Uneven Humanitarianism: Abandoned Refugees along the Thai-Myanmar Border

This essay considers the case of uneven humanitarian aid distribution along the Thai-Myanmar border, where forcibly displaced migrants from Myanmar have been abandoned by the UNHCR and international humanitarian organizations. Based upon long-term ethnographic fieldwork along the Thai-Myanmar border amongst Tai migrants from the Shan State in Myanmar, I attend to the effects of the inequitable distribution of rights and privileges in an international humanitarian system that is predicated on the neoliberal logic of uneven development. After two centuries of British colonial occupation and later Burman authoritarian rule, the ethnic minority groups along the Thai-Myanmar border are now facing another crisis – that of abandonment as NGOs search for new and more pressing humanitarian disasters elsewhere. The essay addresses a concept I call uneven humanitarianism as a neocolonial condition for peoples living in the Thai-Myanmar borderlands by specifically focusing on Tai peoples who are living in unofficial refugee camps that lost foreign funding in 2017. I argue that the ad hoc treatment and eventual abandonment of these vulnerable groups – that are currently in the midst of the world’s most protracted civil war and displacement situation – constitutes a failure of the “responsibility to protect” humanitarian project.

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Addressing inequities in maternal health among women living in communities of social disadvantage and ethnic diversity

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10182-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cristina Fernandez Turienzo ◽

◽

Mary Newburn ◽

Agnes Agyepong ◽

Rachael Buabeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Diversity ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Social Disadvantage ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Community Stakeholders ◽

Public Health Strategies ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe response to the coronavirus outbreak and how the disease and its societal consequences pose risks to already vulnerable groups such those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnic minority groups. Researchers and community groups analysed how the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated persisting vulnerabilities, socio-economic and structural disadvantage and discrimination faced by many communities of social disadvantage and ethnic diversity, and discussed future strategies on how best to engage and involve local groups in research to improve outcomes for childbearing women experiencing mental illness and those living in areas of social disadvantage and ethnic diversity. Discussions centred around: access, engagement and quality of care; racism, discrimination and trust; the need for engagement with community stakeholders; and the impact of wider social and economic inequalities. Addressing biomedical factors alone is not sufficient, and integrative and holistic long-term public health strategies that address societal and structural racism and overall disadvantage in society are urgently needed to improve health disparities and can only be implemented in partnership with local communities.

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Exploring the Dimensionality of Ethnic Minority Adaptation in Britain: An Analysis across Ethnic and Generational Lines

Sociology ◽

10.1177/0038038515609030 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 626-645 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laurence Lessard-Phillips

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minority ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Group Differences ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Different Dimensions

In this article I explore the dimensionality of the long-term experiences of the main ethnic minority groups (their adaptation) in Britain. Using recent British data, I apply factor analysis to uncover the underlying number of factors behind variables deemed to be representative of the adaptation experience within the literature. I then attempt to assess the groupings of adaptation present in the data, to see whether a typology of adaptation exists (i.e. whether adaptation in different dimensions can be concomitant with others). The analyses provide an empirical evidence base to reflect on: (1) the extent of group differences in the adaptation process, which may cut across ethnic and generational lines; and (2) whether the uncovered dimensions of adaptation match existing theoretical views and empirical evidence. Results suggest that adaptation should be regarded as a multi-dimensional phenomenon where clear typologies of adaptation based on specific trade-offs (mostly cultural) appear to exist.

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Constructing im/migrants and ethnic minority groups as ‘carriers of disease’: Power effects of categorization practices in tuberculosis health reporting in the UK and Germany

Ethnicities ◽

10.1177/1468796819833426 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 518-534

Author(s):

Hella von Unger ◽

Penelope Scott ◽

Dennis Odukoya

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Epidemiological Data ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Health Reporting ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Core Feature ◽

The Uk

Migration- and ethnicity-related categories are a core feature of public health systems internationally, particularly in health reporting on communicable infectious diseases. The specific categories and classifications used differ from country to country and are subject to controversy and change. The article compares categorization practices in health reporting in the UK and Germany with regard to tuberculosis. Tuberculosis has been framed as a ‘migrants’ disease’ in recent decades and new categories were introduced to collect and report epidemiological data. We reconstruct the genesis, change and power effects of categories related to im/migrants and ethnic minority groups. In both countries, migration-related categorizations entail constructions of im/migrants as ‘carriers of disease’. However, the categories also connect with discourses on human rights, prevention, treatment and care for migrants as vulnerable groups. While this ambivalent role of migration-related categories is not unique to health statistics, the potential contribution to processes of ‘othering’ and politics of exclusion seem particularly imminent in the context of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. Ethnicity categories used in the UK, but not in Germany, also contribute to othering through racialization and culturalization, yet at the same time provide opportunities for community participation in the discourse.

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Application of fuzzy DEMATEL–ANP methods for siting refugee camps

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management ◽

10.1108/jhlscm-12-2018-0078 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 347-369 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jana Abikova

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Selection Process ◽

Long Term Results ◽

Future Research ◽

Refugee Camps ◽

Fuzzy Dematel ◽

Content Type ◽

Internally Displaced ◽

Humanitarian Organizations

PurposeThe aim of this paper was to investigate the criteria and sub-criteria with the most impact on determining a suitable location for refugee camps. This paper also analysed the relationships between the main criteria used in the selection process.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied a combination of fuzzy methods and the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) methods as tools for multiple-criteria decision analysis. A questionnaire was distributed to field workers in an international humanitarian organization team.FindingsFive main criteria and twenty sub-criteria were defined. Between them, the highest ranked sub-criteria were long-term planning, optimal distribution and opportunity for growth. These findings were specific to the interviewed respondents of presented research at the time the data were collected and offer a potential research design for future research examining different organizations and teams.Research limitations/implicationsThe methods and evaluation were based on human opinions that were potentially biased.Practical implicationsThe results of this study could be useful to government organizations, UN agencies, humanitarian organizations and other decision-making parties in selecting camp locations for refugees or internally displaced people according to how the importance of particular sub-criteria is understood.Originality/valueNew sub-criteria were included in this research. To date, the combination of fuzzy, DEMATEL and ANP methods has not been previously used in relation to these issues. Scientific knowledge concerning refugee camp siting problems is limited. This research extends this knowledge with the involvement of humanitarian workers as respondents. This paper also offers organizations a process for solving complex decision-making problems with long-term results or effect.

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Abstract P169: Ethnic Disparities In Short- And Long-term Prognosis After A First Cardiovascular Hospitalization

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.129.suppl_1.p169 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Louise Van Oeffelen ◽

Charles Agyemang ◽

Carla Koopman ◽

Karien Stronks ◽

Michiel Bots ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Readmission Rates ◽

Majority Population ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Migrant Groups ◽

Long Term Mortality

Introduction: Ethnic disparities in prognosis after a cardiovascular event have been reported. We investigated differences in mortality and readmission after a first hospital admission for total cardiovascular disease (CVD), AMI, CVA, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and congestive heart failure (CHF) between several ethnic minority groups and the Dutch majority population. Methods: A nationwide prospective cohort of CVD patients hospitalized between 1998 and 2010 was constructed (N=776,574). Differences in short- and long-term mortality and readmission (0-28 days after admission and 28 days-5 years after admission respectively) between first generation ethnic minority groups (henceforth: migrants) and the Dutch majority population were calculated using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models . Results: In particular mortality after AMI and CVA was higher in migrants compared to the Dutch majority population, except for Moroccans. Short- (HR 1.36; 1.07-1.74) and long-term ( HR 1.45; 1.20-1.75) mortality after CVD was the highest in Chinese migrants. Short-term readmission rates were similar between migrants and the Dutch majority population, except after AMI where mainly lower rates were found (HR:0.37-1.26). Long-term readmission rates were also similar to the Dutch majority population, except after CHF where readmission rates were lower (HR varies between 0.67-0.95), and after AMI where readmission rates for AMI were higher (HR varies between 1.24-1.83). Conclusion: Short- and long-term mortality after CVD is higher in migrant groups than in the Dutch majority population, except after CHF. Differences in readmission rates were more similar to the Dutch majority population, with some fluctuations between sub diseases and migrant groups.

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Preconception care

10.1093/med/9780198754787.003.0002 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Janet Medforth ◽

Linda Ball ◽

Angela Walker ◽

Sue Battersby ◽

Sarah Stables

Keyword(s):

Adolescent Mothers ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Preconception Care ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Lifestyle Advice ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Fetal Health ◽

Low Incomes ◽

Menstrual History ◽

Provide Health Care

This chapter includes taking a menstrual history, used to predict ovulation and the length of the menstrual cycle, and also as an opportunity to provide health care advice and education for women who are planning a pregnancy. Preconception nutrition is briefly covered with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as those with closely spaced pregnancies, adolescent mothers, vegans and vegetarians, those on low incomes, those with pre-existing diseases such as diabetes, those with eating disorders, and those from within ethnic minority groups. If needed, the practitioner can then refer women to professionally qualified nutritionists or dietitians. Lifestyle advice and medical considerations are provided here as healthy adjustments can be suggested to clients before conception to optimize maternal and early fetal health. A non-comprehensive list of some of the more common medical conditions is also provided, allowing for advice on screening or potential adjustments to medications to be organized prior to conception.

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INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES AND IRAQI MIGRATION IN PRECONFLICT SYRIA

International Journal of Middle East Studies ◽

10.1017/s0020743816000076 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 339-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sophia Hoffmann

Keyword(s):

Political Development ◽

Humanitarian Aid ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Social Changes ◽

Social Unrest ◽

Humanitarian Organizations ◽

Liberal Conception ◽

The Social ◽

First Time

AbstractDuring the Iraqi refugee crisis of 2007–10, international humanitarian organizations appeared for the first time in the Syrian domestic arena. These aid providers interpreted the position of Iraqi refugees in Syria according to a liberal conception of state–citizen relations that did not accord with the Syrian government's actual approach to Iraqis. Guided by this liberal frame, humanitarian organizations introduced biopolitical programs into the Syrian domestic context. Through new forms of population management, they solicited forms of behavior from Iraqis that were different from those required by Syrian state authorities. Drawing on the concept of biopower and using ethnographic material drawn from long-term research in Damascus in 2009–10, this article sheds light on an important political development in Syria shortly before the outbreak of social unrest and on the social changes that international humanitarian aid may transport.

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