these two countries.

Destination Elsewhere: Displaced Persons and Their Quest to Leave Postwar Europe by Ruth Balint

<i>Destination Elsewhere: Displaced Persons and Their Quest to Leave Postwar Europe</i> by Ruth Balint

The Responses of Pakistan and Turkey to Refugee Influxes: A Comparative Analysis of Durable Solutions to Protracted Displacements

This research aims to study how Turkey and Pakistan (the world’s largest refugee hosting countries) have reacted to and managed protracted refugee challenges. In the context of Pakistan, the study explores the Afghan refugee influx since the late 1970, while for Turkey the focus is on the Syrian refugee inflow since 2011. While cognizant of contextual differences (time and space) between these two countries, we aim to comparatively explore policies, best practices, and short and long-term solutions developed to protracted displacement issues in each country. To do this we intend to comparatively explore the role of institutional environments and the international refugee regime in resolving protracted refugee issues in a chronological sequence. First, we investigate how each state’s “open-door policies” toward the first influx of refugees evolved into ad-hoc solutions in the course of protracted displacement. Second, we comparatively assess multilevel integration approaches and solution strategies at the macro (states and their cooperation with countries of origin and inter-governmental organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM)), meso (interventions/implementations), and micro levels (civil society and refugee-led initiatives). Third, we examine how refugee policies in each country are negotiated with national and international humanitarian and refugee agencies, including regional organizations and countries of origin. Theoretically, this article is grounded on a macro structural approach (state’s international humanitarian obligations and responsibilities), refugee diplomacy (state’s use of diplomatic tools, process administering refugees), and management theories.

Engaging in critical consciousness in social work education: reflections from a student-academic international refugee activist project

ABSTRACT Engaging in critical consciousness has been central for anti-oppressive practice in social work education. This article presents reflections on migration and (anti-) oppressive social work practices based on a student-academic activist project beginning in the North-East (NE) of England. The project involved MA social work students and two academics from a NE university, organizing a series of events aimed at raising awareness in relation to the refugee crisis. In addition, the project crucially involved a study trip to Athens, Greece, where the discussions with frontline professionals, refugee activists and social work students were utilized as an opportunity for co-learning and anti-oppressive praxis. Using Freire’s (1970, 1994) analysis for oppression and critical consciousness, understandings of social work across international boundaries and contexts of practice were developed, revealing the need for social work education to undertake a more activist and politicized approach.