Dua Jalur Penanganan Pengungsi: Analisis Diplomasi Migrasi di Asia Tenggara

Diskursus dalam isu migrasi di Asia Tenggara umumnya didominasi oleh perspektif keamanan. Involuntary migration, baik pengungsi maupun pencari suaka, kerap dipandang sebagai ancaman keamanan dan ekonomi negara penerima, terutama sejak Krisis Pengungsi Asia Tenggara pada 2015. Meskipun demikian, beberapa negara seperti Indonesia, Thailand, dan Malaysia cenderung bersikap akomodatif terhadap pengungsi. Kondisi tersebut kontras mengingat di Asia Tenggara, hanya Kamboja, Timor Leste, dan Filipina yang meratifikasi Konvensi Pengungsi 1951. Tulisan ini berupaya untuk menganalisis upaya penanganan pengungsi tersebut sebagai fenomena ‘diplomasi migrasi,’ yaitu utilisasi kebijakan migrasi negara untuk memenuhi tujuan diplomasi serta diplomasi masyarakat sipil untuk memengaruhi kebijakan negara. Cakupan riset ini ialah analisis di tingkat kawasan (Asia Tenggara) yang berfokus pada dua aktor yaitu negara-negara anggota ASEAN dengan aktor-aktor non-negara, khususnya masyarakat sipil. Melalui kerangka teori Diplomasi Migrasi dan Multi-Track Diplomacy, tulisan ini berargumen bahwa terdapat upaya diplomasi migrasi di Asia Tenggara yang dilangsungkan melalui dua jalur utama, yaitu secara formal melalui negara dan informal melalui masyarakat sipil yang memengaruhi negara. Diplomasi migrasi dilakukan secara berkesinambungan melalui interaksi antara dua aktor tersebut. Selain untuk membentuk citra baik, kebijakan pengungsi juga turut meningkatkan posisi tawar negara untuk mencapai kepentingan ekonomi dan politik lainnya. Pada bagian akhir, tulisan ini merekomendasikan kebijakan yang lebih akomodatif dengan memberi sokongan kepada organisasi internasional dan kelompok masyarakat sipil yang melakukan penanganan terhadap pengungsi secara lebih otonom. Kata kunci: Pengungsi, Rohingya, Diplomasi Migrasi, Asia Tenggara, Masyarakat Sipil

Living through Precarity: A Butlerian Study of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland

This article aims to explore Judith Butler’s concept of precarity in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. The questions this study seeks to find answers to are: What are the various manifestations of Butler’s notion of precarity in The Lowland? And to what extent does the Butlerian sense of agency allow the main characters of The Lowland the possi- bility of overcoming precarity? This research shows how enforced dispossession, which is a product of globally-imposed precarity, incites violence and leads to the involuntary migration of the subjects. In addition, it is revealed that precarity plays a segregative role in escalating religious and tribal conflicts in the post-Partition India. More importantly, in the final analysis, this study suggests that Butler’s reiterative sense of agency fails to account for the normative dynamics of precarity which is at work in the diasporic context of The Lowland.

Patterns of torture among forcibly displaced Eritreans in California: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Unprecedented global increases in involuntary migration have created large populations of forcibly displaced people, who are disproportionately likely to have experienced abuse and torture. We undertook this study to better understand the frequency and consequences of specific types of torture and abuse within an immigrant population in our community, San Francisco, East Bay. Methods and Results: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 59 Eritreans seeking asylum in the United States presenting to a human rights clinic for forensic medical and psychological evaluations. Demographic features of individuals, reported history and specific types of torture, and physical and psychological sequelae were analyzed. Over 300 instances of torture were reported, an average of about 6 per person. The primary forms of torture reported were beating and forced positioning, and many others were reported sporadically. 90% of asylum seekers examined had clinical findings which were consistent with the torture they reported, and some physical findings had clinical as well as forensic significance. 86% met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Discussion: Forcibly displaced people are likely to have witnessed and experience violence, deprivation, and abuse, and for this reason bear a disproportionate burden of physical, psychological, and social morbidity. Our study describes the epidemiology of torture and its consequences in a specific population, and demonstrates why understanding local and general epidemiology of torture and other forms of abuse is necessary to provide excellent biopsychosocial care to forcibly displaced people.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The world is currently faced with the problem of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Africa and Middle East has the highest figure of IDPs. Nigeria tops the list of countries with largest population of IDPs in Africa. The Boko Haram insurgency has made Nigeria one of the flash points of high concentration of IDPs. Anchored on forced /involuntary migration theory, using primary and secondary data gathering techniques, the study examines insurgency and conditions of IDPs camps in Nigeria, focusing on NYSC camp in Girei Local Government, Adamawa State. The study finds that the condition in NYSC IDP camp is deplorable as IDPs lack access to basic essentials of life. The study recommends among others the need for the government to be more committed to the welfare of IDPs and also curb corruption of government officials in the camp as this has worsen the already deplorable condition of IDPs.

On the Road Again: King David as Involuntary Migrant

When David ben Jesse’s triumphant return from battle in 1 Sam 18 causes King Saul to despise him, the wheels are set in motion to make David an asylum seeker, refugee, and return migrant. It is burdened with those traumatic experiences that he is announced king in 2 Sam 2. What follows is a narrative of familial conflict and fracture, involuntary migration for David again (2 Sam 15), and a final return (2 Sam 20). From this point, David lives a sedentary life. Although this is an atypical summary of the narrative in 1 Sam 18–2 Kings 2, it foregrounds the important role involuntary migration plays in its plot. This article will explore that story, looking especially at how David’s attitude toward mobility as king is implicitly rejected by the narrative.

Involuntary (forced) migration in rural settlements and resettlement: Case of Konya - Bozkır Barrage Resettlement

Rural settlements that are shaped by the existence of the natural environment such as climate, topography, water resources, traditional buildings and gardens built with accessible construction materials found in the region, and organic structures in harmony with the natural environment are also cultural heritage areas. In this sense, preserving the traditional fabric of rural settlements and ensuring the continuity of rural life is important for sustainable development. The necessity of ensuring architectural identity and cultural sustainability in rural settlements that are faced with involuntary (forced) migration and whose projects are prepared for resettlement, as they may be adversely affected by the development projects carried out by the state, constitute the problematic of this study. Within the scope of this study, the Konya - Bozkır Barrage Resettlement Project prepared for the Dedemli village, which faces involuntary migration due to the construction of the Bozkır Barrage, is handled and evaluated with its positive and negative aspects. Based on the on-site examinations it is possible to mention that, although higher life standards are tried to be achieved in the resettlement project, both the overall planning of the project and the houses built with modern building materials in the exterior and interior exhibit a typology far from the traditional architectural typology and the socio-cultural, architectural, urban and economical continuity belonged to the place cannot be achieved. According to the results obtained from the field study, attention is drawn to the negative consequences of new resettlement projects produced on the basis of typical projects in terms of architectural identity and cultural sustainability, and the village design guidelines prepared for new villages are recommended to be applicable for villages that had to move and it is emphasized that principles should be put forward to ensure its continuity.