Under international law the legal term for a refugee are persons “outside their country of origin who are in need of international protection because of serious threats to their life, physical intergenic in their country of origin as a result of persecution, armed conflict, violence or serious public disorder” (UNHCR, 2022, p. 28). Approximately 22% of the world’s population reside in refugee camps and whereas 2 million are sheltered in self-settled camps (UNHCR, 2022). Many of the countries where these camps are located are in places like Kenya, Sudan, Chad, Jordan and other areas in the world. 60% of refugees today live in urban settings like in cities and other parts of the world (UNHCR, 2022). An urban refugee is someone who has decided to or was given permission to settle in an urban area instead of being in a refugee camp (UNHCR, 2022, p. 15). In today’s world not many states see the value that refugees have when living in urban areas and view them as anonymous.
Before going into depth about the positives of having refugees in urban settings it is important to look at why refugees decide to leave camps where they are situated. Refugee camps are used to accommodate refugees who have fled their home, or for environmental, as well as economic reasons (Marfleet, 2007). A way a camp is done is run by the government, the United Nations, international organizations like the International Committee for the Red Cross or non-government organizations. The aim of refugee camps is to meet the basic needs of human suffering. There are different amenities and services that are offered to refugees in camps like housing and sanitation, food, access to health needs and security (Marfleet, 2007). Even though many people live in refugee camps many people who decide to not live in them face struggles of integration, finding a job, getting used to the new culture and trying to get through the day to day (Obi, 2021). A lot of refugee camps today are overcrowded, have poor access to sanitation, not much educational opportunities and employment. They can also isolate refugees from the host city they are in and do not help them in accessing networks that they may need for integration into a new country (Obi, 2021). Many decide to live in urban areas for these reasons and many more, but do face challenges.
In Jordan 90% of Syrian refugees live outside of camps in urban settings. Where many of these people who do live outside endure bad living conditions, have limited access to public facilities, work low-income jobs, and pay high rent (Vos & Dempster, 2021). The Syrians living in Jordan would often lack the basic information about what their rights are in the country, which leaves them at a disadvantage compared to refugees who do live in camps (Vos & Dempster, 2021).
Since urban refugees do have trouble integrating into urban areas I think it stems from how the international community as well as how governments respond to refugees. Over the past little bit there has been backlash against refugees with many countries like Australia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the U.S. obsessed with protecting their borders from immigrants and refugees (Vos & Dempster, 2021). In 2017 under the Donald Trump government, they only accepted 15,000 refugees in 2019 which is far less than in 2017 with 33,000 refugees being allowed (Vos & Dempster, 2021). Similar attitudes are happening just as of this year when refugees from Syria, Africa and other middle eastern countries were looking to cross the Belarus-Polish border (Vos & Dempster, 2021). They were not allowed due to them being seen as a threat to the Polish government. Some other ways that refugees are facing backlash is how Somali refugees in Nairobi are routinely targeted by policy and are accused of being seen as a threat bt Kenyan politicians for national security (Vos & Dempster, 2021).
Even though refugees are facing backlash it is important to allow for more integration of urban refugees. Some ways that governments can do this in my opinion is by allowing them the right to work, move and thrive in their new country (Marfleet, 2007). Host countries should prioritize the legal rights for refugees just like for their citizens. Another way is to craft policies that allow for local integration of refugees into the economy and society, by starting with the local government and then moving to the national (Marfleet, 2007). The last would offer refugees the right to protection, health, education, cash assistance and basic life support for refugees like they do in camps (Marfleet, 2007). A recommendation I would make is for the international community to stop seeing refugees as a threat, but people who just want a new shot at life and do not want to have to flee again or live in fear.
If the international community wants to work towards bringing in more urban refugees, it should start with changing the narrative around refugees and focus on why urban refugees are helpful for a country's future and the world.
References
Marfleet, P. (2007). Forgotten hidden: Predicaments of the
Urban Refugee. University of East London Press. “Forgotten,” “Hidden”: Predicaments of the Urban Refugee | Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees (yorku.ca)
Obi, C. (2021). How refugees' decisions to live in or outside a
camp affects their quality of life. World Bank Blogs. How refugees' decision to live in or outside a camp affects their quality of life (worldbank.org)
UNHCR. (2022). Urban Refugees.
UN Media Center. UNHCR - Urban Refugees
Vos, A., & Dempster, H. (2021). Most Refugees Live in Cities,
Not Camps. Our Responses Needs to Shift. Center for Global Development. Most Refugees Live in Cities, Not Camps. Our Response Needs to Shift | Center for Global Development | Ideas to Action (cgdev.org)