Panel details

Panel organiser(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online
Number of paper presentations	7

Abstract

Migration and displacement are key aspects of humanitarian crises, whether because of direct risks to safety due to violence and attacks, and/or because of loss of livelihoods due to destruction of productive assets and constrained access, for example to land, markets, social services etc. A number of countries in the Horn and East Africa (including Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea) as well as the middle East (e.g. the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen) are suffering protracted and ongoing humanitarian crisis. Yet, governments frequently view migration from these countries to Europe as resulting from economic factors or as a security issue, to be managed through border controls and tackling smuggling and trafficking networks. This panel examines migration, in particular (but not exclusively) to Europe, as a humanitarian concern. It will examine the failure of humanitarianism in responding to the protracted crises that people are fleeing from, and the protection and assistance of migrants and refugees along their journey. Part of this will be an examination of the humanitarian consequences of existing migration policies and of the use of migration terminology, and the extent to which European states are meeting their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Panel is hosted by: Susanne Jaspars (SOAS), Margie Buchanan-Smith (ODI)

Paper presentations