The DOI matches its Crossref record; 17 of the 18 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Between a camp and a hard place: rights, livelihood and experiences of the local settlement system for long-term refugees in Uganda
Open accessAbstract
Drawing on qualitative research with refugees in and outside formal settlements, this article challenges characterisations of Uganda's UNHCR-supported refugee settlement system as un-problematically successful. It shows that by denying refugees freedom of movement, the settlement system undermines their socio-economic and other rights. Refugees who remain outside the formal system of refugee registration and settlement are deprived of the refugee status to which they are entitled under international law. The article questions the conventional opposition between refugees living in and out of refugee settlements in the Ugandan context, revealing a more complex and interconnected dynamic than is often assumed. It suggests that those refugees with some external support may be able to escape the confines of remote rural settlements, where refugee agricultural livelihoods are seriously compromised by distance from markets, unfavourable climatic conditions, exhausted soil and inadequate inputs. It argues that refugee livelihoods face more rather than fewer challenges as exile becomes protracted, and concludes that the government and UNHCR's Self Reliance Strategy (SRS) has not yet managed to overcome the contradiction inherent in denying people freedom of movement, without supporting them effectively to meet their needs in the places to which they are restricted.
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“Refugee settlements are often located in rural and impoverished areas, from where freedom of movement is often restricted through bureaucratic challenges and largely discretionary behaviour from Ugandan government officials (RLP 2007;Kaiser 2006).”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
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“By integrating considerations of health, well-being, and security in camps through the deployment of clean cooking solu tions, lighting, and electricity access, it is able to address some of the interconnected challenges of sustainable development in displaced settings.”
From Energy access and sustainable development for displaced populations: Achieving energy justice in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh (2024) · cites this paper as [8]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“Living within the political regimes of the host state as well as being subject to international law and the laws of their country of origin, camp-based refugees often lack the necessary legal identifications and documents to access basic socioeconomic rights often as a result of restrictive policies operated by the host state [6 -8].”
From Energy access and sustainable development for displaced populations: Achieving energy justice in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh (2024) · cites this paper as [8]
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In the citing paper
“In particular, the settlement model has been pointed out as largely responsible for SRS' pitfalls (Krause and Gato 2017;Kaiser 2006).”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
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“In addition to criticising the humanitarian conditions in the settlements (e.g., Hovil and Werker 2001), authors have pointed out the lack of basic needs as one of the main shortcomings of SRS, arguing that in the absence of sufficient resources refugees' circumstances allow at best for survival, while self-reliance remains impossible to achieve (Kaiser 2006;Zakaryan 2018;Krause 2016;Dryer-Pet”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
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“As Kaiser points out, settlements have done little more than replace the much criticised 'care and maintenance' model of refugee encampment with one which at best allows for 'bare maintenance ' (2006:615).”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
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“Several of them had resided in Kiryandongo, during the wave of displacement that took place in the 1980s, described by anthropologist Tania Kaiser (2000Kaiser ( , 2006)); many people in their twenties and thirties, who now reside in Palabek, had been born in Uganda during that time.”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
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“Particularly infamous are two instances, in 1996 and 2002, in which the IDP camp of Achol-Pii, in Agago District, was attacked by the LRA attack; in both instances, dozens were killed (Kaiser 2006).”
From Throwing therapy at the problem mental health and humanitarian intervention in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda (2023) · cites this paper as Kaiser 2006
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“For instance, the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) 8 program works on collabora tively designing and delivering market-based solutions with the private sector and is currently operational in various camps across Jordan and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
From Energy access and sustainable development for displaced populations: Achieving energy justice in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh (2024) · cites this paper as [8]
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Citations
Cites
Managing Displacement: Refugees and the Politics of Humanitarianism
Hyndman, J. (2000) · Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) · Cited by 765
Imposing Aid: Emergency Assistance to Refugees
Whitaker, J. S., & Harrell-Bond, B. E. (1986) · Foreign Affairs · doi:10.2307/20043067 · Cited by 446
The root causes of Sudan's civil wars
(2003) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.41-1184 · Cited by 301
Verdirame, G., Harrell-Bond, B. E., Lomo, Z., & Garry, H. R. (2005) · Berghahn Books · doi:10.2307/j.ctt1x76fpq · Cited by 218
Marfleet, P. (2006) · Bloomsbury Publishing Plc eBooks · doi:10.5040/9781350394315 · Cited by 211
Salih, M. A. M., Johnson, D. H., de Waal, A., & Ajawin, Y. (2004) · Africa · doi:10.3366/afr.2004.74.2.310 · Cited by 128
No Solution in Sight : the Problem of Protracted Refugee Situations in Africa
Crisp, J. (2003) · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Cited by 116
Repatriation and Self-Settled Refugees in Zambia: Bringing Solutions to the Wrong Problems
Bakewell, O. (2000) · Journal of Refugee Studies · doi:10.1093/jrs/13.4.356 · Cited by 104
Do refugees belong in camps? Experiences from Goma and Guinea
Damme, W. V. (1995) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(95)92231-8 · Cited by 81
Imposing Aid: Emergency Assistance to Refugees.
Oliver‐Smith, A., & Harrell-Bond, B. E. (1989) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2073365 · Cited by 63
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- De Vriese, M. 2006. Refugee Livelihoods: a review of the evidence. UNHCR Evaluation Reports EPAU 2006/04.
- Smith, M. 2004. 'Warehousing refugees: a denial of rights, a waste of humanity', in World Refugee Survey 2004. Washington, DC: US Committee for Refugees. UNHCR. 2003. 'Development assistance to refugees (DAR) for Uganda Self Reliance Strategy: way forward', Report on the Mission to Uganda, 14th to 20th of September 2003, RLSS/DOS Mission Report 03/11. UNHCR. 2004. Self-Reliance Strategy (1999-2003) for Refugee Hosting Areas in Moyo, Arua and Adjumani Districts, Uganda: report of the mid-term review. RLSS Mission Report 2004/03. UNHCR. 2005. Local Integration and Self Reliance. Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme Standing Committee, EC/55/SC/CRP.15 UNHCR, Geneva.
- Van Hear, N. 2004. 'I went as far as my money would take me': conflict, forced migration and class. Oxford: COMPAS Working Paper No.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Their Suffering, Our Burden? How Congolese Refugees Affect the Ugandan Population
Kreibaum, M. (2014) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.10.019 · Cited by 141
Refugees as Actors? Critical Reflections on Global Refugee Policies on Self-reliance and Resilience
Krause, U., & Schmidt, H. (2019) · Journal of Refugee Studies · doi:10.1093/jrs/fez059 · Cited by 132
Oka, R. (2014) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1111/aman.12076 · Cited by 123
Old Concepts Making New History: Refugee Self-reliance, Livelihoods and the ‘Refugee Entrepreneur’
Skran, C. M., & Easton‐Calabria, E. (2019) · Journal of Refugee Studies · doi:10.1093/jrs/fez061 · Cited by 121
A no-camp policy: Interrogating informal settlements in Lebanon
Sanyal, R. (2017) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2017.06.011 · Cited by 119
Metadata
- Authors
- Kaiser, T.
- Affiliations
- SOAS University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Kaiser, Tania
- Venue
- The Journal of Modern African Studies
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2006-11-01
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 597-621
- ISSN
- 0022-278X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7777
- OpenAlex
- W2166354138
- Cited by
- 105
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 2.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Journal of Modern African Studies (publishedVersion)
- SOAS Research Online (SOAS University of London) (acceptedVersion)
- SOAS Research Online (SOAS University of London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- SOAS Research Online (SOAS University of London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Refugees, and Integration
- Social Sciences › Law › Migration, Racism, and Human Rights
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Exile Studies
- Keywords
- refugee status, freedom of movement, refugee livelihoods, refugee registration, UNHCR, refugee rights, Uganda
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- Kaiser, T. (2006). Between a camp and a hard place: rights, livelihood and experiences of the local settlement system for long-term refugees in Uganda. The Journal of Modern African Studies. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x06002102
