The Politics and Challenges of Refugee Camps: Rohingya Case Study and Policy Recommendations From a Humanitarian Approach.
Title photo shows Rohingya refugees playing soccer in Kutupalong Refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar Bangladesh, taken by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters
Introduction: Historical Background of the Refugee, Refugee Camps and Humanitarianism.
The refugee crisis, as named in international political discourse, has shaped long humanitarian aid and humanitarianism as a whole. While humanitarian aid has increased the quality of life for many in these camps, there is still a long way to go before it can be affirmed that all basic human rights are being met. First, a historical background on the development of refugee camps and the concept of a ‘refugee’ should be considered. Refugee camps have likely always been around to some extent, the concept of humanitarianism alone suggests that humans have cared enough to provide shelter and human needs for each other in vulnerable situations. From the 1685s Huguenots displacement from France to the 1847 Irish Potato famine, and to various displacements throughout recent history, these refugee crises show how there’s always been a need for these services such as humanitarian aid and sheltered camps for as long as global politics has been discussed. Although, refugees have drastically increased in number within the last century leading to new challenges of refugee camps: overcrowding, lack of funding and resources, and climate change are just a few. Present day, the UNHCR recognizes 89.32 million displaces peoples, with 21.3 million of them being internationally protected refugees. Despite an increased international sentiment supporting human rights and the humanitarian aid system, the refugee camps that have emerged are not sufficient to even host this number of people, let alone to a standard that provides them with the resources or dignity to rebuild their lives. Furthermore, this lack of resources combined with an unprecedented number of increased refugees have led to changes within humanitarian aid and how refugee camps are organized and managed. These challenges have led to stricter international regulation of refugee camps, and in doing so introduced another issue: the stolen agency and dignity of refugees. In this explorative research, I will aim to show how the increased severity regarding the ongoing refugee crisis has led to developments in humanitarian aid and how these developments can be analyzed through the changes in the politics of refugee camps. I will argue that, while humanitarian aid still has a long way to go, it is the most practical method for supporting and providing refugees with their basic human rights that have been stripped from them and lost in crisis. Drawing on a case study of the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and providing recommendations for the future development of humanitarian aid and the refugee crisis.
The Spatial Politics and Challenges in Refugee Camps:
Overcrowding, Lack of Resources, and Stolen Agency.
Overcrowding
As mentioned above, one of the challenges that face modern refugee camps is the overcrowding that seems to be a universal problem among all camps. The spatial politics of refugee camps has been a consistent problem that’s solution is nuanced and complex. There’s much scholarly debate surrounding the longevity of refugee camps, and how this contributes to the overcrowding as more refugees are fleeing into the camp than the ones that are moving out of it. While camps should be temporary shelter with solutions such as resettlement or repatriation being the goal, the camps also aren’t provided with enough resources or connections to set up every refugee with what is necessary to fulfil these solutions for longer periods of time. On the other hand, the concept of local integration is overshadowed by a polarized discussion of politics. In one study, it was found the longer-term stays in refugee camps negatively affected the mental health of its inhabitants. It is said in its conclusion, “it is likely that the poor and unsafe living conditions, challenging refugee determination procedures, and a lack of mental health services in the camp are significant contributing factors.” Some solutions that humanitarian aid groups should focus on is the possibility of increasing resettlement agreements to developed countries that can better provide for larger populations of people. Some of the top 5 most populated refugee camps in the world today can be found in Kenya, Jordan, Bangladesh, and Sudan. All these countries have developing economies that don’t allow for such massive accommodation of refugees. While the UNHCR, and many countries in an altruistic attempt to say they’d participated in international humanitarian aid, have provided funding and resources to keep these refugee camps afloat. Yet they are still underfunded, unhygienic, and sometimes violently dangerous to the inhabitants. International organizations, especially refugee and human rights focused NGOs, should instead advocate for resettlement to countries that have the economic stability and resources to provide for large populations of displaced people.
Lack of Resources
Additionally, the poor and unhealthy conditions in these overcrowded camps are also due to the lack of resources being provided which has led to changes in the ways humanitarian aid groups assess the needs of displaced people and allocate necessities. The UN states, “Within the first 72 hours after a new emergency, the UN Refugee Agency mobilizes response teams to assess the situation and coordinate with government authorities a “safe humanitarian space” that guarantees the safety of the people being forced to flee - in rural settings this is often a camp.” Part of this assessment involves determining the location of the camp (if it doesn’t occur naturally), providing necessities like healthcare and food security, and including the addition of communal spaces and educational or job facilities as well as access to basic needs. For example, camps that are based along a river or on fertile land can give access for the inhabitants to farm and produce their own food, or positioning the camp so that it’s out of reach from crisis situations so that inhabitants can rest knowing their safety is guaranteed. The addition of communal and social places such as places of worship, educational institutions, or career centers can encourage refugees and give them agency to continue their life outside of the camp. One of the toughest issues facing refugee camps is addressing the health and emotional needs of refugees, with many refugees facing faced physical and sexual based violence, and the emotional trauma of being displaced. The creation of safe spaces and sexual health services therefore also play an important role in the rights of women and children that are displaced.
Stolen Agency
Due to heavy regulation of the finite resources provided to these camps, and the increased demand for refuge, the guidelines for assistance different groups can provide are strict and insufficient. The process of having to evacuate one’s homeland and search for shelter is dehumanizing in itself, the uncompromising nature of the camps they arrive at can give a sense of stolen agency, or the feeling of being devalued. The creation of communal and educational facilities, as well as career services supported by humanitarian aid groups, can help restore their mental health and feelings of purposelessness in an otherwise hopeless situation. One major problem in the refugee crisis that’s occurring today is the simple dangers of journey trying to reach safety. There’s been a frightening increase in the number of migrants, many of whom should qualify for refugee status, that die on their journey to shelter and safety. “More than 25,700 people have made the dangerous journey to the UK in small boats this year - Under the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy, many legal immigration routes have been closed and the rights of asylum seekers have been severely curtailed.” Unfortunately, despite an increased awareness on the humanitarian aid aspect of assisting the refugee crisis, many countries in the West view refugees as liabilities and lesser than themselves. Very frequently humanitarian groups and international organizations alike refer to “burden sharing” refugees. If humanitarian aid groups want to change the narrative about refugees, they need to first start with public image and address the stereotypes that have persisted and that they have contributed to. One way they can do this is through giving refugees a platform to talk about their experiences and demand change. Certainly, amplifying the voices of those effected is perhaps the best way to communicate the needs of refugees and displaced populations.
Case Study: Rohingya Refugee Crisis and Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar Refugee Camp.
Brief Overview and Challenges of Bangladeshi Refugee Camps.
Since 2018, there has been an unmanageable influx of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar into Bangladesh. Leaving the crisis at the hands of Bangladesh and the UNHCR mainly, with various countries offering funding when prompted. In its largest camp, Kutupalong, nearly a million refugees are living in unhealthy conditions. Overcrowding, violence from locals and armed groups, and natural disasters due to climate change are just a few of the challenges presented. Bangladesh is particularly prone to cyclones and flooding, especially in Cox’s Bazar where most of these camps have settled. The shelters created in these camps are not sustainable enough to withstand these natural disasters leaving thousands of displaced refugees suffering from secondary displacement within the camps. Due to the contested nature of these camps, fires are also prone to spread, and just last month, in March 2023, a widespread fire left 12,000 Rohingya without shelter once again.
The UN World Food Program writes about the experience of their volunteers on the ground, “Sunee and her colleagues expected roughly 75,000 refugees to arrive in Cox’s Bazar in 2017. But in just three months, nearly 700,000 people crossed the border – ten times what they had predicted. Makeshift settlements sprang up overnight. ‘We realized by the second week of the influx, it was just beyond expectations,’ Sunee recalled.”
Shaping Humanitarian Aid in Bangladesh Refugee Camps: Changes in Bangladesh Camps, Importance of International Political Change, and a Consideration for Nature and Sustainability.
In light of the pessimistic updates coming out of refugee camps in Bangladesh amid the seemingly endless Rohingya refugee crisis, there have been many developments made that are shaping the way in which camps are organized and resources are allocated. For example, learning centers have been created in Kutupalong and other Bangladeshi camps to give refugees a chance to learn skills they can bring into local communities for an opportunity at easier integration, as well as safe spaces so that victims of traumatic events can speak about it and get access to mental health resources. Food insecurity is also a major problem within overcrowded, densely populated camps. This has led to the development of nutrition packed snacks, such as energy biscuits. Humanitarian aid groups learned quickly from a number of refugee crises, including the Rohingya crisis, that the design and purposes of the refugee camp itself is vital to its success in providing for refugees. Lastly, the camps in Bangladesh show the importance of acknowledging and respecting the land these camps are built on and providing shelters that are sustainable and durable. Given the ever increasing climate change related disasters in Bangladesh, camps need to be built to withstand such events. It’s a tragic crisis where lessons are learned in hindsight, unfortunately, but humanitarian aid groups have shown they have the capacity to adapt to these obstacles when given the right support from international organizations and host countries.
Conclusion: The Future of Humanitarian Aid in Relation to the Refugee Camps
In this essay, I have provided a historical overview of the concept of a refugee and refugee camps, provided examples of the challenges presented from the ongoing refugee crisis in relation to the spatial politics of refugee camps, and analyzed some developments that these challenges have had on humanitarian aid. Additionally, I’ve studied and included a case study of the Kutupalong Camp in Bangladesh, identifying how its challenges have directly changed how humanitarian aid groups (such as the UN and World Food Program) provide resources and care for the refugees they’re hosting. Therefore, lastly, I’d like to reintroduce a few ideas presented throughout this essay that I feel are most important for humanitarian aid groups to continue focusing on so that refugee camps can thrive, instead of merely survive.
Resettlement and Local Integration
Resettlement and local integration are two durable solutions that must be destigmatized and encouraged in international political discourse. Unfortunately, due to lingering fights of xenophobia, stereotyping, and “othering,” many countries that could provide resettlement simply don’t want to accept refugees. In the United States, former United States President Donald Trump frequently referred to Mexican refugees as an invasion and has compared refugees to animals, criminals, and evil – using dehumanizing and stigmatizing rhetoric that would result in an all-time low acceptance rate of resettled refugees to the United States during his presidency.
Humanitarian groups have attempted to mediate this harmful sentiment through advocacy groups for refugees, although attempts to dispel the rhetoric from powerful authoritative figures like Trump have had little effect. Humanitarian groups and international organizations will need to do much work to continue reiterating the idea that refugees can be beneficial to host countries and economies. One way this could be done is through implementing partnerships with local businesses and refugees that have gained education and work experience from inside the camps.
Spatial Politics and Logistics of Camp Designs
The second development that humanitarian aid groups should focus on is the spatial politics and logistics of designing future camps, as well as upgrading the ones already hosting. As identified above, overcrowding and a lack of resources are the two of most pressing issues facing refugee camps today, this can be fixed through development to the camp design and how resources are distributed. It’s been found that modular designs or grid locks can prove useful in refugee camps since they are created to make the best use of small spaces and are more cost effective than other options. In addition to this, camps can be designed to promote local integration, camps that are situated closer to other communities can allow for refugees to search for jobs, homes, and social groups within these communities which promotes evolving from the refugee camp and in turn promoting the economy of the host community. Furthmore, the creation of safe spaces and communal areas that promote agency and self reliance are incredibly beneficial to helping refugees get the resources and skills needed to move out of the camps.
Empowerment and Motivation
Lastly, the most important aspect to come out of the development of humanitarian aid affected by the refugee crisis is the acknowledgement of the refugee’s agency and control over their life. The displacement and sentiment that refugees have experienced can leave a lingering feeling of disempowerment and hopelessness for the rest of their lifetime. The stolen agency that comes from having to leave your homeland and beg for human rights is dehumanizing in itself. With actors such as Trump spewing xenophobic rhetoric and baseless accusations, refugees find themselves fighting a losing battle. Hardly given a voice on the international stage, the needs of internationally protected people are not being met by those promised to protect them.
We need to do better.
Disclaimer: This blog was taken by an essay written by myself, Alyssa Hockett, at Aberystwyth University in 2023, and revised for publishing on here January 2024.
