SEATTLE — Currently there are more forcibly displaced people and refugees than ever before. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the number of displaced people today is higher than it was right after World War Ii. At the end of 2015 there were 65.3 million forcibly displaced people and 21.3 million refugees worldwide.
Although not all refugees live in refugee camps, the large population of refugees means conditions in refugee camps can be extremely cramped, underfunded, dirty and dangerous. People living in refugee camps complain of the amount of trash, rape, crime, lack of any kind of opportunity and the seeming permanence of their situation. On average refugees will remain in refugee camps for 12 years, according to the New York Times.
Most refugee camps resemble dirty, crowded prisons where people must learn to cope with suffering and desperation on a daily basis. However, some refugee camps offer residents more dignified conditions. How can conditions in refugee camps be improved?
Syrian refugees, humanitarian workers and politicians describe the refugee camp in Kilis, Turkey, as the nicest and cleanest refugee camp in the world. The following are some of the reasons why the Kilis camp has been more successful than most refugee camps worldwide:
- Kilis was planned to last. The Turkish government assumed that the conflict in Syria would not end quickly and prepared the camp accordingly. Kilis does not have makeshift tents. Instead refugees live in concrete containers with an operating kitchen, bathroom and three rooms.
- The Turkish government runs the camp. The New York Times claims that the Turkish government holds financial responsibility over the camp. This means that only the Turks control how the camp is run, avoiding the chaos of multiple NGOs attempting to serve the same community.
- Food can be bought at local grocery stores. The World Food Programme (WFP) says grocery stores replace the inefficient and costly process of shipping food to storage centers, transporting it to camp distribution centers and having people wait in line to pick up rations. Furthermore, allowing refugees to pick, buy and cook their own food returns a measure of normality to their lives.
Another example of better living conditions in refugee camps is the Palestinian camp of Bourj Al Shamali in southern Lebanon. As Kilis in Turkey, Bourj Al Shamali is not a tent camp. The camp is built from concrete and asphalt and has become more of a permanent settlement than a transitory camp. These are some of the reasons why Bourj Al Shamali is cleaner and safer than most refugee camps:
- Refugees have been able to build themselves homes. Although the building of multiple residences has made Bourj Al Shamali very tight and dense, the close quarters and intertwining alleys have allowed a sense of community to arise among the residents. Former worker of the United Nations Claudia Martinez Mansell argues that a sense of community is also good because it comes with a sense of social control and stability.
- There is movement in and out of the camp. People are free to go to the sea and the parks of a local Lebanese town. These excursions allow refugees to leave their cramped quarters for fresh air and recreation. In addition, individuals that have left the camp but still have family there can return to visit.
- Local stores meet refugees’ needs. A local economy can therefore prosper and employment opportunities can be increased. This is very important when unemployment is a rampant problem in refugee camps.
- Bourj Al Shamali is community run. According to Places Journal, “The community keeps public order collectively, and the elders resolve violent disputes.” Having the community run the camp is a good way to ensure refugees’ needs are met as no one knows local needs better than a local.
Kilis and Bourj Al Shamali are run and organized very differently. The former is government controlled and the government is responsible for cleaning, maintaining and protecting the camp. The latter is community run and the community resolves conflicts and ensures the safety and cleanliness of the camp.
The similarity between the two refugee camps, and the reason why standards of living are higher there, is that both camps have a single source of leadership. The chaos and confusion that leads to crime and violence in refugee camps run by multiple parties is thereby avoided.
Kilis and Bourj Al Shamali also allow refugees a greater level of autonomy than other refugee camps. Refugees can establish their own shops and buy their own food rather than depend on the services of aid organizations. This can make the frustration of living in a refugee camp more bearable.
Overall, Kilis and Bourj Al Shamli show that a way to improve conditions in refugee camps is to abandon the idea of a refugee camp as a transitory space and instead invest in making the camps into lasting settlements with the necessary services and amenities. The fact remains that no one likes living in a refugee camp. Therefore future refugee camps should also be spaces that allow refugees to transition into the host community.
– Christina Egerstrom
Photo: Flickr