This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This module addresses the different ways in which forced migrants are protected, and the ways in which that protection falls short. UNHCR notes that there are close to 40 million people "of concern" to them – this figure includes nearly 15 million internally displaced people (IDPs), 11 million refugees, 3 million people who have returned to their countries of origin and nearly 1 million who have an asylum claim pending. Most recently, the ongoing conflict in Syria has created, as of this writing, there are close to 3 million registered refugees – with Turkey hosting close to a million and Lebanon well over a million – over a quarter of its population. Each year there may be different groups of forced migrants in need of assistance – whether in a first country of asylum, such as Somalis in Kenya or Syrians in Lebanon – or in a second country, such as a European Union member state or the United States. In addition, there are many more forced migrants who are not, and will not become, recognized refugees. They are fleeing environmental devastation, conflicts, and more. They may be women, men or children.
These forced migrants – whether they eventually are recognized as refugees or not – face challenges at each step of their journey – from the first emergence of the conflict, persecution, disaster or other events which force them from their homes to the journey itself to their experience in refugee camps to the process of acceptance as a refugee in Turkey, Pakistan, an EU member state, the United States or elsewhere. While the reasons for flight are varied, what is common to all of these groups is the experience of their home and its environs as unsafe and of taking flight to preserve live and wellbeing. Many forced migrants have either experienced violence directly or seen members of their family and community experience violence.
The flight from home has often been made in hazardous conditions in which forced migrants may have been subjected to various forms of exploitation including sexual violence, deception, assault and robbery. While experiences in the country or region of origin and during flight can take a heavy toll on health and well-being, post-migration experiences may exacerbate rather than alleviate the forced migrants' condition. This module addresses a number of these issues.
This module is a coordinated module, built around contributions from both academics and practitioners. In this module students will have the opportunity to examine humanitarian issues in the context of forced migration, drawing on research from around the world. This will include engagement with the issues affecting different categories of forced migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, victims of human trafficking and more. The module will include a detailed examination of issues in service provision including the way in which care services interact with immigration control and with constructions of humanitarian needs of forced migrants.
1) A 5000 word (double-spaced) research paper will count for 90% of your mark. The research paper will develop a reasoned argument based upon a clear thesis statement and will discuss a particular research question relevant to this module. It will also include a theoretical component. I will be available to discuss selection of topics and strongly advise you to consult with me. You should have selected the topic for your research paper at least two weeks before the end of term.
Your research paper:
-? should include a research question/hypothesis relevant to this module which you will treat in the paper;
-? should build on class discussion, lecture and readings;
-? should not contain extraneous material that does not contribute to the argument;
-? should not be a recitation of facts on a particular subject.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
This module will have the following learning outcomes:
-? Identification of the key effects of conflicts, on the health status of persons involved and on the health and social care they receive
- Identification of the effects on mental health of conflicts, including the impact of war, forced migration, internal displacement, and trafficking
-? Identification of the health and social care services for refugees and migrants offered by host societies in Europe, North America and Australia, including those
for undocumented migrants
-? Identification of the specific challenges facing developing countries in providing health and social care for victims of conflicts.
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