WHO AM I – A migrant or an IDP
Since Last 26 years KP’s have been demanding the status of
internally displaced persons and shun the tag of Migrants given to them after
their exodus from Kashmir in 1990’s. However like our resettlement and separate
homeland demand this demand has also faced the gallows and has died
prematurely. However lately a surge in this demand has been witnessed and lot
of KP groups and voluntary organisations have come forward to support this
cause. IDP becomes all the more important in the wake of rising demand from KP
groups for separate homeland or township in Kashmir whereas the Hurriyat and
the separatists are strongly opposing the proposal fearing that a Palestine
like situation will arise in Kashmir with this move. However the fact remains
that both Govt. Of India and the Hurriyat have been putting this proposal to
halt for their own selfish reasons. Some information regarding IDP that I have
sourced from net and other sources has been put together for your ready reference
below.
Q. Who is an internally displaced Person?
A. An internally displaced person (IDP) is a person who has
been forced to flee his or her home for similar reasons as a refugee, but
remains in his or her own country and has not crossed an international border.
As the nature of conflict has changed in the last few decades, the number of
IDPs has increased globally.
Q. Who is an internal Migrant?
A. An internal migrant is a person who migrates within one
country, primarily for economic reasons. It has become immensely important for
our community to shed the tag of a migrant as it is an ambiguous term which
hurts our rights laid down in UNHCR charter.
Q. Global IDP figures?
A. The growing number of refugees around the world is
overshadowed by the even greater numbers of internally displaced people, or
IDPs, who have not crossed an international border in search of shelter and
safety.
As of the end of 2014, a record-breaking 38 million people
were forcibly displaced within their own country by violence, up from 33.3
million for 2013. A massive 11 million of these internally displaced people
(IDPs) were newly uprooted during 2014, equal to 30,000 people a day, according
to annual figures from the Norwegian Refugee Council's Geneva-based Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
In mid-2014, the UN refugee agency was caring for around 26
million of the world's IDP population at that time. Like refugees, they were
forcibly displaced by conflict, generalized violence and human rights
violations. UNHCR helps IDPs as part of a wider intervention by the
international community.
The IDMC's Global Overview 2015 reported that the majority
of the increase in new displacement during 2014 was the result of protracted
crises in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan and
Syria. These five countries accounted for 60 per cent of new displacement
worldwide.
Iraqi civilians suffered the most new displacement, with at
least 2.2 million displaced in 2014, while at least 40 per cent of Syria's
population, or 7.6 million people, have been displaced - the highest number in
the world. And Europe, for the first time in more than a decade, suffered
massive enforced displacement. This was caused by war in eastern Ukraine, where
more than 640,000 people fled their homes in 2014.
Q. Which organisation is the leading source of information
on IDP’s worldwide?
A. The growing number
of refugees around the world is overshadowed by the even greater numbers of
internally displaced people, or IDPs, who have not crossed an international
border in search of shelter and safety.
As of the end of 2014, a record-breaking 38 million people
were forcibly displaced within their own country by violence, up from 33.3
million for 2013. A massive 11 million of these internally displaced people
(IDPs) were newly uprooted during 2014, equal to 30,000 people a day, according
to annual figures from the Norwegian Refugee Council's Geneva-based Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
In mid-2014, the UN refugee agency was caring for around 26
million of the world's IDP population at that time. Like refugees, they were
forcibly displaced by conflict, generalized violence and human rights
violations. UNHCR helps IDPs as part of a wider intervention by the
international community.
The IDMC's Global Overview 2015 reported that the majority
of the increase in new displacement during 2014 was the result of protracted
crises in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan and
Syria. These five countries accounted for 60 per cent of new displacement
worldwide.
Iraqi civilians suffered the most new displacement, with at
least 2.2 million displaced in 2014, while at least 40 per cent of Syria's
population, or 7.6 million people, have been displaced - the highest number in
the world. And Europe, for the first time in more than a decade, suffered
massive enforced displacement. This was caused by war in eastern Ukraine, where
more than 640,000 people fled their homes in 2014.
Q. Do KP’s find a
mention on the IDMC’s website?
A. You will be glad to know that IDMC website treats all
KP’s as IDP’s in its analysis of figures for India. The statement goes as
follows:
“There are 60,500 Kashmiri families registered as displaced
since 1990(Ministry
of Home Affairs, India, 15 July 2014).This amounts to 350,600 people as
calculated by national family size average of 5.8 people according to the 2011
National Census. Of this total, 38,100 families reside in Jammu,
19,300 families reside in Delhi and the remaining are in other states. In
addition, cross border tensions with Pakistan displaced an additional 20,000 in
October 2014 (Reuters,
10 October 2014) and a further 10,000 in December 2014/January 2015 (BBC, 6 January
2015)”
However ministry of home affairs categorically refers KP
community as “Migrants” which is not only disconcerting but at the same time it
takes away our rights laid down in the “Guiding principles” on internal
displacement.
Q. What is the scope and purpose of these guiding
principles?
A. These guiding
principles address the specific needs of IDP’s worldwide. Essentially there are
around 30 principles laid down in the document made by United Nations. However
Section V consisting of principles 28, 29 & 30 are of paramount importance
as they talk about the principles related to return, resettlement and
reintegration of the IDP’s in their place of origin from where they have been
displaced. They specifically lay emphasis on the role of various organizations
in the resettlement of IDP’s. You can access these guiding principles on the
following link, http://www.brookings.edu/fp/projects/idp/resources/GPsEnglish.pdf
Q. Why doesn’t India want to give IDP status to KP’s?
A. The migrant tag attached to the displaced KP’s since
their ouster from valley was a deliberate attempt by Govt. of India to avoid
international scrutiny in this issue. India is avoiding any third party
intervention in Kashmir dispute and from day one; India wants to settle this
issue bilaterally with Pakistan. Giving an IDP status to KP’s will adversely
affect this strategy. If at all Govt. decides to give IDP status to KP’s, India
will have to give access to United Nations High commissioner for refugees to
camps and temporary dwellings of KP’s in Delhi, Jammu and other places.
IDP’s are part of the broader section of civil population
and thus according to the UNHCR need protection and assistance because of the
conflict, human rights abuses or natural disasters that they face. Therefore it
becomes mandatory for the govt. of India to provide the necessary assistance
and support to KP community who were forcibly ousted from their original abode
by gun wielding fundamentalists and terrorists in 1990 and work towards their
resettlement and rehabilitation in Kashmir. Situation is real and the time is
running out.
Sachin Raina
