Should Refugee Camps be Abolished?

Abstract

This article examined the question, “Should refugee camps be abolished?”. With the high displacement of people both internally and externally, the refugee camps have been under a series of questioning if these camps should remain a haven for displaced people. With the position of the United Nations and other governments countries on providing safety for refugees in conflict zones, much ado is needed on protecting refugee camps and creating a haven for people across the world. This article engaged in a series of support to answer the theme of this paper, which is necessary for policymaking in the world.

Background

Refugee camps remain the sole settlement providing shelter for displaced people through conflict, war, and natural disasters. It is important to understand that refugee camps are temporary settlements built to accept refugees and people in refugee-like situations. With the need to understand the value and importance of refugee camps, the urgency for the safety of displaced people, including migrants, on a global scale cannot be overemphasised. This essay will critically maintain that refugee camps should not be abolished. Refugee camp serves as the point of solace for many people who are forced from their homes and livelihoods. 

Discussion

Meaning of Refugee Camps and Statistics on Refugees in the World

According to the United States of America for UNHCR (n.d.), refugee camps are temporary settlements designed to offer immediate safety and support to individuals compelled to escape their homes due to human rights violations, persecution, conflict, or other forms of violence. The function of the refugee camp is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) statistics record indicating that about 110 million people were forcibly displaced globally by mid-2023 due to persecution, violence, conflict, and other human rights violations (UNHCR, 2023). The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2023) reported that as of mid-2023, there are about 36.4 million refugees, and the breakdown stated that 30.5 million refugees are under UNHCR’s mandate, and 5.9 million Palestine refugees under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) mandate. Refugee camps remain vital for the safety and security of people who are forced from their homes or countries due to high waves of violence, persecution, conflict, or natural disasters. Refugee camps provide shelter and protection for people fleeing war zones and other disasters.
Meanwhile, refugee camps are the first contact in ensuring that people forced from their communities have a temporary place to settle down and are free from attacks. Khosravi (2008) stated that those refugee camps serve as the point for millions of people forced from their homes. The importance of how refugee camps have supported people during crises or emergencies has a long historical value (Hunter, 2009; Betts & Collier, 2017). Although there are cases of illegal migrants who seek livelihood, they remain static at the point of camp arrival. The largest refugee camps in the world are located in Bangladesh at the Kutupalong-Balukhali expansion site, Uganda at the Bidi Bidi refugee camp, Kenya at the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps, Jordan at the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps, Tanzania at the Nyarugusu, Nduta, and Mtendeli refugee camps, and Ethiopia at Kebribeyah, Aw-barre and Sheder refugee camps (USA for UNHCR, 2023).

Functions of Refugee Camps

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2018), it was reported that 70.8 million people have their living shelter in refugee camps across the world. In contrast, refugee camps provide refugee safety and livelihood support for millions worldwide. For instance, refugee camps continue to be a safe place for people, and all policies are in place for settlement with the host community to ensure that refugees deserve the proper attention from the government (Burrows & Ramic, 2017). 
In understanding, refugee camps are important to function well in housing displaced people and reintegrating them into the host communities. The need for the government to follow the integration rights of the displaced person into the host community will vitalise a strong bond between them through regular visitation to camps and providing basic amenities to the people. Meanwhile, the number of conflicts and other political issues has created a great spread of refugees in the Sahel and other sub-Saharan African regions in previous years. Attention to this vital part, like education for children, livelihood support, and shelter in some camps, still needs to be more satisfactory (Babatunde & Adebowale, 2022).

Challenges of Refugee Camps

There are challenges encountered by various countries that are hosting refugee camps, and these challenges create lots of unfavourable conditions for people who live in the camps. Meanwhile, with the support of the government and international bodies, these challenges can be tackled to see the need for refugees in the camp. Refugees' challenges in the camps range from poor social amenities, living conditions, and social cohesion (Guay, 2015). The connection of the Guay report of 2015 is clearly seen in the conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the middle belt of Nigeria, where there is a poor standard of living and children do not have the opportunity to go to school (Duru, 2022). Based on the report, there were about 2.7 million IDPs in various camps in Nigeria between 2013 and 2020, signifying that camps are important for providing temporary housing to the people (Sasu, 2022).
Oyefara and Alabi (2016) argue that the forced displacement of women due to development projects has consequences for women as refugees and internally displaced persons, including remaining homeless and disadvantaged. Other social problems include lack of access to social services, alcoholism, exclusion of women, and drug abuse. A report is primarily about the challenges women face due to development projects, but not the challenges faced by internally displaced men due to insurgency, armed crisis, etc. (Oyefara & Alabi, 2016).  
Furthermore, Oladeji (2015) stated that refugees, including internally displaced women and girls, are most affected by the kidnapping and forced marriage or sale of young girls by terrorists. They also have problems with housing, and meal shortages are a challenge facing refugees in the camp (Oghuvbu & Okolie, 2020). Refugee camps must be well managed, and the continuous administrative development must be an art of intentional action by the government and international bodies like UNHCR. For example, on a global scale, there are about 13 million children who are children and are faced with challenges of accessing quality education, lack of health services, no support for livelihood, and majorly depend on aid (UNICEF, 2020). 

Recommendations

As part of the essay, refugee camps should not be seen as prisons or eyesore places but as a haven for those fleeing their homes or country. For instance, providing quality shelter for the refugees is important, as it has been found that most camp shelters have worn out. The United Nations and government agencies should fund all the refugee camps and compulsorily ensure that water and hygiene programs are implemented. Meanwhile, according to Shrestha and Cronin (2006), key implementation points should be considered in all refugee camps: quality education for children, acceptance and security of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program, and readily accessible water sources. They understand that sufficient access to quality education should be provided to children living in the refugee camps.
In further development, Becker's (2017) research indicated that many women find it difficult to self-determined life in the camp in Berlin. This made life not good for them to seek a better livelihood. Much of this required proper monitoring, registering them, and giving them the right livelihood. Many women faced discrimination and other subjecting issues that made a living in the camp miserable. Implementing the right policy to see the need for protection for women and children must be inclusive. Support for women in the refugee camp must be truly worked on to prevent human trafficking and other illicit activities in the camp. Also, the accessibility to training and empowerment of refugees is important to build a better future for migrants and refugees (Matlin et al., 2018). The right action to see a better future for refugees in Nigeria and other places worldwide will be made possible.

Conclusion

The refugee camps should not be abolished, but rather, the government and international communities should do the necessary to implement policies and programs that will make camps conducive for all refugees and IDPs, pending the time they will return to their countries. Abolishing refugee camps will compound the troubles and challenges already faced by the refugees and IDPs, which calls for redefining and commitment to making various refugee camps safe. The essay critically points out contemporary challenges and gaps in the refugee camp that still need to be resolved. Furthermore, refugee camps need to be protected because of contending issues related to what is facing the centres (Hunter, 2009; Betts & Collier, 2017). Nevertheless, the proper solution should be given to refugees. We cannot neglect the fact that children and women, including older people, are mostly present or take the high population of the people that are displaced people in the world. They need to be given the proper support in refugee camps centred on building a better life for themselves.

About the Author:
Oluwasegun Ogunsakin is a PhD candidate at the Department of Peace and Security Studies at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. His passion is humanitarian security, peacebuilding, and global development. His current research is on cross-border migration and security challenges in Nigeria's southwestern borders. Oluwasegun Ogunsakin is an African research councillor with the Wheeler Institute of Business and Development, London. Oluwasegun lives in Lagos, Nigeria, and enjoys advocating and implementing local peace work with communities across Nigeria.

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