Search Results (73)

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

Social inclusion is a common goal for equitable access to resources for living, is important to health and wellbeing, and is supported by most Western or developed nations. Despite this, immigrant and refugee women continue to be excluded from social, cultural, economic, civic, and political participation during and after settlement. Most research exploring the context of social exclusion has reinforced that some groups experience greater exclusion than others in any given population, for example, immigrant women. The purpose of this study was to gain insights by exploring the experiences of social inclusion and exclusion and recommendations from the perspectives of immigrant and refugee women, as well as community service workers in the Niagara Region, Canada. Utilizing qualitative descriptive inquiry underpinned by intersectionality theory along with thematic analysis, we interviewed 10 immigrant and refugee women and 14 community service workers. Five themes were generated: (1) gendered nature of exclusion; (2) levels of exclusion; (3) paving a path for self; (4) formal inclusionary processes; and (5) informal inclusionary processes. The findings will be used to guide community action and may be transferable to community organizations that serve immigrant and refugee women in similar community contexts, with the aim of enhancing collaborations to advance health equity and inclusion. Full article

This article addresses the development of a human-centered shelter design tailored to meet the specific needs of refugees in the Al-Sahel Region. It focuses on five essential aspects of humanitarian-centered design. The goal is to create a livable unit that accommodates the three distinct phases of an emergency, transitional, and durable situation. We have adopted a non-linear design approach to develop the refugee shelter unit. We engage in discussions with team experts following each data collection phase. The conceptual design of the shelter unit is intended to align with the refugee settlement’s natural growth while maintaining a degree of control over its evolution. We have outlined a spatial configuration for a residential unit designed for three to six individuals and various patio options. Additionally, we have devised plans for an education and healthcare facility, all designed with the same structure to bring a more organized approach to the organic growth of the camp. The design proposal adopts a process-oriented approach, incorporating refugees indirectly in the design and construction of their shelters. While we do not assert that the framework of a ‘refugee camp’ can be sustainable, our goal is to show that its planning, in the absence of alternatives, should adhere to sustainability criteria. Full article

Though refugee camps are by definition “temporary”, many camps endure for decades, where individuals live full lives through childhood, marriage, children, grandchildren, and death. These settlements function no differently than cities in their social life, density, zoning, and operation, yet are “planned” through UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) templates for camps. The Zaatari camp in Jordan for Syrian asylum seekers, for example, holds a population of 80,000. Rather than viewing refugee camps as temporary human warehouses, this article demonstrates that camps are spaces where individuals build social networks and economic activities flourish. As such, the camp planning templates should include adaptive Construction 4.0 technologies for more socially flexible settlements, even if the camps are considered “temporary”. This case study research on the Zaatari camp illustrates how refugees adapt their built environment, identifying adaptation patterns that enhance both livability and sustainability. The work illustrates social and environmental changes that require adaptive housing configurations. The conclusion suggests linking modern tools in the construction industry to empirically derived planning objectives to be efficiently executed in moments of crisis. Full article

Since the onset of the Somali civil war in the late 1980s, more than 2 million Somalis have been internally displaced or crossed international borders to seek haven. Yet, research on diasporic Somali women’s intergenerational communication about marriage, sex, and female genital cutting (FGC) remains scant. This paper draws from data we collected from 15 women over the age of 45 who were part of a much larger project on refugee women and sexual health and well-being. The analysis centers on how Somali women across the generations recalibrate definitions of family. We analyze the new roles that sisters, aunts, and grandmothers occupy in the lives of younger women, as family dispersal often results in the absence of biological mothers. In the new settlement, the findings showcase both continuity and change in how sex, marriage, and female genital cutting (FGC) are discussed among female family members. Our findings support not only the dynamic nature of family roles that women occupy across generations but also the malleability of cultural practices as families navigate changing cultural, legal, and social norms in their new settlements. Full article

Modular housing represents an opportunity for the mass provision of housing of an appropriate standard, implemented sustainably. We analyzed the theoretical basis of this type of housing for refugee populations. We identified several generations of housing provision, from tented camps to container settlements, and ultimately to units resembling traditional housing estates. The latter is feasible due to technological advancements. Our research contributes to the implementation of the principles of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which underpins the European Green Deal policy on space design. Using the Research through Design (RtD) method within the framework of a settlement project for the Ukrainian population migrating from war zones (Modular Refugees Settlement Project “ProModSe”), we tested the suitability of these principles in extreme and critical war-related situations. The most important criteria were speed of implementation, the prospect of long-term residence, and ensuring safety. We analyzed the social, environmental, and aesthetic–functional aspects, comparing them with existing practices in the design of settlements for displaced persons, modular settlements, and quality standards in residential environments. The results demonstrate, at multiple scales, the critical interdependence of sustainable development, aesthetics and functionality, and community creation. We emphasize the need to include security as an essential fourth axis within the New European Bauhaus concept. This study contributes to addressing the complex housing problem for refugee populations. The generalizations formulated based on empirical research complement the knowledge of housing and the functioning of the sociotechnological system. Full article