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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas 2018, para. 18. (1)
- Paragraph text
- Forced or compulsory labour for the transport of persons or goods, such as the labour of porters or boatmen, shall be abolished within the shortest possible period. Meanwhile the competent authority shall promulgate regulations determining, inter alia, (a) that such labour shall only be employed for the purpose of facilitating the movement of officials of the administration, when on duty, or for the transport of Government stores, or, in cases of very urgent necessity, the transport of persons other than officials, (b) that the workers so employed shall be medically certified to be physically fit, where medical examination is possible, and that where such medical examination is not practicable the person employing such workers shall be held responsible for ensuring that they are physically fit and not suffering from any infectious or contagious disease, (c) the maximum load which these workers may carry, (d) the maximum distance from their homes to which they may be taken, (e) the maximum number of days per month or other period for which they may be taken, including the days spent in returning to their homes, and (f) the persons entitled to demand this form of forced or compulsory labour and the extent to which they are entitled to demand it.
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2018
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2020), para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Deploring the ongoing and resurgent scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in many regions of the world, often targeting migrants and refugees, as well as people of African descent, expressing concern that some political leaders and parties have supported such an environment, and in this context expressing its support for migrants and refugees in the context of the severe discrimination that they may face,
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2019), para. 09
- Paragraph text
- Deploring the ongoing and resurgent scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in many regions of the world, often targeting migrants and refugees, as well as people of African descent, expressing concern that some political leaders and parties have supported such an environment, and in this context expressing its support for migrants and refugees in the context of the severe discrimination that they may face,
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementationand Programme of Action (2017), para. 52
- Paragraph text
- 26. Deplores the ongoing and resurgent scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in many regions of the world, particularly targeting migrants and refugees, as well as people of African descent, expresses concern that political leaders and parties have supported such an environment, and in this context expresses its support for migrants and refugees in the context of the severe discrimination that they may face;
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementationand Programme of Action (2017), para. 53
- Paragraph text
- 27. Requests the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Human Rights Council to continue to convene annual commemorative meetings of the Assembly and the Council during the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, with the appropriate focus and themes, and to hold a debate on racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration, with the participation of the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and in this context encourages the participation of eminent personalities active in the struggle against racial discrimination, Member States and civil society organizations in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Assembly and the Council, respectively;
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intoleranceand the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2018), para. 08
- Paragraph text
- Deploring the ongoing and resurgent scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in many regions of the world, particularly targeting migrants and refugees, as well as people of African descent, expressing concern that political leaders and parties have supported such an environment, and in this context expressing its support for migrants and refugees in the context of the severe discrimination that they may face,
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intoleranceand the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2018), para. 52
- Paragraph text
- 24. Welcomes the commemorative plenary meeting of the General Assembly held on 21 March 2017 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, on the theme “Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration”;
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
Paragraph
A human rights-based approach to the administration of criminal justice in cases of trafficking in persons 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Trafficked persons are often arrested, detained, charged and even prosecuted for such unlawful activities as entering illegally, working illegally or engaging in prostitution. The vulnerability of trafficked persons to such treatment is often directly linked to their situation: their identity documents may be forged or have been taken away from them, and the exploitative activities in which they are or have been engaged, such as prostitution, soliciting or begging, may be illegal in the State of destination. Criminalization is also possible in countries of origin, where returned victims of trafficking may be penalized for unlawful or unauthorized departure.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A human rights-based approach to the administration of criminal justice in cases of trafficking in persons 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- International bodies, including the Open-ended Interim Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, have confirmed non-prosecution of trafficked persons as the relevant international legal standard. The Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking also provide that trafficked persons "are not to be prosecuted for violations of immigration laws or for the activities they are involved in as a direct consequence of their situation as trafficked persons". Both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly have made similar recommendations, as have regional bodies and instruments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A human rights-based approach to the administration of criminal justice in cases of trafficking in persons 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Indicators, including those developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are increasingly being used as a tool to identify trafficked persons. The Special Rapporteur encourages law enforcement agencies, including police and immigration, to draw on existing indicators in the identification processes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A human rights-based approach to the administration of criminal justice in cases of trafficking in persons 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- For example, Canada provides trafficking victims with a 180-day period of reflection and options for obtaining temporary residence permits, including for stays of up to three years. The Netherlands offers a period of reflection of three months that is not conditional on participation in the justice process and provides immigration remedies to foreign trafficking victims, including, in certain circumstances, options for permanent residence status. In accordance with measure No. 7 of its Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (2006-2009), Norway affords victims a six-month period of reflection free of conditions, which includes access to assistance and services. Italy does not limit the time given to trafficking victims to recuperate and to decide whether to assist authorities. In addition, foreign child victims receive an automatic residence permit until the age of 18.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A human rights-based approach to the administration of criminal justice in cases of trafficking in persons 2012, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- Laws and policies that do not contain adequate safeguards to prevent the prosecution of trafficking victims for status-related offences must be revised, in particular by taking steps to ensure that they are not prosecuted for offences related to their status as trafficked persons, including sex crimes, begging, working or immigration violations. In addition, it is important that States provide post-conviction remedies, such as the possibility to quash judgements for status-related offences.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- While common images of IDPs often portray them as living compactly in large camps, spontaneous informal settlements or collective IDP centres, the reality is that most IDPs live outside these clearly defined settings, or "outside camps". The expression IDPs outside camps in this report refers to IDPs who may live instead in a variety of settings or situations; they may be in urban, rural, or remote areas, renting, owning a housing, sharing a room, living with a host family, homeless, occupying a building or land that they do not own, or living in makeshift shelters and slums. A number of factors often result in the neglect and virtual "invisibility" of IDPs outside camps, thereby affecting their access to protection, assistance and durable solutions to their displacement. While the importance of the issue has gained increased recognition over the last several years, more concerted attention is necessary, including by the international community, in order to achieve a more equitable humanitarian response and lasting solutions for IDPs outside camps, as well as better support structures to communities which may be hosting them. Such an approach also ensures compliance with international law relating to IDPs, including international humanitarian and human rights law, regional instruments such as the Kampala Convention, and with international standards such as the Guiding Principles, which provide guarantees of non-discrimination and make no distinction between IDPs in or outside camps or other settings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The following report is intended as a contribution by the Special Rapporteur towards a larger process which will require consultations and the continued engagement of a broad range of stakeholders. It highlights why IDPs outside camps require specific interventions by national authorities, humanitarian and development actors, and details 3 specific areas of focus, namely, IDPs in urban contexts, host communities, and the role of provincial and municipal authorities. This report is also in follow-up to previous work by the mandate on the issue, including: reports to the Human Rights Council which identify this as a key challenge in the field of internal displacement and a priority area for the mandate; steps bringing it to the attention of the wider humanitarian community via the IASC; and specific attention to the issue in the context of country visits by the mandate. Several other areas of special relevance to IDPs outside camps are also mentioned in this report, such as data collection, and suggested for attention by relevant actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Numerous guidance tools and coordination structures to respond to the needs of IDPs living in camps, such as the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, have been developed over the years. By contrast, relatively little exists for IDPs outside camps. A number of factors often converge to focus assistance and attention to IDPs in camp situations. In many case, camps or settlements are constituted spontaneously by mass influxes of IDPs seeking protection and assistance, or in reaction to emergency situations in which immediate and often life-saving responses require concentrated assistance in certain areas (e.g. sites of natural disasters). With the passage of time, however, protracted displacement in artificial camp settings has often given rise to important humanitarian, protection and development concerns, for the IDP population, the country and sometimes for a region as a whole. In some instances, they may even become a pull factor for poor sectors of the population who may move into camps in order to have access to its basic services and assistance, thus compounding the problem.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, weaknesses in response systems, such as the gap between humanitarian, and early recovery and development interventions (which promote durable solutions), have been recognized and are increasingly being discussed. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that in addition to addressing such weaknesses, a more effective and systematized management of IDPs outside camps can also improve the overall response to internal displacement, anchor it within a human rights based approach, and contribute to durable solutions. Moreover, he notes that the benefits of improved responses to IDPs outside camps may become increasingly relevant in the context of global trends such as rapid global urbanization, and climate change induced displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- There has often been an implicit assumption that IDPs living outside of camps are less in need of protection and assistance because they are being cared for by family, neighbours or friends, or that they have somehow found a solution on their own. While some may indeed have elected to stay out of camps because they did not want or need assistance, and others managed to progress towards durable solutions on their own, many IDPs outside camps are not in these situations. In some cases, IDPs may need the assistance and protection of an organized camp, but may not have that option: they may be displaced in isolated or remote locations (where there is no camp or host community), not be able to physically make it to camp areas, fear detection by authorities, or camps may be simply be closed or discouraged due to government policies. Moreover, even when IDPs outside camps benefit from initial resources and the support and structures of a host community, these resources tend to degrade over time. In many cases IDPs with sufficient resources to cope in the initial months of displacement, often find these quickly dwindling as they struggle with the high costs of housing, lack of access to land and livelihoods, inability to access social services, the loss of most of their material possessions, and the absence of their usual support structures. As a result, some IDPs outside camps may become more vulnerable over time.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, while family, friends and communities may initially welcome and assist IDPs, when their stay drags on, for months or years, strains on resources may lead to an eventual breaking point and the need for IDPs to find alternative assistance or living arrangements, often resulting in secondary movements and a more precarious situation. Even when specific IDP assistance exists in the form of food or other emergency assistance, distribution of assistance to non-camp IDPs, often tends to be one-off distributions at the beginning of displacement rather than the sustained assistance which is needed. Similarly, while State assistance programmes may sometimes be available for vulnerable groups in society, these will often be insufficient to take into account the heightened needs brought about by displacement, may be contingent on local residency or identity documents which IDPs may not be able to provide, or IDPs may not access them out of fear of drawing attention to themselves, for security reasons. Discrimination on the basis of their being displaced may also create an additional barrier to accessing State services. The considerations below aim to provide an initial framework for strengthening humanitarian and development responses to the needs of IDPs outside camps and those of their host communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Recent trends in internal displacement point to a significant and growing number of IDPs living in urban areas, the majority of whom do not live in formal camps. Once in urban environments, IDPs tend to live mixed among the general population and become difficult to identify, protect or assist. Many reasons compel IDPs to move to urban areas, including employment opportunities and in some cases the relative safety of anonymity. By 2030 it is estimated that urban populations will exceed 5 billion and that 80 per cent of these will live in urban centres in the developing world - regions where urban growth is accentuated by increasing number of refugees and IDPs who tend to move to cities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Urban areas are viewed by many IDPs as environments where they can rebuild their lives, have better access to public services, employment opportunities, and resources, either for an interim period or on a long-term basis. With the necessary support systems, urban planning and frameworks, many cities and towns can offer more likely sites for local integration than segregated IDP camps or remote and rural displacement locations. At the same time, IDPs outside camps who live in urban settings - and particularly certain categories of vulnerable groups or those with few resources or support - are often exposed to a number of dangers. As newcomers with little, if any, access to financial resources, documents or proof of income necessary to rent housing elsewhere, IDPs often have to resort to living in slum areas or dangerous and impoverished parts of a city which offers no security of tenure, less access to services, are more prone to disasters, and make them potential targets of urban violence, forced evictions and secondary displacements. The high rents characterizing many urban centres around the world, a trend also likely to increase, render IDPs particularly vulnerable to homelessness and to precarious housing situations - thus contributing to the increase in slums. In the context of the visit to Iraq by this mandate in late 2010, it was found that in Baghdad alone more than 200,000 persons, many of whom were believed to be IDPs, were living in slum settlements, in inadequate shelters, with little or no access to water, and other services such as sanitation and garbage collection. IDPs in many of these sites, who resorted to living there due to an inability to pay high rents or of their host families to continue supporting them, were also at risk of imminent eviction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- While in many cases, non-camp IDPs living in impoverished urban environments have many needs in common with others living in these environments, they also have specific needs and should be part of assistance programmes, and political and durable solutions strategies to address internal displacement in the country. This process may include, but is nonetheless distinct from the general socio-economic and development challenges related to urban poverty. Failing to recognize this often results in a "policy by default" which only treats IDPs within the wider, and often intractable problem of the urban poor. The Special Rapporteur believes that a combined approach, which includes community-based approaches and punctual IDP specific interventions is necessary in most contexts - in order to address IDP specific needs, constraints, human rights concerns and durable solutions, while taking into account the wider host community needs. Moreover, such an approach prevents harm through the exacerbation of poverty resulting from the neglect of specific IDP needs and solutions to their displacement. Assisting IDPs, particularly when combined with support to host communities, can reduce overcrowding, joblessness, poverty, homelessness and consolidate peace and reconstruction efforts, for the benefit of IDPs and the city as a whole.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In situations where mass internal displacement is due to political, ethnic or sectarian violence, addressing internal displacement is also necessary to national reconciliation and peace processes. IDPs dispersed in urban areas should be included and participate in such processes, and related durable solutions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- The predicted increase in internal displacement due to the effects of climate change and related frequency and severity of natural disasters is a further factor pointing to the need to develop a more consistent, equitable and systemized response to IDPs outside camps. The erosion of livelihoods, in part provoked by climate change, is considered a key "push" factor for the increase in rural to urban displacement and migration, most of which is likely to be to urban slums and informal settlements offering precarious living conditions. The Special Rapporteur believes that the urban dimensions of climate-change-induced displacement should be a key consideration in medium and long-term national development strategies, as well as adaptation measures.. These should include strengthened systems to monitor influxes of IDPs, and to address the assistance and durable solutions needs of IDPs outside camps living in urban areas. IDPs, who are more likely to be unlisted and undocumented, are also likely to have less access to services and livelihoods, and to live in slum areas which are often situated in hazard-prone locations such as low-lying areas and landfill sites -thereby making them vulnerable to further risks, including to their physical safety, the loss of housing, and secondary displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- While IDPs living in both camp and non-camp settings are greatly affected by relations with host communities, non-camp IDPs are particularly entwined with their hosts, as in many cases, they may not be able to rely on other actors such as international organizations or aid groups. In one analysis of IDP trends, it was found that in the majority of countries reviewed, most IDPs in non-camp settings had no assistance beyond that provided by the host community or host family. Better understanding of the role and specific assistance provided by host communities may therefore suggest ways of supporting them in their effort to assist the displaced living among them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The term "host community" has been used to depict a community hosting a camp, or a non-camp population. However it has also become a "catch-all" term, which often obscures the complexity and variety of communities in which IDPs live. The kinds of host communities vary widely across contexts. In many cases, 'host communities' simply refers to communities in which relatives or friends take in a family member. At other times, they refer to communities in locations to which IDPs have fled and remain during their period of displacement. Often host communities and host families may be poor or living in precarious conditions themselves. They may lack physical security, adequate access to basic services, and may have been impacted by conflict or a natural disaster as well. In some cases host communities are receiving new arrivals while in others they may be reintegrating returnees. In other contexts, such as those subject to repeated or cyclical displacements, host communities may be made up of IDPs who have simply been displaced longer.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Despite these challenges, host communities are often the key to ensuring essential assistance services to IDPs, to the work of humanitarian organizations, and to finding durable solutions. They are most often the "first responders" to a crisis, and may welcome, support and assist IDPs upon their arrival. But as displacement becomes protracted, tensions can often result due to competition over scarce resources, employment opportunities, or from underlying religious, ethnic, cultural or other differences - frequently related to or exacerbated by the conflict causing the displacement in the first place. Without IDP frameworks and institutions in place to respond to the particular context and needs of IDPs living within these communities, these tensions and competition over resources and services will usually have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable IDP groups, such as female-headed households, children and older persons, and leave them exposed to human rights violations, exploitation and poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Improved and more systematized responses to IDPs outside camps, can also help address a number of other issues, including the precarious nature and protection problems raised by unmonitored and unassisted hosting arrangements such as those between IDPs and host families or friends. Highly or entirely dependent on the assistance and shelter provided by host families, certain groups of IDPs, such as vulnerable categories of women, children and the elderly, may be particularly at risk of a number of protection concerns, including abuse, exploitation, and sexual violence by their hosts. In this regard, this mandate has recommended the establishment of appropriate monitoring and ombuds-mechanisms, and other activities such as visits by social workers, working with local associations and counselling centres, and the establishment of a hotline, in order enhance the protection of IDPs living within host-family arrangements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of emergency assistance and complementary support structures are also necessary in order to address situations when host family arrangements break down or are insufficient. In many cases, the assistance and hospitality provided by hosts may be primarily based on affiliations with some members of the family and not others (e.g. one of the spouses), so that when the nuclear IDP family disintegrates during the period of displacement, some members may have to leave and find their own solutions. In other situations, the strains of assisting and providing shelter to IDPs for prolonged periods may be such that host families may simply no longer be able to continue providing this support unassisted. In all of these situations, IDPs will in many cases need to leave the host family. Ensuring that systems are in place to support hosting arrangements, and to provide protection and assistance alternatives for IDPs who can no longer remain in these arrangements, will be vital in order to prevent the most vulnerable IDPs from having to adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as early marriage, dangerous and exploitative livelihood activities, and from living in precarious settings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Since the State has the primary responsibility for protection and assistance to IDPs, a whole-of-government approach is both required and encouraged in IDP responses. However, it is provincial and municipal authorities who are often in the front line, addressing both the immediate humanitarian aspects of an IDP influx, and the longer-term pressures related to prolonged displacement and the extension of basic services to them. Yet, they frequently lack the necessary resources to meet this challenge, indicating gaps between policies decided in the capital and what is implemented locally, and complex relationships between local and national authorities and international actors working within the country. This is perhaps most acutely felt in the case of IDPs outside camps, who are less likely to benefit from alternative assistance provided by non-governmental organizations. At the same time, provincial and municipal authorities have specific responsibilities and a critical role to play in upholding the human rights of IDPs within their communities, implementing IDP-specific and community based programmes, and facilitating durable solutions, including local integration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- On account of their direct contact with IDPs, and their immediate role in the provision of local services, and formulation of local development strategies, local authorities are often the best placed to identify and assist IDPs outside camps living in their communities. They can support IDP profiling exercises, and facilitate the replacement or acquisition of identification, residency or other documents - both important steps enabling IDPs outside camps to access the assistance, rights and benefits to which they are entitled, both as IDPs and as citizens. This assistance will enable them to benefit from national social security systems, public services and resources available to residents, and to access a series of other rights (e.g. relating to property, civil status, housing). For example, in the case of Iraq, where food security was a problem for a large part of the population, this mandate received reports that IDPs moving from one governorate to another were often unable to transfer their food ration cards to new areas of displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
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