Refugees In Ghana Research Articles

Context Matters: The Implications of the Mode of Service Provision for Structural and Relational Integration of Refugees in Ghana and Ethiopia

Abstract The ever-increasing protracted refugee situations globally have put local integration of refugees into hosting societies high on the international agenda. While recent international frameworks have called for a deeper integration of refugees through the mainstreaming of refugee service provision into national service provision systems, little attention has been paid to the structures and arrangements—the so-called opportunity structures—specifically to how these can either promote or impede integration into host countries. We focus on the mode of social service provision to refugees and how this shapes the context of refugee integration in Ghana and Ethiopia taking into account the implications for structural and relational integration of refugees. We hold the view that mainstreaming service provision to refugees in camps into national systems does not necessarily lead to better refugee integration outcomes. Differences in the quality-of-service provision between humanitarian actors and hosting countries have the potential to determine integration outcomes.

Education for what? The politics of education for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

AbstractThe massive influx of Rohingyas has become one of the world's worst humanitarian and human rights crises. The Bangladesh government does not have any domestic or international regulations to set up an administrative process to address the issue of Rohingya refugees. Recently, Bangladesh and Myanmar initiated the repatriation of around 3000 Rohingyas. Yet, the repatriation process has not been successful as none of the Rohingya agreed to return to Myanmar without citizenship rights and security. Against this backdrop, this study explores whether education can act as a solution to integrate Rohingya refugees into mainstream society in Bangladesh. Applying purposive sampling, primary data was collected through semi‐structured interviews, key informant interviews, and telephone interviews. Data analysis was performed through conversation analysis. The findings reveal that the integration of Rohingya refugees through education is a far‐reaching dream as refugee management and education policies do not permit the integration of Rohingya refugees into mainstream society in Bangladesh. Rohingya refugees have demanded education as their right to develop their self‐respect and dignity. In contrast, the Bangladesh government viewed education as a relief program rather than development and integration. This article supports the claim of academics that the Bangladeshi government should provide education to Rohingya refugee children from a development perspective to protect and ensure their self‐respect and dignity.Related ArticlesByrne, Jennifer. 2016. “Contextual Identity among Liberian Refugees in Ghana: Identity Salience in a Protracted Refugee Situation.” Politics & Policy 44(4): 751–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12169.Harel‐Shalev, Ayelet. 2009. “Lingual and Educational Policy toward ‘Homeland Minorities’ in Deeply Divided Societies: India and Israel as Case Studies.” Politics & Policy 37(5): 951–70. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00206.x/abstract.Ravi, Chaitanya. 2021. “The 1971 Bangladesh War and Policy Lessons for Climate Refugee Management in South Asia.” Politics & Policy 49(1): 248–74. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12392.

A cross-sectional study of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on camped refugees in Ghana.

Vulnerable populations such as camped refugees are often exposed to spread of infectious diseases because of their living conditions, limited resources available to them and exclusion from social services. This study examined the psychological state of camped refugees in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their background characteristics predict the severity of the pandemic's psychological impact. It covered 763 refugees aged 15 years and above resident in two (Krisan = 316 and Ampain = 447) camps. Nine COVID-19 Anxiety Scale indicators were used to examine the psychological state of camped refugees. A composite indicator was derived to examine the overall psychological impact. Logistic regression was used to examine the factors that were associated with severe psychological impact. The multivariate analysis revealed that sex of the respondent, marital status and age of head of household were the only socio-demographic factors associated with having a severe psychological impact of the pandemic. There was very strong evidence that respondents who had moderate (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.12, 2.7) and high (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.05, 2.63) knowledge of the disease had increased odds of severe psychological impact. Also, those with moderate (OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.78, 4.97) and high (OR = 12.98, 95% CI = 7.86, 21.42) adherence had increased odds of severe psychological impact. None of the pre-existing health conditions and challenges were not significantly associated with severe psychological impact. The limited number of significant socio-demographic covariates suggests that severe psychological impact of the pandemic was a problem in the general population, and thus interventions should target the general population of camped refugees. Also, health education should not only focus on enhancing knowledge and promoting preventive measures but also on managing psychological distress.

Risky sexual behaviour and contraceptive use in contexts of displacement: insights from a cross-sectional survey of female adolescent refugees in Ghana

BackgroundDifficulty in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare is one of the challenges young refugee women face worldwide, in addition to sexual exploitation, violence and abuse. Although Ghana hosts several refugees, little is known about their sexual behaviour and contraceptive use. This study assesses sexual behaviour and contraceptive use among female adolescent refugees in Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and August 2016. Respondents comprised 242 female adolescent refugees aged 14–19 years. Structured validated questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistical methods and multivariate logistic regression statistical analyses methods were used to analyze data.FindingsOver 78% of respondents have had penetrative sex; 43% have had coerced sex; 71% have had transactional sex; 36% have had sex while drunk, 57% have had 4–6 sexual partners in the last 12 months before the study, and 38% have had both coerced and transactional sex.Factors that predicted ever having transactional sex included being aged 14–16 compared to those aged 17–19 (AOR =4·80; 95% CI = 2·55–9·04); being from Liberia compared to being from Ghana (AOR = 3·05; 95% CI = 1.69–13·49); having a mother who had no formal education compared to having a mother with tertiary education (AOR = 5.75; 95CI = 1.94–14.99); and living alone (self) compared to living with parents (AOR = 3.77; 95CI = 1.38–10.33). However, having 1–3 sexual partners in the last 12 months as against having 4–6 partners significantly reduced the odds of ever having transactional sex (AOR = 0·02; 95% CI = 0·01–0·08). Awareness about contraceptives was 65%, while ever use of contraceptives was 12%. However, contraceptive use at last sexual intercourse was 8.2%, and current use was 7.3%. Contraceptive use was relatively higher among those who have never had sex while drunk, as well as among those who have never had transactional sex and coerced sex. Contraceptive use was similarly higher among those who had 1–3 sexual partners in the last 12 months compared to those who had 4–6 during the same time period.ConclusionIn this time of global migration crises, addressing disparities in knowledge and access to contraception as well as high risk sexual behaviours in refugee situations is important for reducing inequalities in reproductive health outcomes and ensuring both universal health coverage and global health justice. Sex and contraception education and counselling, self-efficacy training, and skills acquisition are needed to help young refugee women negotiate and practice safe sex and resist sexual pressures.

Conceptualising Obstacles to Local Integration of Refugees in Ghana

Conceptualising Obstacles to Local Integration of Refugees in Ghana

Constructing space for refugee voices in national peacebuilding processes

ABSTRACTThe search for sustainable peace after conflict has pushed refugees onto the global peacebuilding agenda, and these days it is common for national peacebuilding processes to extend their reach to those living in exile. This is significant because ordinarily, our modern political system considers the citizen the proper subject of political life, and refugees typically struggle to be seen and heard in national processes. This article examines two examples of refugee participation in peacebuilding: the state-led Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and a grassroots dialogue group created by Liberian refugees in Ghana. Based on five months’ fieldwork, it considers how refugee narratives concerning harm, loss and recovery differed between the two forums, and draws attention to the role of the state in recognising – or not recognising – refugee narratives. It argues that while the inclusion of refugees in peacebuilding processes is a positive development, greater attention should be paid to the factors restricting or diminishing refugee voices and thus impeding the restorative value of such forums. The article concludes by identifying ways to support more diverse refugee voices in national peacebuilding programmes.

Local integration of Liberian refugees in Ghana

In sub-Saharan Africa, protracted refugee situations have become common within the last three decades. Although voluntary repatriation is mostly recommended as the more lasting solution to refugee problems, some refugees think otherwise. This paper explores the views of Liberian refugees on local integration in Ghana. Using an in-depth interview guide, a total of 25 Liberian refugees were interviewed through the snowball sampling procedure at the Buduburam refugee camp. Guided by both the theory of national identity and an adapted framework on domains of local integration, the results show that the refugees are prepared for local integration. Most of them are already engaged in informal sector businesses as their sources of livelihood; almost all of them have established some social networks which facilitate interactions between them and the indigenes; and moreover they have been granted residence and work permits as well as registered for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as part of the integration package. It can be concluded that the Liberian refugees who opted for local integration are positively disposed for local integration in Ghana. There is the need for government to adopt the most appropriate local approach to facilitate the full intergration of the Liberian refugees into the country.

Who takes advantage of mobility? Exploring the nexus between refugees’ movement, livelihoods and socioeconomic status in West Africa

This article explores the nexus between mobility, livelihoods, and socioeconomic status of refugees in the Buduburam refugee settlement in Ghana. Currently, refugee livelihoods are increasingly characterized by multi-directional movement and multi-locality, coupled with complex social networks. Given the relative freedom of movement for refugees in Ghana and the subregion, certain groups in Buduburam were engaged in mobile livelihoods, including cross-border trading of cell phones, used clothing, and jewelery across West Africa. Given these ‘glorious’ examples, promoting refugees’ movement is seen by the UN refugee regime as an important means of enabling their access to sustainable livelihoods in the subregion. However, this research reveals that mobile refugee entrepreneurs were predominantly well-to-do individuals with a robust asset profile, primarily because engaging in mobile economic strategies requires substantial resources. Conversely, for the majority of ‘ordinary’ refugees, these kinds of mobile livelihoods were not feasible due to a lack of access to the necessary capital or assets; rather, these poorer refugees survived by combining sedentary subsistence within the settlement. Given the different degrees of access to mobility, the article highlights the risks of over-emphasizing mobility as a panacea for refugees’ economic plights.

Contextual Identity among Liberian Refugees in Ghana: Identity Salience in a Protracted Refugee Situation

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a protracted refugee situation on identity among Liberian refugees in Ghana. A strong national identity was observed among Liberians within the context of Buduburam Refugee Camp, despite previous ethnic divisions in their home country during the two Liberian civil wars. According to social identity theory, individuals may hold several identities at one time, but the expression of these identities are dependent on context. Using a grounded theory approach, I find three theoretical explanations for this phenomenon. Three identity primes heightened the salience of being Liberian. First, identity discontinuity resulting from trauma focused awareness on shared past experiences, creating a shared generational identity among residents at Buduburam. Second, a shared refugee status, and third, shared perceptions of difference between the Liberians and Ghanaians, played key roles in activating and sustaining a collective national identity among Liberian refugees in Ghana.Related Articles Byrne, Jennifer, and Gregory C. Dixon. 2013. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 83‐116. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12002/abstract Catalinac, Amy L. 2007. “.” Politics & Policy 35 (): 58‐100. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2007.00049.x/abstract . 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 271‐294. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00291.x/abstract Related Media . n.d. “Home for Homeless People.” http://buduburam.com/ . 2014. “Liberian Refugees in Ghana.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k85CJe5JWAw

Challenges and coping strategies of refugees: Exploring residual Liberian refugees’ experiences in Ghana

This study explored the challenges and coping strategies among Liberian refugees in Ghana. Using a qualitative research design, 40 participants were purposively recruited at a refugee settlement in Ghana. Four focus group discussions and sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted. The focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically based on the objectives of the study. The findings indicated that the refugees experienced challenges related to disruption in social networks, disputes over resources, high rate of unemployment, and increased level of criminal activities. The study also revealed that the refugees included in this study resorted to religion, spirituality, and income earning activities as their coping strategies. The findings offer insights for social workers, policy actors, and future research.

Continuity and Discontinuity

This article explores the cultural change generated by Pentecostalism among Liberian refugees in Ghana, who fled from their nation’s civil wars to a refugee camp in Ghana’s Central Region. Anthropologists of religion have argued that Pentecostal conversions have in large parts become popular because they enable a “break with the past.” Liberian converts, as well, seek to distance themselves from a past that is mired in conflict. To this end, they connect to global Pentecostal networks in an attempt to overcome their marginal status. In so doing, many of them reject aspects of their past, which they associate with the Liberian civil wars, for example traditional belief systems, ethnic identity, and the Liberian gerontocracy. Yet, as the ethnographic examples illustrate, this “break with the past” is rarely complete. This study’s findings are related to debates on whether anthropology of religion should focus on “continuity” or “discontinuity” in exploring religious conversions. The author argues that the religious experiences of Liberians in exile can only be understood by paying attention to the interplay and tensions between continuity and discontinuity.

The Complexity of Refugees' Return Decision-Making in a Protracted Exile: Beyond the Home-Coming Model and Durable Solutions

This article challenges the static conception of repatriation by demonstrating the dynamic and complicated nature of refugees’ return decision-making through in-depth case studies of Liberian refugees in Ghana. Institutions dealing with refugees tend to depict repatriation as a ‘home-coming’, a natural return movement driven by refugees’ desire to go back to a homeland following the termination of the root causes of their forced displacement. Given the significant changes in their life during prolonged exile in Ghana, however, for the majority of Liberian refugees, the decision to repatriate or not is a complex interplay of their current social, familial, economic and political circumstances, in which nostalgic longing for a homeland has little space. The article argues for the necessity of replacing the sedentarist perception of repatriation with a more holistic understanding that captures the untidy and negotiated nature of refugees’ return decision-making. It also highlights temporary strategies employed by Liberian refugees in response to the repatriation pressure from refugee-policy-makers and invites recognition of the critical gap between refugees and UNHCR about what stands as a ‘solution’ for refugees’ protracted exile.

Should I Stay or Should I go? National Identity and Attitudes Towards Local Integration Among Liberian Refugees in Ghana

Should I Stay or Should I go? National Identity and Attitudes Towards Local Integration Among Liberian Refugees in Ghana

Perceptions of the Impact of Refugees on Host Communities: The Case of Liberian Refugees in Ghana

This paper analyses the effects of the presence of Liberian refugees on cost of goods/services and business activities, pressure on resources/facilities, social vices and environmental activities based on perceptions (although attempts have been made to buttress the perceptions with information from focus group discussions) of hosts and refugees. The analysis included gender and type of occupation from within and among the groups. The aim was to ascertain whether the presence of refugees are viewed as having positive, negative or mixed impacts. Data are from 10 focus group discussions and 120 household surveys undertaken in April 2007. Results show that although there are gender and occupational differentials, host communities contend that refugees have increased the costs of goods and services, brought pressure on facilities, increased social vices and deteriorated environmental resources. However, refugees are viewed as a source of income and market, and trade partners, who have brought a lot of infrastructural developments. Thus, one can describe refugee presence as having mixed impacts.

When Refugees Don't Go Home: The Situation of Liberian Refugees in Ghana

When conflicts end the expectation is that the refugees generated by the conflict would repatriate home to be part of the postconflict peace building and redevelopment of the country. This does not necessarily happen with all refugee situations. The article looks at the situation of Liberian refugees who have refused to repatriate from Ghana since the conflict in their country ended. There have been United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-led repatriation efforts which have not succeeded in getting all the Liberian refugees to repatriate. These refugees have however rejected local integration and rather prefer resettlement in a third country of asylum in North America or Europe. This article looks at the politics of what happens when refugees do not repatriate after the end of conflict in their country of origin. The view of this article is that when the international community secures the end of the conflict they ought to go on further to help secure rehabilitation and evelopment of the country concerned. When this fails, some of the refugees would use the dire situation of the country in the postconflict peace-building phase to refuse to repatriate and create all manner of problems for their host country of asylum.

Media Image and Social Integration of Liberian and Togolese Refugees in Ghana

In the 1990s, refugees throughout West Africa originated largely from Liberia and Togo. This article explores the reception of Liberian and Togolese refugees in one West African country – Ghana – from 1990-2007. It focuses attention on the role of Ghana’s print media, both state- and private-owned, in fostering or hindering the social integration of refugees. Ghanaian newspapers, radio broadcasts, United Nations reports and semi-structured interviews were used to build on studies of politics of belonging and relationship between ethnic identity and social integration among migrants to Ghana. It was found that Ghanaian media framed Liberia’s largely Krahn and Mandingo refugees as security threats, mercenaries and criminals, but not Togo’s Ewe refugees. Ghana’s ties to the Ewe people built hostility towards Togo’s anti-Ewe regimes, while Ghana supported Liberia’s anti-Krahn and Mandingo regimes. Liberians’ social integration was thwarted not only by Ghana’s good relations with the Liberian government, but also by media framing, lack of historical ties, internal dissent, cultural values opposed to Ghanaians and long term dependency on large United Nations organized settlements. Conversely, Togolese refugees self-settled with Ghanaian Ewe and quickly became self-sufficient in Ghana’s Volta region, once a part of Togo. The media can support social integration and more humane policies toward refugees by framing issues in human rights rather than security terms.

Linkages between Livelihood Opportunities and Refugee-Host Relations: Learning from the Experiences of Liberian Camp-based Refugees in Ghana

This paper combines recent livelihoods approaches to refugee studies with a social resilience framework to explore the interlinkages between refugee-host relations and refugee coping strategies in the Buduburam camp in Ghana. The reported experiences of camp residents and of the people with whom they interact in their efforts to make a living (NGO staff, government officials, traders etc.) illustrate the complex interplay between personal networks, livelihoods and broader relations between refugee and host populations. We draw particular attention to language skills, diaspora linkages and the impact of illicit and/or innovative livelihood strategies of refugees. Despite the enormous emphasis refugees in the camp place on earning their own living, some groups are less able or less willing than others to build the social networks to the host population that might allow them access to regular employment. Other factors, including the massive size of the camp population, the deep poverty of Gomoa district where the camp is situated, and the mismatch between the urban character of the majority of the refugee population and local (agricultural) labour demand, contribute to less than optimal relations with the host population.

Liminal Spaces: Changing Inter-Generational Relations among Long-Term Liberian Refugees in Ghana

This paper reports on changing inter-generational relations among long-term Liberian refugees in the Buduburam settlement camp in Ghana. Four months of fieldwork were conducted in the settlement, using a range of qualitative methods to elicit emic understandings of the nature and causes of changes in inter-generational relations: focus groups, individual interviews, participant observation, and diary-keeping by refugees. Various aspects of the refugee experience, in particular the strategies used by young people to cope with long-term livelihood insecurity, are seen by camp inhabitants to have led to a reconfiguration of relationships between older and younger people and even to the blurring of generational categories. There is a powerful discourse linking economic impotence of older people with the erosion of inter-generational relations of authority and deference. This is seen to have encouraged both a devaluation of old age and experience within the community and an increase in tensions between young and old. In response, some older people choose to transgress generational boundaries by adopting aspects of youth culture and style, while younger people express considerable ambivalence about their own ability to make the transition from youth to adulthood. We argue that the camp and policy context of Buduburam diminishes the ability of refugees to become full social and economic adults in their own terms, as well as pushing young people in particular into risky livelihoods strategies. This has important implications for the ability of everyone, both young and old, to cope with the demands of refugee life.

Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land: Christianity among Liberian Refugees in Ghana

The Liberia civil war, which started in December 1989, led to an influx of refugees in the West Africa sub-region. In Ghana, a considerable number of Liberian refugees settled at the Buduburam Refugee Camp specially set up for them in 1990, in the Gomoa District of the Central Region of Ghana. The refugees in the wake of their traumatic experiences tried in various ways to build up their fragmented lives, partly through their religious beliefs and activities. Religion therefore provided a beacon of hope in their struggle for survival. This paper examines the Christian environment created by the refugees at the Buduburam camp in Ghana and how it served as a conduit of survival for the refugees. The paper first looks at the religious ferment in Liberia prior to the civil war. It reviews the coming of the refugees to Ghana against the background of the response of the Christian community in Ghana. It then discusses the emergence of church and paraChurch organizations at the camp and concludes with an analysis of how faith helps the refugees to cope with the situation and shapes the way of life of the people at the camp.

Oral Health Care in Refugee Situations: Liberian Refugees in Ghana

Oral Health Care in Refugee Situations: Liberian Refugees in Ghana