20th of June 2015 is regarded yearly as the world refugee day. Millions take time to reflect and recognize the plight of forcibly displaced people on all continents. While refugees and IDPs are frequently used interchangeably, there is a slight difference. Refugees are people who due to fear of being persecuted on grounds of race, tribe, religion, nationality, and membership of a social group or political opinion flee their country of birth. IDPs on the other hand are people forced to flee their home but who stay within their country’s borders. According to UNCHR, the U.N refugee agency, there are currently 51.2 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2013. This is full 6 million more than the 45.2 million reported by 2012. Out of which there 26.4 million IDPs around the world as at 2011, with Africa taking a large percentage of that figure.
There are contrasting figures as to the number of IDPs in Nigeria. For instance while one report puts it at 3.3million, which will make it the country with largest number of IDPs, another report from the Internal Displacement monitoring center for sub-Saharan Africa puts it at 1.5 million. This poses a number of questions to be asked, challenges to be faced and consequences of this very unfortunate situation. How do we solve the question of feeding, health, shelter amongst many, not forgetting that the vast majority of IDPS are women and children.
Shelter and security seem to be the immediate concern the IDPs face, having suffered from destroyed homes, property, and schools. Majority of IDPs take refuge in host communities, families, friends or pay for temporary accommodation or seek refuge in make shift camps. Make shift camps are becoming inadequate; being overcrowded and unsustainable. Some who have no access to these shelters stay in bushes, exposed to dangers. Still looking at these make shift camps, the guarantee that they are well secured from further attacks are slim. These camps are not well protected; people come and go in without proper checks.
IDPs often have only minimal access to healthcare service especially the increasing number of women and children. Most health facilities affected by conflict are closed as a result of insecurity and displacement of staff. Obstacles in observing healthcare is their lack of resources, including transport fare to the nearest facility. Outbreaks of diseases and malnutrition have been reported which is no surprise. These IDP camps are unable to sustain the volume of people they currently hold. Cholera cases have been put at 26,704 and 404 deaths have occurred between January and July 2014 as against 169 cases within same period in 2013 according the UNICEF website. IDPs and host communities have limited access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Public latrines are often non-existent or are practically unusable. Open defecation is not uncommon, which pose health and security risks especially to women.
Displaced children are unable to pursue their education as a result of attacks on schools since 2012. In any case the camps have been setup in affected schools, effectively turning them to shelters. In some areas, children attend programs provided by local agencies supported by the UNICEF. Coverage of these programs cannot be fully ascertained and these are not to be seen as an alternative to formal education which these children need.
Perhaps the biggest and most important point to note is the psychological and emotional trauma been carried by these IDPs. Martin Luther King said “violence begets violence”, we have to ensure these people are returned home in the right frame of mind and with a new lease of life. We must put up development programs that will occupy the minds of the IDPs especially the children. So we don’t have a cycle of hatred and violence, hence the quote. Taking a look back into history on how terrorism festers should be at the back of the mind of our authorities as we try to curb these demonic acts.
On a final note, the Good book talked about a woman who went search of her lost coin in the parable of the lost coin, it is pertinent to say that as we go in search of the Chibok Girls, let’s not forget to take care of the IDPs (saved coins) at our doorsteps.
This piece was brought to you by;
Fortune Ehienulo, Director of Planning and Development at Hellenis foundation. He is passionate about helping and improving lives.
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