REFUGEE HOUSING

HOUSING FOR SPECIAL AREAS AND

GROUPS
ROHIT KUMAR,
H/473, IV SEM - 2014
DEPT. OF HOUSING.
REFUGEE UNHCR
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES :
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or
her country because of persecution, war, or violence.
A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for
reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or
membership in a particular social group.
Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so.
ASYLUM SEEKER:
When people flee their own country and seek sanctuary in
another country, they apply for asylum the right to be
recognized as a refugee and receive legal protection and
material assistance.


PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE STATUS
OF REFUGEES 1967
The 1951 Refugee Convention, Geneva was limited to
protecting mainly European refugees in the aftermath of
World War II, but another document, the 1967 Protocol,
expanded the scope of the Convention as the problem of
displacement spread around the world.
The Convention clearly spells out who a refugee is and the
kind of legal protection, other assistance and social rights he
or she should receive from the countries who have signed the
document.
The Convention also defines a refugees obligations to host
governments and certain categories or people, such as war
criminals, who do not qualify for refugee status.
PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE STATUS
OF REFUGEES 1967
The Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (also known as the
New York Protocol) entered into force on 4 October 1967 is the
primary International Refugee Law.
146 countries are parties to the Protocol.
REFUGEES IN INDIA
India has seen large influx of refugee populations throughout
history.
India does not have a specific refugee legislation but it adopts
an ad hoc approach to different refugee influxes, mainly by
political and administrative decisions.
The legal status of refugees in India is governed mainly by the
Foreigners Act 1946 and the Citizenship Act 1955.
These Acts do not distinguish refugees fleeing persecution
from other foreigners; they apply to all non-citizens equally.
Under the Acts it is a criminal offence to be without valid
travel or residence documents. These provisions render
refugees liable to deportation and detention
HRLN Report, 2007
REFUGEES IN INDIA
UNHCR 2013, HRLN Report, 2007 *refugee status by UNHCR
GROUP ORIGIN YEAR
SINCE
REASON POPULATION
(at max)
PRESENT LOCATION
PARSIS SANJAN
(TURKMENISTAN)
16
TH
, 17
TH

CENTURY
AD
INVASION
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
- GUJARAT
PAKISTAN
HINDUS, SIKHS,
MUSLIMS
PAKISTAN AND
EAST BENGAL
1947 PARTITION OF INDIA 10 MILLION DELHI, PUNJAB
TIBETAN TIBET 1959 1952 INVASION OF TIBET
BY CHINA
PERSECUTIONS
0.15 MILLION HIMACHAL PRADESH,
LADAKH, MP, ORISSA,
WEST BENGAL
BANGLADESHI BANGLADESH 1971 BANGLADESH LIBERATION
WAR
GENOCIDE BY PAKISTAN
ARMY
10 MILLION WEST BENGAL,
ASSAM, MEGHALAYA,
TRIPURA
AFGHAN * AFGHANISTAN 1979 1979 SOVIET INVASION 60,000
THOUSAND
DELHI
SRI LANKAN
TAMILS
SRI LANKA 1983 CIVIL WAR WITH LTTE 0.17 MILLION TAMIL NADU, KERAKA,
KARNATAKA
ROHIINGYA* RAKHINE
PROVINCE,
MYANMAR
DELHI, J & K, WEST
BENGAL
1947 PARTITION
Post Partition, nearly five lakh
people poured into the city
from western Punjab, Sindh
and the Northwest Frontier.
New Delhi then did not have
the infrastructure to support
migration of this magnitude.
The refugees moved into
camps, gurudwaras, temples,
schools and military barracks.
The less fortunate settled on
pavements as well as parks.
Camping sites in Delhi
The Hindu
1947 PARTITION
Camping sites in Delhi
1947 PARTITION
Delhi received the largest number of refugees for a single city the
population of Delhi grew rapidly in 1947 from under 1 million
(917,939) to a little less than 2 million (1,744,072) during the period
19411951.
The refugees were housed in various historical and military
locations such as the Purana Qila, Red Fort, and military barracks in
Kingsway (around the present Delhi University).
The camp sites were later converted into permanent housing
through extensive building projects undertaken by the Government
of India from 1948 onwards.
A number of housing colonies in Delhi came up around this period
like Lajpat Nagar, Rajinder Nagar, Nizamuddin East, Punjabi Bagh,
Rehgar Pura, Jungpura and Kingsway Camp.
REFUGEES IN INDIA
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e4876d6
UNHCR currently assists over
24,000 urban refugees and asylum-
seekers in New Delhi originating
from non-neighbouring countries
and Myanmar.
The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) is based in New Delhi.
Once recognized, Afghan,
Burmese, Palestinian and Somali
refugees receive protection from
the UNHCR.
Many refugees receive a small
monthly subsistence allowance and
all have access to the services
provided by the UNHCRs
implementing partners in Delhi:
the YMCA, Don Bosco and the
Socio-Legal Centre (SLIC).
HOUSING SECURITY CASE STUDY:
DELHI
India does not have any legislations for Housing the Refugees.
UNHCR with YMCA provides accomodation for a period.
As per survey by UNHCR, More than half (51%) of Indian
respondents owned their dwelling, but no refugees did.
Almost all the refugees rented, with the exception of a few who
lived in dwellings without paying rent.
Myanmarese, Somali and Afghan refugees all reported varying
degrees of housing insecurity due to restricted access to
accommodation, discrimination by landlords, and evictions.
Refugees were much more likely than Indians to share their
dwellings: almost half (42%) of Somalis and 13% of Myanmarese
refugees said they shared their dwelling with non-family
members.
UNHCR, Urban Profiling of Refugee Population in Delhi, 2012
HOUSING SECURITY CASE STUDY:
DELHI
According to information shared in the focus groups, rent for one
room was about 3,000 Rupees in West Delhi, where most
Myanmarese people live.
The average rent for Afghans in the Afghan residential areas was
10,000 Rupees for two rooms.
UNHCR, Urban Profiling of Refugee Population in Delhi, 2012
HOUSING SECURITY CASE STUDY:
DELHI
EVICTIONS were faced in very different degrees by the refugee
populations.
80% of Myanmarese households and 62% of Somali households
had experienced evictions.
Reported reasons for evictions were mostly related to inability to
pay the rent, the presence of their children, visitors, or big
families, and in general discrimination by the landlord.
In comparison, less than 5% of Indians and Afghans reported
having been evicted from their homes.
One focus group said refugees who got rejected by UNHCR kept it
secret, fearing that if the landlord heard of it, he would raise the
rent, and they would be forced to pay more, since finding a new
apartment with no valid identity documents is very difficult.
UNHCR, Urban Profiling of Refugee Population in Delhi, 2012
HOUSING SECURITY
CONCLUSIONS: Refugees from Myanmar and Somalia appeared to
be more vulnerable when it came to housing than Afghans or
Indians.
They had less living space, with most households occupying only
one room and were more likely to share toilets and kitchens with
non-family members.
By contrast, the vast majority of Afghans did not share any facilities.
Refugee households from Somalia and Myanmar also had higher
rates of evictions when compared to Afghan households.
UNHCR, Urban Profiling of Refugee Population in Delhi, 2012
INDIA : NOT A SIGNATORY
Indias reasoning for not signing the Refugee Convention is the
fear of indefinite legal responsibility for the vast numbers of
persons seeking shelter.
The Indian government does not believe it successfully can
handle the requirements of the Refugee Convention, and such
new pressures would damage the countrys economic and
social balance.
The Indian government as viewing the Refugee Convention as
burdensome on the host country, while the international
community is inactive.
In addition, the Indian government argues its current refugee
policy is in line with international norms.
http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/v7i1/india.htm
FOREIGN PERSPECTIVE
DISCRIMINATORY: India bases its treatment of various refugee
groups on political grounds, resulting in an unstable and ever-
changing domestic policy.
India grants privileges to certain refugee groups based on bilateral
and multilateral political relations with other states, as well as
domestic political opinion.
The World Refugee Survey 2007, which rates refugee protection in
countries on four categories of rights -- physical protection,
freedom from illegal detention, freedom of movement and the
right to earn a livelihood -- has rated India 'D' in three categories,
signifying 'a level of treatment marginally above the rest' and 'C'
with regard to freedom from illegal detention, signifying that
refugees have reasonable access to the Indian judiciary (SAHRDC,
July 11, 2007).
http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/v7i1/india.htm, HRLN Report 2007
CONCEPT
Concept Housing for Refugees by IKEA to UNHCR