Rohingyas and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu: a replicable model of semi-permanent resettlement in low-resource settings

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2021-0180
• Published date: 31 January 2022
• Date: 31 January 2022
• Pages: 778-792
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Employment law,Diversity,equality,inclusion
• Author: R.K. Radhakrishnan,Emma Emily de Wit,Vandana Gopikumar,Joske G.F. Bunders

Rohingyas and Sri Lankan Tamil

refugees in Tamil Nadu:

a replicable model of

semi-permanent resettlement in

low-resource settings

R.K. Radhakrishnan

Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and

The Banyan Institute, Chennai, India

Emma Emily de Wit

Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Vandana Gopikumar

The Banyan Institute, Chennai, India, and

Joske G.F. Bunders

Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract

Purpose –After being forced to flee their respective home countries, Sri Lankan Tamils and Rohingya

refugeesresettled in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This study attempts to explore the extent to which the state

has provided means for integration in the absence of refugee protection laws and citizenship.

Design/methodology/approach –A qualitative research approach was used, including in-depth interviews

(IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with participantsfrom both refugee groups between 2019 and early

2020. A representative sample of male and female Sri Lankan Tamils, living in or outside government camps, in

urban and rural areas, was included (total number 575). Similarly, a representative sample of the Rohingya

refugee community was included for this study (n544).

Findings –Despite constraints imposed by inadequate infrastructure, the study finds that Sri Lankan Tamils

and Rohingyas both show to be progressively integrated in local society and have been capable of fulfilling

EDI

41,5

778

© R.K. Radhakrishnan, Emma Emily de Wit, Vandana Gopikumar and Joske G.F. Bunders. Published

by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution

(CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this

article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original

publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/

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Declarations: This paper is the original work of the authors and has not been published or submitted

for publication. All authors have contributed significantly and have been involved at each stage of the

research from the formulation of concept, the setting of the research agenda, interpretation of data,

analysis and the writing and re-writing of the manuscript. All authors have approved the final draft and

agreed with the content of the manuscript. The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work, and

questions related to the accuracy/integrity of the work will be addressed to the satisfaction of the

publisher. The authors seek to build a better future for the marginalized and vulnerable people in society,

and this affirmative action can sometime be seen as a conflict of interest. All human studies have been

performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and

reviewed and approved by an external ethics committee of the Banyan Academy of Leadership in

Mental Health, Chennai. No external funding was sought for the study.

The authors would like to acknowledge all the participants in this study for providing their valuable

time and engagement in this study.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 11 August 2021

Revised 3 November 2021

Accepted 7 January 2022

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 41 No. 5, 2022

pp. 778-792

Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-07-2021-0180