IV. Life in the Refugee Camps in Nepal
The Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are restricted to living in camps and prohibited from engaging in income-generating activities, even within the camp confines (see section IX). As a consequence the refugees are entirely dependent on the support of the international community for their survival. Although camp residents highly appreciate the education the camp schools are able to provide, despite very limited resources, the lack of employment for students who finish school corrodes morale and dashes hopes. A refugee teacher in Sanischare camp observed that more and more students are dropping out of school because they have no future prospects. “There is frustration, they see no bright future. They ask, ‘What is the use of studying, when there are no opportunities?’ Some drop their studies and loiter, they remain idle. The frustration is increasing all the time.”25 While young adults may feel the frustration most acutely, all the refugees in the camps share the feeling of being stuck in place. Cuts in Essential ServicesWith the passage of time this support system in the camps has come under increasing strains, with budgetary constraints necessitating cuts in the provision of essential services, including food, fuel, and medical care. The Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are trapped between their forced dependency on international assistance and the increasing reluctance of the international community to keep providing for their needs. One of the more dramatic signs of donor fatigue came in December 2006, when the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that it had not yet received any international donations to fund its food aid to the refugees for the next two years, and would be forced to cut rations to the refugees unless it received immediate funds.26 UNHCR too has had to scale back its assistance programs to the refugees in the face of budgetary constraints.27 Some services which used to be extended to all refugees have now been limited to the most vulnerable. For example, whereas UNHCR used to provide all refugees with plastic sheeting once every two years to repair their roofs, it now only provides roofing materials to the most vulnerable.28 As a result, many refugees are left with leaking roofs, which they cannot afford to repair and which during the rainy season force entire families to crowd together in the small parts of their huts that are still dry, or to take shelter in other families’ huts.29 The problem also affects schools in the camps; leaky roofs in primary-school classrooms mean that the jute mats on which the students sit become soggy during the rainy season, and the children are forced to attend classes standing up.30 These are by no means the only challenges refugees face because of aid agencies’ funding woes. Caritas stopped distributing clothes in 2002.31 UNHCR has cut back the vegetables and spices it provided to supplement the basic WFP rations; now refugees can only prepare very basic meals with little variety.32 Probably the biggest impact of budget cuts on refugees’ daily lives was the switch in December 2005 from kerosene to coal briquettes for cooking. UNHCR implemented this change following a steep increase in the price of kerosene, combined with its doubts about donor nations’ willingness to provide continued funding for this protracted refugee situation.33 While briquettes are cheaper, they also have a number of serious disadvantages compared to kerosene. First, the briquettes generate much smoke, which envelops the camps in a thick cloud in the early morning and late afternoon when all families are preparing their meals.34 During interviews with Human Rights Watch, camp residents, as well as the staff of camp health clinics, consistently attributed eye, skin, and respiratory complaints to the introduction of the coal briquettes. Association of Medical Doctors of Asia statistics, however, show no correlation between the introduction of the coal briquettes and an increase in the incidence of skin or respiratory problems.35 Whatever the documented causal link between the use of briquettes and camp health so far, there is concern within the camp that it has been harmful to the camp residents’ health and that it has added to the pressure on the camp health facilities at a time when these, too, are facing budget cuts.36 Second, preparing meals now takes significantly longer, which means that mothers find it impossible to prepare breakfast for their children before they go to school. Preparing several small meals a day for infants and for elderly or sick people has also become almost impossible, since it simply takes too long to heat the briquettes sufficiently for cooking.37 Third, refugees have been provided with only one oven per hut, even if there are two separate households sharing the hut, so that families have to take turns in preparing meals.38 Fourth, there is no lighting in any of the camps, so that after sunset the camps are shrouded in darkness. The refugees formerly used part of their kerosene fuel ration for lighting oil lamps at night, which was particularly important for families with children of school age who needed lighting to do their homework. Almost without exception refugees stated that the one liter of kerosene per family per month that is now provided specifically for the purpose of lighting is insufficient.39 Finally, refugees stated that the quantity of briquettes they receive each month is insufficient, so that they have to use firewood as an alternative source of fuel when they run out of briquettes. Some families can afford to buy firewood, but others have to go to the nearby forests to collect firewood. This is a source of conflict with the local Nepalese population, who rely on these same forests for firewood.40 The change from kerosene to briquettes has also indirectly affected refugee children’s ability to complete their secondary education. The schools in the camps only provide education from first to 10th grade; students who want to continue to grades 11 and 12 have to attend private Nepalese “colleges” in the towns. Those who could afford the colleges used to rent a room in the town, and to minimize their living expenses, used to prepare their own food, using a portion of their family’s monthly ration of kerosene. However, because the briquettes produce too much smoke and little light, the students can no longer prepare food in their rooms or read after dark. As a result, many students have been forced to give up their rooms in the towns. Some students now bicycle to their college on a daily basis, which for many of them takes about one hour each way. But other students have been forced to abandon their education, since their colleges are two or three hours cycling away from the camps.41 The reduction of aid to the refugees places a particularly high strain on the women in the camps. Many refugee women told Human Rights Watch that they feel responsible for the deterioration of their families’ conditions, and they expressed their despair about their inability to break out of their continued dependency and to provide for their families’ needs. The secretary of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (BRWF) in Beldangi I said, “The mothers have to bear a lot. Sixteen years of staying here, and even when there is a reduction of assistance, they cannot go out and earn. It is very difficult, they are frustrated.”42 For some women the hopelessness of their situation becomes too much and they succumb to depression. A health worker in Khudunabari camp stated that the incidence of depression is increasing in the camps, with women above the age of 30 representing the largest group.43 But they are by no means the only ones who suffer; the conditions in the camps are difficult to bear for all who have to live there. A refugee student said, “Young people in the camp are frustrated. We have many talents, but as refugees we don’t get a chance to express ourselves. Sometimes I feel I want to end my life.”44
Sexual and Gender-Based ViolenceFor some of the women in the camps the consequences of the cutbacks in international aid are even worse. Refugee women reported that the worsening conditions in the camps and the resulting strains on families are a contributing cause of domestic violence.47 They argued that this explained at least in part why no progress had been made in bringing down the overall level of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the camps, including domestic violence, despite the efforts that have been made by UNHCR and the refugee community alike to address this problem.48 In 2004 and 2005 UNHCR recorded virtually the same number of reported SGBV cases in the camps (157 and 159, respectively), a number which increased to 174 in 2006. These statistics include cases of domestic violence, which grew from 58 reported cases in 2004 to 83 in 2005, and 88 in 2006.49 Amongst women refugees there is an acknowledgment that in the past few years much progress has been made in challenging women’s perceptions that it was shameful to report cases of domestic violence, and that it was their duty as wives to suffer any ill-treatment at the hands of their husbands in silence. This change in attitude was helped in part by reforms that were instituted following the investigation of an October 2002 sexual exploitation scandal involving refugee aid workers that revealed a lack of support services for victims and a male-dominated refugee camp leadership that often ignored gender-based violence or imposed dispute settlements that were harmful to women. As one woman said, “The good development is that women can now express their feelings.”50 Another woman agreed, saying that women who are victims of abuse now “feel that they have the right to speak.”51 Extensive social awareness campaigns have not only provided women with a better understanding of their rights, but have also raised the levels of awareness among refugee men about their responsibilities, and the possible legal consequences for perpetrators of SGBV. Moreover, better reporting and referral mechanisms have been put into place in the camps, and refugee women were generally well-informed about the existence of these mechanisms.52 Despite these positive developments the threat of sexual and domestic violence remains high in the consciousness of refugee women and girls. A young refugee woman told Human Rights Watch, “Sometimes when we walk at night it is dangerous. There are difficulties inside and outside the camp. It is not safe to walk alone at night. I have to walk with friends. There is no guarantee for safety.”53 Another refugee woman said that she felt more insecure when her husband was gone for long periods looking for work. In an attempt to escape the conditions of dependency in the camps, many men leave the camps for months at a time in search of work, either in Nepal or in India.54 This woman said, “The husbands are compelled to go out to earn money. During that time, the women face a lot of problems. They are not safe at all.”55 In relation to domestic violence, refugees told Human Rights Watch that some women who are abused by their husbands are reluctant to make use of the reporting mechanisms in the camps for fear that the husband would retaliate with even more violence as soon as he realized that his wife had reported on him. Women told Human Rights Watch that ultimately it was the camps themselves that were to blame for much of the problem. They said that conditions in the camps, with large numbers of people being forced to live together in close confinement, were not conducive to creating a safe environment for women and girls.56 As an elderly refugee woman put it:
24 Human Rights Watch interview (K15), Beldangi II-extension camp, November 11, 2006. 25 Human Rights Watch interview (K24), Sanischare camp, November 14, 2006. See also Bhutanese Refugees Durable Solutions Coordination Committee, “Current Situation of the Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal,” January 2007, unpublished document on file with Human Rights Watch, p. 2, noting that frustrated refugee students without future prospects “become a formidable force to engage actively in antisocial activities including domestic violence which contribute significantly to sexual and gender based violence.” 26 “Absence of Funds Threatens UN Efforts to Feed 106,000 Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal,” UN News Centre, December 22, 2006, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21084&Cr=nepal&Cr1= (accessed January 25, 2007). The WFP has since received donations from the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), Canada, and the US. “US, ECHO and Canada Provide Aid to WFP,” Bhutan New Service, February 14, 2007, http://www.apfanews.com/news/?id=333131f1676 (accessed February 14, 2007). 27 The government of Nepal invited UNHCR in August 1991 to provide relief to the Bhutanese refugees on its territory. Assistance to the refugees is currently provided by UNHCR, the World Food Programme, the Lutheran World Federation, Caritas, AMDA, and the Nepal Bar Association. 28 UNHCR, “Global Report 2005,” (Geneva, 1 June 2006), http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=publ&src=static/gr2005/gr2005toc.htm (accessed January 25, 2007), p. 328. 29 Human Rights Watch focus group discussion with a group of 14 women (K41), Beldangi II camp, November 17, 2006. 30 Human Rights Watch interview with camp secretary Parshuram Nepal (B45/K35), Timai refugee camp, November 16, 2006. According to UNHCR, the decision to select shelter as an area to be targeted for budget cuts was made in consultation with the refugees. Besides assisting the most vulnerable refugees with roof repairs, UNHCR also gives priority to public buildings in the camps, such as schools and clinics. Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006. The rainy season in Nepal lasts from about May to September. 31 Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview with Fr Varkey, Jesuit Refugee Service, Damak, November 14, 2006. In the winter of 2006-2007, cold weather, poorly insulated huts, and lack of warm clothing caused a spike in the number of children falling ill. “Nepal: Poor Housing Causes Illness Among Refugee Children,” Jesuit Refugee Service briefing, January 17, 2007, http://www.jesref.org/news/index.php?lang=es&sid=1607 (accessed February 1, 2007). In 2006 Caritas distributed school uniforms to 2,182 students from vulnerable families, and a set of undergarments to each of 1,132 girl students from vulnerable families. Caritas hopes to provide more school uniforms in the course of 2007. A joint effort by UNHCR-Nepal and UNHCR-Japan resulted in a large donation of clothes from Japan that were distributed in the camps in early March 2007. Email from Abraham Abraham, UNHCR-Nepal to Human Rights Watch, March 12, 2007; and “Japan’s UNIQLO Clothes to Exiled Bhutanese,” Bhutan New Service, March 7, 2007, http://www.apfanews.com/news/?id=333432fc2012 (accessed March 8, 2007). 32 Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006. 33 “Rising World Oil Prices Squeeze Fuel Supply for Bhutanese Refugees,” UNHCR news stories, September 2, 2005, http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/431875b84.html (accessed February 1, 2007); UNHCR, “Global Report 2005,” (Geneva, 1 June 2006), http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=publ&src=static/gr2005/gr2005toc.htm (accessed January 25, 2007), p. 327. 34 In interviews with Human Rights Watch, refugees observed that the first two deliveries of briquettes had been of higher quality, and had produced significantly less smoke, than later deliveries (Human Rights Watch interview with eight members of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K36), Timai camp, November 16, 2006). The quality of the briquettes is in fact so bad that they disintegrate into coal dust and do not burn properly. Refugees try to remedy this by mixing the coal dust with water, shaping the mixture into new briquettes and drying these in the sun. During the rainy season and during the winter months the weather conditions mean this is not a practicable option. 35According to Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) statistics, the total number of refugees presenting with skin problems decreased from 44,647 in 2005 to 39,907 in 2006; the total number of refugees with eye infections increased from 6,746 in 2005 to 8,269 in 2006; and cases of acute respiratory track infections decreased from 180,906 in 2005 to 126,718 in 2006. Email from UNHCR-Nepal to Human Rights Watch, March 12, 2007. 36 Human Rights Watch interview with nine health workers at Primary Health Centre, Khudunabari refugee camp, November 15, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview with Health Protection Officer, Primary Health Centre, Timai refugee camp, November 16, 2006. In an interview with Human Rights Watch, UNHCR staff stated that a number of steps were being taken to address the smoke-related problems, including monitoring the quality of the briquettes, testing the air quality in the camps, providing more training to the refugees on the proper use of the chimneys that had been supplied with the ovens, and replacing chimneys with higher-quality ones.. UNHCR has studied various alternatives to the compressed coal dust briquettes, in particular so-called bio-briquettes which produce much less smoke than compressed coal dust briquettes, but the amount of biomass available locally was found to be insufficient to produce enough briquettes for the camps. Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006. On alternative fuels, see also Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (New York), “The Perils of Direct Provision: UNHCR’s Response to the Fuel Needs of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal,” March 2006, http://www.womenscommission.org/pdf/np_fuel.pdf (accessed January 31, 2007), pp. 14-16. 37 Human Rights Watch interview with the secretary of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K20), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006. 38 While some of these problems have been alleviated by the provision of solar cookers to the refugees, the solar cookers do not provide a solution to all these problems. Thus, while the solar cookers help to reduce the smoke levels in the camp, they cannot be used to prepare food in time for breakfast because of lack of sunlight. Moreover, there is only enough sunlight for the solar cookers to be used on about 40-60 percent of days during the year. See Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (New York), “The Perils of Direct Provision”, pp. 2, 9-12. In some parts of the camps there is insufficient space for solar cookers to be installed. Thus for example in Timai camp, about 400 huts cannot be provided with solar cookers at all, because there is not enough space between the huts. Human Rights Watch interview with camp secretary Parshuram Nepal (K38), Timai refugee camp, November 16, 2006. 39 UNHCR staff challenged this observation, saying that one liter of kerosene is sufficient for 62 hours of light using a stormlamp, i.e. about two hours a day for a month. Also, a pilot project in Timai camp will test the use of solar lights to provide lighting at night in the streets in the camp as well as in common spaces such a schools, allowing students to study at night. Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006. 40 Human Rights Watch interview with eight members of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K36), Timai camp, November 16, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview (B35), Sanischare camp, November 14, 2006. UNHCR staff conceded that the quantity of briquettes currently made available to the refugees might not be sufficient. Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff, UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 20, 2006. On February 22, 2007, fighting broke out between Bhutanese refugees and local Nepalese citizens outside Sanischare camp, after tensions escalated between locals and refugees who were collecting wood in a nearby forest. In the course of the fighting, one refugee was killed and eight refugees wounded, five of whom seriously. Locals burned down a number of refugee huts. "Clashes Between Locals and Refugees: One Dead and Several Injured," UNHCR-Nepal press release, February 23, 2007. 41 Human Rights Watch interview with eight members of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K36), Timai camp, November 16, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview with four students living in Damak (B64, B65, B66), November 18, 2006. 42 Human Rights Watch interview (K20), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006. 43 Human Rights Watch interview with nine health workers at Primary Health Centre, Khudunabari refugee camp, November 15, 2006. 44 Human Rights Watch interview with a student who had temporarily left Nepal to study at a college in India (K58), Kalimpong, India, November 22, 2006. 45 Human Rights Watch interview with the secretary of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K20), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview with eight members of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K36), Timai camp, November 16, 2006. 46 Human Rights Watch interview (K19), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006. 47 Human Rights Watch interview with the secretary of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K20), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview with eight members of the Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum (K36), Timai camp, November 16, 2006. 48 In late 2002 UNHCR-Nepal became aware of several cases of sexual exploitation and abuse of refugee women and children by refugee aid workers. In October 2002 and January 2003 a UNHCR team of experts visited the camps to investigate the situation with respect to SGBV in the camps. The team’s recommendations for the development of a monitoring and response strategy were implemented over the course of 2003. UNHCR-Nepal, “Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal,” August 2003. Human Rights Watch conducted a mission to the camps in March 2003 and made further recommendations for addressing the problem of SGBV in the camps. Human Rights Watch, Nepal/Bhutan – Trapped by Inequality: Bhutanese Refugee Women in Nepal, vol. 15, no. 8(C), September 2003, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/nepal0903/. Since then, UNHCR-Nepal and the government of Nepal have made significant progress with the implementation of awareness and training programs, and improving the monitoring, reporting, and referral systems for SGBV in the camps. Steps have also been taken to improve victim services, amend the code of conduct for employees of UNHCR and implementing partners, and pursue remedies through the Nepalese criminal justice system. However, in October 2006, UNHCR reported that despite its continued efforts to reduce the level of SGBV in the camps, the number of SGBV incidents had remained constant. “2005 Annual Report on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Relation to Refugees and Asylum-Seekers,” October 17, 2006, p. 2. 49 Email from UNHCR-Nepal to Human Rights Watch, March 12, 2007. 50 Human Rights Watch interview (K17), Goldhap camp, November 12, 2006. 51 Human Rights Watch interview (K19), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006. 52 UNHCR stated that monitoring of SGBV in the camps had been made easier by a greater willingness on the part of individual refugees as well as members of the Camp Management Committees to come forward to report cases of SGBV and discuss SGBV-related matters. Human Rights Watch interview with UNHCR staff (Field Officer – Protection, Community Services Officer, Assistant Protection Officer), UNHCR sub-office, Damak, November 10, 2006. 53 Human Rights Watch interview (B16), Goldhap camp, November 12, 2006. 54 While the Bhutanese refugees are not officially allowed to work in Nepal, the Government to some extent turns a blind eye to refugees working outside the camps. This applies particularly to teachers, since the Bhutanese refugee teachers are often better qualified than their Nepalese counterparts, and are willing to take jobs at schools in remote locations where few Nepalese teachers are willing to go. See UNHCR, “Country Operations Plan 2006 – Nepal,” September 1, 2005, http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd/rsddocview.pdf?tbl=RSDCOI&id=4332c56e2 (accessed January 26, 2007), p. 1. 55 Human Rights Watch interview (K19), Beldangi I camp, November 13, 2006. 56 The camps have become more congested over time, due to the natural growth of the camp population. Until 2000 the government of Nepal made more land available to accommodate the growing camp population, but since that time the camps have not been allowed to expand any further. As a result, refugees have to build extensions to their huts to make room for their grown-up children who want to start families of their own, leaving less and less space between the huts. Human Rights Watch interview (B8/K14), Beldangi II-extension camp, November 11, 2006; and Human Rights Watch interview (B28), Sanischare camp, November 14, 2006. See also Bhutanese Refugees Durable Solutions Coordination Committee, “Current Situation of the Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal,” January 2007, unpublished document on file with Human Rights Watch, p. 2, noting that the increasing pressure on space in the camps gives rise to new tensions between refugees. 57 Human Rights Watch interview with refugee woman (K17), Goldhap camp, November 12, 2006. Explaining why there were limits to UNHCR’s ability to reduce the number of incidents of domestic violence in the camps, the UNHCR representative in Nepal expressed the same sentiment, observing that “the camp environment continues to pose challenges.” Human Rights Watch interview with Abraham Abraham, UNHCR Representative in Nepal, Kathmandu, November 28, 2006. |