Unmasking the human rights needs of internally displaced persons: a case study of selected states in Nigeria

• Date: 29 October 2024
• Pages: 682-700
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-02-2023-0016
• Published date: 29 October 2024
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations,Labour movements
• Author: Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi

Unmasking the human rights needs of

internally displaced persons: a case study

of selected states in Nigeria

Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of internally displaced persons

regarding their experienceswith various human rights prescripts. Thisstudy also sought to contribute to

the literature on the living conditions of internally displaced persons and narrow the gap in internal

displacementstudies, particularly in sub-SaharanAfrica.

Design/methodology/approach –A case study approach and quantitative research paradigm were

adopted in the study.A questionnaire was used to collect data from 584 participantsin Niger State, Edo

State and KadunaState in Nigeria.

Findings –The findings reveal that most of the internally displaced persons were youth, unemployed

and had a strongmotivation to meet their physiologicalneeds. The empirical evidence inthis study leads

to the conclusion that the daily struggle of the participants to meet their survival needs overshadows

every otherhuman rights consideration among them.

Research limitations/implications –Various practical and theoretical implications are inferred from

this study including theimperative to urgently address the causes of internaldisplacement and provide

urgentassistance to internally displaced persons.

Originality/value –Besides the novel conceptualinsights and empirical data, this study makesunique

contributionsto literature on internally displacedpersons and human rights theory.

Keywords Human rights,Human rights theory, Internally displaced persons, Maslow’stheory of needs,

Nigeria

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Studies on the living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have focused

predominantly on the health challenges prevalent in communities where IDPs seek refuge

(Cantor and Woolley, 2020;Niyi-Gafar and Adelakun, 2022). Hendrickx et al. (2020) lament

the fact that research on the welfare of IDPs is minimal compared to their counterparts who

migrate across international borders, for example, as refugees and through other forms of

international migration. Another notable gap in research on IDP communities relates to the

paucity of IDP research in the global South compared to research conducted in the more

economically affluent countries in the global north (Morinar et al., 2018). Despite the large

number of internally displaced persons living within local communities, institutions, such as

the World Bank (2017), have criticised studies which focus on IDPs living in camps, thereby

failing to unmask the situationof more vulnerable groups. This study contributes to research

on IDPs by exploring the perceptions of internally displaced persons in three Nigerian

states (Niger, Kaduna and Edo)regarding their experiences with respect to human rights.

IDPs are defined in the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement

(UN-GPID) as, “persons or groups of persons who havebeen forced or obliged to flee or to

Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi is

based at the Department of

Tourism, Hospitality and

Sports Management,

Faculty of Management

and Public Administration

Sciences, Walter Sisulu

University, BCC,

East London, South Africa.

Received 15 February 2023

Revised 11 July 2023

18 September 2024

Accepted 4 October 2024

©Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi.

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/

licences/by/4.0/legalcode

The authors of this paper are

indebted to the reviewers for

their positive comments.

To every internally displaced

person, you are always in our

thoughts and prayers.

Conflict of interest statement:

None declared.

PAGE 682 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIGRATION, HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE jVOL. 20 NO. 4 2024, pp. 682-700, EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 1747-9894 DOI 10.1108/IJMHSC-02-2023-0016

leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or to avoid the

effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violation of human rights or

natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised

state border” (UN, 2004: 1). The distinction between IDPs and Refugees is important for a

number of reasons, notably because, as Cantor et al. (2021) point out, IDPs often live close

to the places of their displacement, rendering them more vulnerable to the conditions that

prompted them to flee from their homes. Moreover, differentiating IDPs from Refugees is

critical as it serves to define and attribute responsibility for their welfare. While state

governments bear the primary responsibility for the protection of IDPs, Refugees remainthe

responsibility of humanitarian organisations (Adeola, 2019). Nonetheless, both IDPs and

Refugees remain under the ambit and protection of international human rights law, whose

prescripts guard against actions that could infringe on their basic freedoms, entitlements

and dignity [United Nations Refugee Agency, 2006]. Despite the comprehensive nature of

human rights legislation, Daif et al. (2023) argue that internally displaced persons are still

among some of the world’s most susceptible to human rights abuses, firstly because they

are often on the move making tracking of any abuses difficult, and secondly because the

multi-faceted causes of internal displacement increases the vulnerability of affected

persons to multiple violations.

1.1 Contextualising the internally displaced person situation in Nigeria

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) puts the number of internally displaced

people in the world at 59.1 million [Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 2022].

Even more disturbing is the fact that the global report on internal displacement reveals that

more than half of internal displacement (38 million) only occurred in 2021, with 14.4 million

(38%) of forced migrations prompted by conflicts and violence and 23.7 million (62%)

triggered by disasters [Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 2022]. These

figures present a bleak picture considering the unpredictable conditions faced by IDPs who

are often forced out of theirlivelihoods and futile global efforts are madeto curb the scourge

of internal displacement. The UNHCR asserts that the number of people who flee from their

homes in search of refugewithin the borders of their country is significantly higher than those

who cross national borders as refugees or asylum seekers [United Nations High Commisio n

for Refugees (UNHCR), 2021]. From a regional perspective, sub-SaharanAfrica was among

the worst affected by internal displacements in 2021, with 11,558, 000 people forcibly

displaced by conflicts and violence and 2, 554, 000 triggered by disasters [Internal

Displacement Mo nitoring Centre ( IDMC), 2022]. T his number accou nts for 37.1% of all IDPs

in 2021, making sub-Saharan Africa second only to East Asia and Pacific (37.6%) in the

world [Internal Displacement MonitoringCentre (IDMC), 2022].

In the context of Nigeria, the recorded number of IDPs stood at 2.7 million in 2020 (Statista,

2022). However, this number increased by 400, 000 in 2021, with disasters accounting for

the displacement of 24, 000 people and 376, 000 forcibly removed by violence and conflict

[Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 2022]. The Boko Haram insurgency is

estimated to account for the forced displacement of 3.9 million people in Nigeria within the

last decade, with 2,1 million of these living as IDPs [International Organisation for Migration

(IOM), 2021; United NationsHigh Commision for Refugees (UNHCR), 2021]. Most victimsof

this armed conflict have been residents of States in the northern part of Nigeria such as

Borno, Yobe and Adamawa (Dunn, 2018). Many survivors of these armed attached and

kidnappings tend to flee to relativelysafer regions where they either live in camps or among

community members [UnitedNations High Commision for Refugees (UNHCR), 2021].

Crawford et al. (2015) observed that once displaced for more than six months, IDPs tend to

live in displacement for longer periods of more than three years. Following the same line of

thought, Mubarak et al. (2016) and Siriwardhana et al. (2015) assert that the trauma

experienced by IDPs as a result of the forced displacement from their homes, loss of their

VOL. 20 NO. 4 2024 jINTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF MIGRATION, HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE jPAGE 683