Since the 2015 European Migrant Crises, stateless individuals, refugees and migrants alike have constantly been at the forefront of toxic narratives and stigma that arbitrarily characterise them as “economic leeches” and “swarms”. Anti-refugee stances and propaganda rarely seek the root causes behind mass displacement and merely focus on the fact that masses of people are at the borders of their country. Hunger, climate-related circumstances and state-led persecution are some of the key causes of forced displacement that the common man cannot control. Therefore, it is of no surprise that then citizens, now refugees flee for their lives. This list misses a recent and rather universal cause of forced displacement: the Covid-19 pandemic. From university students catching the first flight home to political leaders returning to their host countries, every individual has forcibly been displaced from their daily lives and seeks safety and security due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Ironically, when refugees attempt to do the same, anti-refugee ideologies and stances ostracize them. This notion has cost millions of refugees their life. Something we all are fending for today.
Climate change is one of the root and most drastic causes of forced displacement. The United Nations Refugee Agency states that from the “20.4 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate at the end of 2018, a third were located in developing regions” most susceptible to natural disasters and climate fluctuations. On the 1st of October 2019, Our World in Data reported that the US is the largest historical contributor to climate change releasing more than “400 billion tonnes since 1751 which is almost twice more than China”. EU-28 accounts for 22% of the emissions historically. India and Brazil are not large historical contributors and Africa’s regional contribution relative to its size is extremely low historically as well as presently. These figures highlight that emissions by the West, both the US and the EU have caused climate change historically which leads to forced displacement in the 21st century. Consequently, the World Bank reports that Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia will generate 143 million more climate migrants by 2050. Though Asian and African countries maybe contributors today, they cannot immediately impact the figure reported by the World Bank because they are not significant historical contributors since 1751. Ironically, western political leaders have called migrants especially from the global south “animals”, “swarms” and “slaves”, initiated travel bans and deportation threats when they are key contributors to climate-induced displacement. This issue exacerbates as major contributing countries such as the US withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, a means to foster international cooperation and dialogue. Yet, major contributors refuse to bear the consequences of their actions today, making it seem as though climate migrants leave their homes out of choice than out of necessity.
Climate-induced factors are just one branch of forced displacement. Another major root cause of forced displacement occurs due to violence. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence”. Persecution, state-led violence or war just like the Covid-19 pandemic is beyond the control of the masses. They largely occur due to factors such as “race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group”. Decisions to investigate member states by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and aid restrictions to name a few are discussed in the United Nations Security Council that the common man, a victim of forced displacement has no control over. On the 20th of December 2019, “Russia, backed by China, casts 14th U.N. veto on Syria to block cross-border aid”. UN aid chief Ursula Mueller stated, “That would cause a rapid increase in hunger and disease, resulting in death, suffering and further displacement”. Moreover, the Guardian reported that on the 24th of October 2017, the Russian Federation used a veto to end UN investigation of Syrian chemical attacks. Today, the common man does not have control over governmental decision making regarding the pandemic that has led to forced displacement. Similarly, refugees have no choice but to bear the brunt of transnational decision making either which they rightfully evade by fleeing.
A third prominent cause of forced displacement is hunger. Often looked at through the lens of climate change and violent conflict, hunger is classified both as a cause and consequence of forced migration. This vicious cycle is further exacerbated by the lack of land rights minority groups such as the Rohingya refugees do not have access to. Land ownership is highly crucial for the Rohingya minority group to cultivate economic independence and self-sufficiency. The amendment to Myanmar’s Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Act (VFV) has made Rohingyas more susceptible to persecution if they attempt to “tress-pass” their own homes. Myanmar officials have bulldozed Rohingya villages and built new facilities and homes in their place. Rohingya minorities that were previously displaced are not aware of these amendments. Most surprisingly, they are not allowed to apply for permits for their home outside of their country when home itself is unsafe. In the Covid-19 situation, where would we go if there was no home? If home was unsafe, would you or I find another place of refuge? If the answer is yes, then why are refugees marginalized when they are simply attempting to find a safe home?
We are all victims of forced migration today. More often than not, we scroll through social media platforms and any source of information to gauge whether the government has made new decisions regarding the pandemic. On the other hand, refugees and migrants wait for months and even years to hear back from the government especially when access to technology is rarely available in refugee camps. More often than not, we miss friends and family though we are in touch with them virtually. Refugees and migrants are not even aware whether their friends and family are safe and alive let alone keeping contact. More often than not, we wonder when our next meal in our favourite restaurants post-lockdown will be while refugees and migrants wonder whether they will have a meal at all. More often than not, we are frustrated as the lockdown takes a toll on our mental health when refugees are stuck in camps for over years in poor conditions. More often than not, we are eagerly planning travels post-lockdown while refugees and migrants fear being deported to a destination that can cost them their lives. We are all victims of forced displacement with the key difference that refugees and migrants are displaced from their homes due to uncontrollable circumstances while we are displaced to our homes due to uncontrollable ones. Can we control the Covid-19 pandemic as a cause of displacement? No. Can refugees and migrants control hunger, violence and climate change as causes of forced displacement? No. It is high time we destigmatise forced displacement.
Salwa Mansuri is a student at University College London School of Public Policy