Forced Eviction and Resettlement in Phnom Penh: A Case for Internally Displaced Persons
Authors
d'Amboise, Elizabeth Ann ; Cioraru, Ana-Maria
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-08-01
Pages
70
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger tvangsudsættelser i Phnom Penh, Cambodja, som følge af byudvikling og flytteprogrammer, og spørger, om de berørte kan anerkendes som internt fordrevne personer (ofte kaldet IDP’er) – altså mennesker, der er tvunget til at flytte inden for deres eget land. Udviklingsbetinget fordrivelse får typisk mindre opmærksomhed end fordrivelse forårsaget af konflikt eller vold, og når hjælpeorganisationer sætter emnet på dagsordenen, ender fokus ofte på de helt store projekter. Dermed overses behovene hos mennesker ramt af mindre projekter som dem, der finder sted i Phnom Penh. Her har talrige udviklingstiltag fordrevet tusindvis af familier, som ofte falder mellem stolene i hjælpesystemet – blandt andet fordi der er uklarhed om, hvilke begreber og kategorier de hører under. Når de ikke omfattes af en bredt anerkendt betegnelse som IDP, mister de legitimitet i det internationale system. Tvangsudsættelserne og utilstrækkelig kompensation og genhusning udgør samtidig menneskerettighedsproblemer. Med en kvalitativ og induktiv tilgang – det vil sige, at vi bygger vores analyse på menneskers erfaringer og mønstre frem for en fastlåst hypotese – undersøger vi, om IDP-betegnelsen kan bruges om de tvangsforflyttede i Phnom Penh, og hvilke fordele det kan have. Vi konkluderer, at betegnelsen giver en dobbelt gevinst: internationalt øger den opmærksomheden på de berørtes klager og behov for hjælp, og samtidig giver den internationale NGO’er og donororganisationer et stærkere grundlag for at lægge pres på Cambodjas regering for at tage ansvar og beskytte menneskerettighederne.
This thesis examines forced evictions in Phnom Penh, Cambodia linked to urban development and resettlement, and asks whether those affected can be recognized as internally displaced persons (IDPs)—people forced to move within their own country. Displacement caused by development typically receives less attention than displacement driven by conflict or violence, and when aid providers do address it, large-scale projects tend to dominate. As a result, the needs of people affected by smaller projects like those in Phnom Penh are often overlooked. Numerous development schemes have displaced thousands of families, who frequently fall through the cracks of assistance—partly because of conceptual ambiguities about how to classify their cases. Without coverage by an internationally recognized label such as IDP, their claims carry less legitimacy. At the same time, forced evictions and inadequate compensation and resettlement raise human rights concerns. Using qualitative, inductive approaches—meaning we build our analysis from people’s experiences and patterns rather than testing a fixed hypothesis—we explore whether the IDP label fits and what benefits it might bring. We conclude there is a double advantage to applying this label to Phnom Penh’s forcibly evicted: it raises international awareness of their grievances and need for assistance, and it gives international NGOs and donor agencies greater leverage to press the Cambodian government to take responsibility and uphold human rights.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Documents
Other projects by the authors
d'Amboise, Elizabeth Ann:
- Investing in Girls' Education: Cambodian Arts & Scholarship Foundation (2016)
- Forced Evictions and Resettlement in Phnom Penh: A Case for Internally Displaced Persons (2016)
Cioraru, Ana-Maria: