Forced Migration And Mortality

In recent years the number of complex humanitarian emergencies around the world has been steadily increasing. War and political, ethnic, racial, and religious strife continually force people to migrate against their will. These forced migrants create a stream of new challenges for relief workers and policy makers. A better understanding of the characteristics of refugee populations and of the population dynamics of these situations is vital. Improved research and insights can enhance disaster management, refugee camp administration, and repatriation or resettlement programs. Forced Migration and Mortality examines mortality patterns in complex human- itarian emergencies, reviewing the state of knowledge, as well as how patterns may change in the new century. It contains four case studies of mortality in recent emergencies: Rwanda, North Korea, Kosovo, and Cambodia. Because refugees and internally displaced persons are likely to continue to be a significant humanitarian concern for many years, research in this field is critical. This is the first book to comprehensively explore forced migration and mortality and it provides useful material for researchers, policy makers, and relief workers.

Because forced migration situations are often physically dangerous and politically complicated, estimates of these populations are often difficult to make. Estimates of forced migration vary, but it is probable that there are about 23 million refugees and more than 30 million internally displaced people.In order to assist specific groups of forced migrants and also to better understand the general plight of forced migrants, good demographic data are needed. However, collecting data on forced migration presents tremendous challenges for normal data collection processes and standards.To explore a range of issues about internally displaced persons and refugees, the Committee on Population of the National Research Council organized a Workshop on the Demography of Forced Migration in Washington, D.C., in November 1997. The purpose of the workshop was to investigate the ways in which population and other social scientists can produce more useful demographic information about forced migrant populations and how they differ. This report summarizes the background papers prepared for the meeting, the presentations, and the general discussion.

This authoritative and comprehensive edited volume presents current research on how demography can contribute to generating scientific knowledge and evidence concerning refugees and forced migration, developing evidence based policy recommendations on protection for forced migrants and reception of refugees, and revealing the determinants and consequences of migration for origin and destination regions and communities. Refugee and other forced migrations have increased substantially in scale, complexity and diversity in recent decades. These changes challenge traditional approaches in response to refugee and other forced migration situations, and protection of refugees. Demography has an important contribution to make in this analytic space. While other disciplines (especially anthropology, law, geography, political science and international relations) have made major contributions to refugee and forced migration studies, demography has been less present with most research focusing on issues of refugee mortality and morbidity. This book specifies the range of topics for which a demographic approach is highly appropriate, and identifies findings of demographic research which can contribute to ever more effective policy making in this important arena of human welfare and international policy.

The Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration was established by the Committee on Population of the National Research Council in 1999. The roundtable is composed of experts from academia, government, philanthropy, and international organizations. The roundtable's purpose is to serve as an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan focal point for taking stock of what is known about demographic patterns in refugee situations, to apply this knowledge base to assist both policy makers and relief workers, and to stimulate new directions for innovation and scientific inquiry in this growing field of study. The roundtable meets yearly and has also organized a series of workshops (held concurrently with roundtable meetings) on some of the specific aspects of the demography of refugee and refugee-like situations, including mortality patterns, demographic assessment techniques, and research ethics in complex humanitarian emergencies. This report to the Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration is a summary of one such workshop, which was held on September 20-21, 2000, under the aupices of the Committee on Population. The purpose of this meeting was to address a basic problem faced by all humanitarian relief agencies in an emergency: how to count the numbers of displaced persons and assess their general well-being. Workshop participants examined different methods for estimating refugee populations and their mortality rates, whether mortality was due to disease and malnutrition or human rights abuses. Demographic Assessment Techniques in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Summary of a Workshop explores the applicability of various methods in different types of emergency settings, how to improve existing methodologies and develop new ones, and the difficulties encountered by personnel in the field, including security, logistics, and access to a population.

"This book uses theories of social death and the construction of lives as disposable across legal, public health, criminal, carceral, media, labor, and medical arenas to examine the fatal stakes of migration policy and practice for migrants crossing the U.S. southern border"--

Refugee and Forced Migration Studies has grown from being a concern of a relatively small number of scholars and policy researchers in the 1980s to a global field of interest with thousands of students worldwide studying displacement either from traditional disciplinary perspectives or as a core component of newer programmes across the Humanities and Social and Political Sciences. Today the field encompasses both rigorous academic research which may or may not ultimately inform policy and practice, as well as action-research focused on advocating in favour of refugees' needs and rights. This authoritative Handbook critically evaluates the birth and development of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, and analyses the key contemporary and future challenges faced by academics and practitioners working with and for forcibly displaced populations around the world. The 52 state-of-the-art chapters, written by leading academics, practitioners, and policymakers working in universities, research centres, think tanks, NGOs and international organizations, provide a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the key intellectual, political, social and institutional challenges arising from mass displacement in the world today. The chapters vividly illustrate the vibrant and engaging debates that characterize this rapidly expanding field of research and practice.

At the moment, over 65 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes. The reasons for movement range from extreme weather conditions and environmental disasters, to war, civil and political crises, to the need for basic economic survival. Amongst these 65 million people are those that have been forced to leave a country that is no longer willing or able to offer protection and those who are displaced within their own country's borders. In order to improve conditions for displaced people all over the globe, we need to look at the reason behind their move as this defines their migration status under international law. In its turn, the migration status affects the requirements of other countries to grant asylum, and the individual's right to protection and support. The definition of migration status and its implications has created tension in the public debate on refugees for decades and is today more relevant than ever. In The Health of Refugees: Public Health Perspectives from Crisis to Settlement, the challenges and vulnerabilities created from this debate are addressed by public health policy makers, clinical practitioners, and researchers. An analysis of public health, international law, the history of migration, and the media's role in refugee health, it is a comprehensive and critical work with a strong message in favour of international and interdisciplinary cooperation. With a focus on what international obligations entail when it comes to refugees and migrants, the authors present a reinforced take on our collective responsibility to leave no one behind. The Health of Refugees: Public Health Perspectives from Crisis to Settlement traces the health repercussions on individuals and populations from the moment of forced mass movement due to conflict and other disasters, through to the process of resettlement in other countries. These issues are addressed within the context of other global public health priorities, and are part of the book's critical analysis not only of the particular vulnerabilities created by mobility, but also how these interact and intersect with existing considerations across gender and age in health systems and international law. With a wider geographical area and case studies from all over the globe as a basis for the studies presented, this is a fully updated edition with new material discussing the current political landscape. A truly multidisciplinary book, The Health of Refugees is ideal for public health practitioners, researchers, and postgraduate students. It is also an important work for those involved in non-governmental organisations, international aid, and international development. Furthermore, it provides a critical background for clinicians, mental health workers, and policymakers from health, welfare and migration.