Calcutta Research Group, (25-30 November 2018)
Module F
Module F. Migrants and Movements Across Asia: Common Features with the European Scenario
Coordinators: Dr. Anita Sengupta and Professor Meghna Guhu Thakurta
Abstract
This module is concerned primarily with the refugee situation in Asia.The Asian region is now possibly the most volatile in terms of population flows and the refugee crisis has reached unprecedented heights. In recent times, South and Southeast Asia states have hosted large numbers of refugees unimagined on a European scale.The long drawn war in Afghanistan followed by wars in Iraq and Syria, and now the massive exodus of Rohingyas from Myanmar have produced refugees, asylum seekers, immigrant labour, and trafficked girls, children, and women in the last few decades. One needs to add to this the preceding flows in South Asia following decolonisation and partition of the Indian sub-continent. The violent partition of the region into nation states, displaced even by conservative estimates some 15 million people. The impact of partition was enormous, however, even in colonial times there were massive displacements due to conflicts, contest over resources, exploitation by colonial masters, and subsequent protests. Subsequently, the Bangladesh War, Tibetan refugee flows, ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, borders and boundary conflicts in the region, minority exodus from Myanmar to Thailand, Vietnamese boat refugees can be seen as direct or indirect fallout of decolonisation of the wider region. Added to these is the issue of migrant labour flows (what is seen as ‘illegal’ labour migration) into Malaysia, India, Turkey, and other countries from other Asian nations like Bangladesh, Syria or Afghanistan. What adds to the conundrum are strict border controls, violent borderlands, no labour rights, and below subsistence wages.
India, the largest country in the South Asian region, is at the very centre of the mixed population flows. It has to be mentioned that India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol. In India, the refugees like all other migrants fall under the jurisdiction of the Foreigners Act (1946) and the Passport Act (1955). But this is not to say that India has not given refugee status to any group. There is also no regional convention on refugee protection (unlike Africa), no Asia wide understanding. None of the South Asian states, except Afghanistan,has signed either the 1951 UN Refuge Convention or the 1967 UN Protocol. However, these countries have ratified in the recent past several other human rights instruments. All of them ratified the four Geneva Conventions as well. The Asian context is also characterised by regional features such as the Bali Process etc.There are various judicial decisions, legal decisions, political movements in defence of the rights of the migrants and forced migrants.
Keeping in mind the above context, this module encourages discussions on issues of refugee protection regime, citizenship and statelessness, the role of race, gender and religion in migration and forced migration in the broad Asian region. It seeks to evolve an understandingof a holistic approach towards ensuring human rights, protection, and justice, in place of policies dovetailed for old and redundant administrative categories like refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced, stateless, illegal immigrant, trafficked women, trafficked labour, boat refugees, etc.
Draft of Full Paper: CLICK HERE
Participants
Sl.No. | Name & Details of the Participants | Country | Photo | Research Articles | Comments by Coordinator |
1. |
Aditi Sabbarwal , UNHCR ||
Email: aditi.sabbarwal@gmail.com
|
India |
Refugee livelihoods in India & Turkey - a comparative study
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2. |
Angela Smith, University of New South Wales
|
Australia | |||
3. |
Santi Sarkar, Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore |
India |
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4. |
Vishwa Kanak Khatri , Manipal Academy of
Higher Education |
India |
ASEAN and Myanmar’s Rohingya Challenge: Assessing Policy and Response |
Readings