Date of Award
5-2017
Degree Type
Research Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in International Development and Social Change (IDSC)
Department
International Development, Community and Environment
Chief Instructor
Nigel Brissett
Second Reader
Anita Fabos
Keywords
Protracted Displacement State Policy Case Studies
Abstract
Article 33 of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees states that host nations shall not expel or return a refugee to their home nation ‘where his life or freedom would be threatened.’ However, as demonstrated in three contemporary case studies in protracted displacement the interests of the sovereign state drive nations to craft strategies to limit cross-border refugee mobility. The refoulement of refugees escaping drug cartel violence throughout the Americas, internally displaced Haitians, and Syrian refugees in Jordan are all ‘managed’ by one of two methods. First, some destination nations either strategically blur refugees into other mobility schemes such economic migrants, illegal immigrants, link refugees to terrorist groups or nations outright replace the term refugee with words like guest. The benefit of this nomenclature strategy avoids refugee ‘laws’ altogether. The second strategy outright prevents the need to refoule by regulating or outright stopping refugee border crossings altogether. The border control strategy allows for refugee considerations, however prevents the host nation from engaging in Article 33 violations. Regardless of the strategy, host nations create policies that prioritize the protection and sovereignty of the host nations over the needs of individual refugees and the growing number of refugees in protracted displacement situations.
Recommended Citation
Owens, Christopher M., "Examining the Intersection of Refugee Policies and Contemporary Protracted Displacement" (2017). Sustainability and Social Justice. 126.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/126
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