Search Results (78)

In 2022, Austria experienced a significant surge in Syrian arrivals. Unlike refugees arriving to Europe in 2015/2016, who predominantly embarked on direct journeys from Syria, most of the recently admitted cohort experienced protracted displacement in Turkey. During these prolonged periods in transit, individuals’ fundamental rights and essential economic, social, and psychological needs frequently remained unmet, due to the weak Temporary Protection Status they were granted in Turkey and rising tensions with the local population. To assess protracted displacement histories of recently arrived Syrians in Austria, we employ a qualitative approach with four qualitative focus group discussions, 17 semi-structured interviews (in total N = 29) and an additional online questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics to support the qualitative data collection. Furthermore, expert interviews (N = 21) help to contextualize the situation of recently arrived Syrians in Austria and assess differences to the first cohort of arrivals (2015–2016). Our results reflect the marginalizing dynamics encountered by Syrians who underwent impermanent settlement experiences and their multidimensional experience of socio-economic marginalization in Turkey. This includes limited employment opportunities and economic deprivation, limited access to education as well as experiences of racial discrimination, harassment, violence, and state-sanctioned deportations. These have added to their eventual secondary migration to the EU. Our study allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the (im)permanent settlement challenges faced by refugee populations with Temporary Protection such as applied to Syrians in Turkey. Full article

Learning the host language is a crucial factor in the settlement of migrants and refugees in a new country. It offers opportunities, but can also generate exclusion, marginalization, and isolation, hindering the possibilities of participation and the creation of social networks. Host language classes, therefore, play a crucial role, fostering critical awareness that enables learners to act within their social and cultural context. This promotes agency, autonomy, and empowerment, transforming differences into productivity and fostering social justice. This article focuses on classes of Portuguese as a host language (HL) in northern Portugal, examining how these contexts shape learners’ relationship with the language beyond depoliticized or subaltern approaches. It discusses the main obstacles and difficulties in these educational settings, as well as mechanisms that could contribute to more democratic and effective practices. Drawing on interviews with teachers (n = 10), trainers (n = 4), volunteers (n = 8), and students (n = 20) involved in the HL learning process, the content analysis highlights how policies and pedagogical practices impact students and how they are interpreted by these actors, revealing their impact on processes of participation, belonging, and citizenship. The results indicate an emergent form of collective autonomy in the relationship among students, the host society, and teachers, which means that teaching practices encompass not only the development of communication skills but also the civic and political awareness of learners. Lastly, while the language teachers identified more practical barriers in these teaching and learning contexts, the students described emotional and sociocultural obstacles. Full article

Background: Poverty, disability, and mental health may reinforce one another. Forced displacement can compound these challenges, yet comparable data on displaced and non-displaced groups in the same setting are scarce. This study examines associations among mental health, disability, pessimism, loneliness, self-esteem, and financial security for refugees and nearby host communities in Mozambique. Methods: Ultra-poor adults—refugees (n = 134) and Mozambican nationals living near the settlement (n = 314)—were identified using a World Bank poverty scorecard. Surveys captured depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), disability (Washington Group Short Set), and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: Symptom rates are high in both groups—depression: 34% (refugees) vs. 29% (hosts); anxiety: 25% overall—with women reporting higher levels. Disability prevalence is substantial (refugees 25%; hosts 22%). Respondents with disabilities show markedly higher rates of depression (≈2×) and anxiety (≈3×). Financial security is negatively associated with symptom scores: a one-unit-higher financial security index correlates with a 0.069 lower anxiety score (p < 0.05) and a 0.069 lower depression score (p < 0.01). Pessimism is positively associated with poorer mental health; anxiety and depression are more than 2.5× as prevalent among chronically pessimistic respondents. Loneliness shows no clear association with anxiety or depression in this sample, whereas low self-esteem is strongly associated with both; prevalence of GAD and depression is more than twice as high among those with low self-esteem. Conclusions: We document strong associations between poverty, disability, and mental health. These patterns underscore the importance of strengthening mental and public health services for both refugees and hosts, with particular attention to women and disabled individuals. Full article

The global population of older adults is growing rapidly, and refugees are now a significant proportion of the older adult population in Canada. Transnational healthcare practices (THPs)—seeking health information or services from the country of origin—may be an essential strategy used by refugee older adults in Canada, but few studies have explored this phenomenon. This is a protocol for a study, which is aimed at developing a comprehensive understanding of the role THPs play in the lives of older adults from three refugee groups (Afghan, Syrian and Ukrainian) (re)settled in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. It will be informed by Constructivist Grounded Theory and will consist of three phases. Phase 1 will involve semi-structured individual interviews with Afghan, Syrian, and Ukrainian refugee older adults living in the GTA (n = 75–90) to explore their perspectives and experiences with various types of THP. Phase 2 will also involve semi-structured interviews with 75–90 refugee older adults from the three communities to examine the role of THP in stress, coping, and resilience in the context of health promotion, illness diagnosis, and disease management as well as the individual and contextual factors driving the use of THPs. Phase 3 will involve six focus groups (n = 36–48) with refugee older adults from these communities to explore what information, care, supports, technology, and services are needed to manage their health and illnesses locally. This project will advance knowledge in the areas of (re)settlement and integration, aging, local healthcare access, and THPs among refugee older adults in Canada. The findings will inform more effective integration policies and the delivery of efficient and equitable health information, care, support, technology, and services that address the healthcare needs of refugee older adults, enabling them to age well and age in place. Full article

Utilising Arendt’s ‘right to have rights’ thesis not only as an observation on citizenship but as an intrinsic eligibility and political opportunity for the stateless, this paper outlines how the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and Illegal Migration Act 2023 do not merely continue the general trend of criminalising migrants but take the further step of socially distancing the securitised migrant object. The recent legislation provides that those who arrive in the UK via ‘irregular means’ (i.e., small boats) will likely have their asylum claims deemed ‘inadmissible’. The lack of a ‘negotiated settlement’ in the asylum complex has been well noted; however, the systematic prejudgement and consequent bureaucratic social distancing inherent in the new legislation now threatens to remove even the prospect of negotiation. The means of arrival instantly proving decisive precludes the possibility for asylum seekers to present evidence that they are genuine refugees, and, with it, the politico-legal space and opportunity for the ‘irregular’ person to generally make themselves seen and heard is maliciously obstructed. The result is not just the denial of humanity and concomitant human dues (rights), but a distinct move towards denial of even the possibility of humanity (the right to have rights). Such works to distance system administrators from issues of vulnerability, assuredly direful consequences, and humanness itself, as is essential for the expansion of a system where basic human rights are so lacking. Full article

This study investigates how differing educational frameworks across Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia influence the perceived educational performance of Syrian refugee children. The legal status granted to refugees in each country fundamentally shapes their respective education systems’ responses. In Lebanon, refugees are generally classified as temporarily displaced persons, resulting in an emergency-based approach to education for the approximately 500,000 Syrian children present. By contrast, Australia has offered permanent resettlement opportunities to selected Syrian refugees, integrating them directly into mainstream schools. Turkey, meanwhile, has progressively shifted from emergency-based measures to policies oriented toward long-term integration. This research is based on survey data from 1298 Syrian refugee children across the three contexts. Findings from ordered probit regression analyses indicate that, beyond the legal duration of residency and the prevailing educational policy model (emergency versus long-term integration), variables such as the extent of educational segregation, the availability of preparatory and language support programmes, and the socioeconomic status of families are also pivotal in shaping students’ self-perceived academic performance. Full article

Refugee settlements are often positioned around natural borders, which often have a heightened danger of environmental hazards. Here, we aim to better understand why settlements are in environmentally vulnerable land and what social and physical factors contribute to this phenomenon. To do this, we present a holistic narrative that maps climate threats among displaced populations in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, while contextualizing environmental vulnerability by incorporating historical and social constraints. Using ArcGIS, an online mapping program, we illustrate the overlap between different climatic events and how these vulnerabilities compound and intensify one another. We also discuss the history of natural migration and settlement pertaining to the physical landscape and the sociopolitical reasons refugees remain in environmentally vulnerable areas. Overall, we find an emerging trend that may be broadly applicable to instances of forced displacement; physical settlement locations near international borders demarcated by landforms may be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and extreme climate events. However, physical, social, and political reasons often cement these locations. Recommendations include enhancing the resilience of refugee camps through infrastructure improvements, sustainable land management, and reforestation efforts, which would benefit both the environment and local and refugee communities. Full article

This article presents a comprehensive evaluation of image segmentation methods for monitoring morphological changes in refugee camps, comparing five distinct approaches: ESRI Landviewer clustering, K-means clustering, U-Net segmentation, Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAM) and ArcGIS segmentation. Using high-resolution satellite imagery from Al-Azraq refugee camp in Jordan (2014–2023) as a case study, this research systematically assesses each method’s performance in detecting and quantifying settlement pattern changes. The evaluation framework incorporates multiple validation metrics, including overall accuracy, the Kappa coefficient, F1-score and computational efficiency. The results demonstrate that ArcGIS’s ISO clustering and classification approach achieves superior performance, with 99% overall accuracy and a Kappa coefficient of 0.95, significantly outperforming the other tested methods. While Meta SAM shows promise in object detection, its performance degrades with aerial imagery, achieving only 75% accuracy in settlement pattern recognition. The study establishes specific parameter optimization guidelines for humanitarian contexts, with spectral detail values of 3.0–7.0 and spatial detail values of 14.0–18.0, yielding optimal results for refugee settlement analysis. These findings provide crucial methodological guidance for monitoring refugee settlement evolution and transition, contributing to more effective humanitarian response planning and settlement management through integrating remote sensing and machine learning technologies. Full article

The Zaatari Camp in Jordan exemplifies how Syrian refugees transform a planned grid settlement into an organic urban environment through socio-spatial adaptation, reflecting their cultural identity and territorial practices. This study investigates the camp’s morphological evolution, analyzing how refugees reconfigure public and private spaces to prioritize privacy, security, and community cohesion. Using qualitative methods—including archival maps, photographs, and field observations—the research reveals how formal public areas are repurposed into private shelter extensions, creating zones of influence that mirror traditional Arab-Islamic urban patterns. Key elements such as mosques, markets, and hierarchical street networks emerge as cultural anchors, shaped by refugees’ prior urban experiences. However, this organic growth introduces challenges, such as blocked streets and undefined spaces, which hinder safety and service delivery, underscoring tensions between informal urbanization and structured planning. The findings advocate urban resilience and participatory planning frameworks that integrate socio-cultural values, emphasizing defensible boundaries, interdependence, and adaptable design. Refugees’ territorial behaviors—such as creating diagonal streets and expanding shelters—highlight their agency in reshaping urban systems, challenging conventional top-down approaches. This research focuses on land-use dynamics, sustainable cities, and adaptive urban systems in crisis contexts. By bridging gaps between displacement studies and urban theory, the study offers insights into fostering social inclusion and equitable infrastructure in transient settlements. Future research directions, including comparative analyses of refugee camps and cognitive mapping, aim to deepen understanding of socio-spatial resilience. Ultimately, this work contributes to global dialogues on informal urbanization and culturally responsive design, advocating for policies that align with the Sustainable Development Goals to rebuild cohesive, resilient urban environments in displacement settings. Full article

Refugee camps are typically designed as temporary sustainable settlements, prioritizing logistics over cultural considerations, which can lead to environments being misaligned with the lived experiences of displaced populations. This study addresses the challenge of traditional humanitarian camp designs that prioritize logistical efficiency over cultural and socio-cultural needs, leading to environments that do not align with the lived experiences of displaced populations. Focusing on the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan, the research employs a structured questionnaire distributed among 102 households to investigate how refugees have reconfigured the camp’s original grid layout into more cohesive clustered patterns, informed by the principles of defensible space theory. Key findings reveal that refugees actively transform public courtyards into semi-private spaces, driven by cultural imperatives and safety needs. Statistical analyses confirm significant correlations between clustering behaviors and the attributes of defensible space, particularly the zones of influence and boundary demarcation, enhancing community resilience and accessibility. However, the study finds a limited predictive power overall, indicating that while these adaptations are significant, factors such as natural surveillance and territorial behavior do not exhibit strong influences on clustering dynamics. These findings have important implications for humanitarian planning and design. They highlight the necessity for more culturally sensitive and flexible approaches that prioritize refugee agencies and communal identity in camp layouts. This research advocates for a hybrid planning approach that integrates socio-cultural values, promoting resilience and quality of life among refugees. By aligning spatial designs with the social and cultural realities of refugee communities, humanitarian actors can enhance the effectiveness of their interventions, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and inclusive urban environments as part of broader goals related to urban planning and development. Future research is encouraged to explore these practices in diverse refugee contexts, providing further validation of these findings and enhancing the applicability of these design principles in global humanitarian efforts. Full article

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne infection caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. CL is an emerging global health concern due to increasing migration, travel, and climate change. Traditionally, it was confined to endemic regions such as the Americas, the Middle East, and Central Asia; however, it is now spreading to non-endemic areas. Climate change has further contributed to the expansion of sandfly habitats, increasing CL transmission risk in previously unaffected areas. Healthcare providers in non-endemic regions often misdiagnose CL, delaying treatment and morbidity. Diagnosis remains challenging due to the need for species-specific identification, while treatment is limited by cost, availability, and personnel expertise. This review explores the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and management of CL in the context of global mobility. It highlights rising CL cases in refugee settlements, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan, due to poor living conditions, inadequate vector control, and healthcare barriers. While there have been advances in systemic and topical therapies, access in refugee and resource-poor settings remains a barrier. Addressing the global burden of CL requires improved surveillance, healthcare provider training, and increased awareness. By enhancing global collaboration and policy changes, public health efforts can mitigate the expanding impact of CL. Full article

This article focuses on the health impacts of the gender-based violence (GBV) experienced by migrant and refugee women (MRW) survivors in their migration/settlement journeys in Canada, and their challenges in accessing healthcare. Adopting a feminist and intersectional lens, I draw upon qualitative in-depth interviews with 48 migrant women conducted between 2020 and 2022. GBV is a frequent experience in the migration and (re)settlement journey and has wide-ranging and cross-secting emotional-psychological, socio-economic, physical, as well as sexual and reproductive health consequences which, in turn, impact settlement and integration and may increase vulnerability to further GBV as a result. Drawing upon a “social determinants of health” approach, I aim to understand the workings of barriers to healthcare access and help seeking for MRW survivors of GBV in Canada. The social determinants of health involve structural (e.g., legal, financial, linguistic, knowledge, healthcare access) barriers, mediated by gender, intersecting with various positionalities and identities. GBV unambiguously impacts on the health and well-being of all survivors, but the extent of harm varies significantly depending on the intersections of positions and identities of survivors. The migration context entails unique barriers to MRW help seeking and healthcare access as well as aggravates the impacts of other barriers on MRW. My objective is to show how GBV affects the health status of MRW survivors in Canada in the specific context of healthcare access and help-seeking barriers MRW face, conceptualized as risk factors for reproducing GBV. Full article

The rapid expansion of refugee settlements has caused significant environmental changes, particularly in regions experiencing forced displacement. The Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, has led to extensive deforestation and land transformation, affecting local climate conditions. While urbanization’s impact on land surface temperature (LST) is well-documented, the environmental consequences of unplanned refugee settlements remain understudied. This study investigates land cover changes and LST dynamics from 2013 to 2024, offering a novel perspective on refugee-induced environmental changes. Using Landsat 8 imagery, four key land cover categories (built-up, mixed forest, water bodies, and barren land) were classified through a Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach. The temporal change in these key land cover categories was examined. The surface temperature product (Band 10) from Landsat 8 Collection 2 Level 2 (C2 L2) was applied to derive LST, while Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) were used to assess vegetation and urbanization trends. Findings reveal a 97% decline in forest cover and a 161.78% increase in built-up areas between 2013 and 2018, leading to substantial LST increases. Statistical analyses confirm strong correlations between LST and multispectral indices, with vegetation and water bodies acting as cooling agents, while urban areas amplify heat stress. This study underscores the urgent need for sustainable land management and reforestation efforts to mitigate environmental degradation. It also highlights the importance of global cooperation in balancing humanitarian needs with environmental sustainability, providing insights for policymakers and urban planners to enhance climate resilience in vulnerable regions. Full article

Although maintaining social cohesion between refugees and host communities is a major policy goal, due to protracted refugee situations, research on potential barriers is scant, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where a majority of the world’s refugees live. This article provides insights into food insecurity as a barrier to refugee–host community social cohesion in the wake of food aid cuts to refugees globally. We conducted 24 focus group discussions, 3 in-depth interviews, and 8 key informant interviews with refugee and host community members, local leaders, and staff of entities overseeing refugee affairs in two settlements in Southwestern Uganda. We found that refugees experiencing food insecurity and limited coping resources resort to negative and socially unacceptable means, such as theft and aggression, to obtain food. This causes social tensions and social fragmentation that directly contribute to the deterioration of social cohesion by undermining trust, inhibiting cooperation, and weakening the sense of shared purpose between refugees and their host communities. Food insecurity is a significant threat to the social integration of refugees, as it weakens their social connections in the host community. Measures to address food insecurity among refugees are imperative to mitigate its potential deleterious effects on the social integration of refugees in protracted situations. Full article

This paper uses the example of negatively racialised refugees from the African continent to reiterate the racialised nature of migrant and refugee experiences in Australia. This is a context that remains deeply influenced by a violent history of British colonisation and racist migration laws, including the restrictive White Australia Policy (1901–1973). Drawing on the authors’ research and personal experiences of working with, and navigating, the Australian resettlement system this article examines the racialised violences inherent in expectations of ‘integration’ for (former) African refugees in a settler colonial country. This paper proffers a principle level re-imagining of refugee resettlement in Australia that challenges patriarchal white sovereignty. It proposes a meaningful consideration of resettlement practices that are community-led, localised, relational and that recognise the agency of refugees who settle in Australia. This paper disrupts dominant tropes of refugees as perpetually vulnerable and deficit, by centering the agency, needs and expectations of a good life as it is lived in community, rather than dictated by the state. Full article