Experiences of internally displaced women in bamenda, cameroon: how an ngo works to resettle and reintegrate
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Date
2024
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University of the Western Cape
Abstract
The number of internally displaced people in the world has reached an all-time high (IDMC, 2022). In the year 2021, approximately 53.2 million people were internally displaced due to conflict and violence across 59 countries, which is an increase of approximately 5.8 million compared to the previous year (IDMC, 2022). Internal displacement impacts millions of people globally, but women are most at risk of becoming internally displaced. Internally displaced women constitute a vulnerable group facing unique challenges from humanitarian crises across the globe (IDMC, 2023). Violent clashes between separatists and the military in Cameroon in the past number of years have resulted in thousands of Cameroonians being internally displaced (UNHCR, 2019). The separatist fighters are members of groups championing for the independence of Anglophone Cameroon (International Crisis Group, 2021). Amongst the displaced, most are women and children, who face serious humanitarian challenges in their new environments. With this ongoing crisis, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are at the forefront of resettling and reintegrating internally displaced persons into host communities. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of internally displaced women within the Bamenda environs. Despite being forced to flee their villages, these women encounter numerous challenges such as limited/lack of access to economic opportunities and social amenities as well as higher risks of gender-based violence (Global Protection Cluster, 2010). This study makes use of secondary accounts from workers at Caritas Bamenda through focus group discussions. The transition theory is used as a theoretical framework for this study. Thematic analysis and coding are used to analyse the collected data where themes and patterns have been generated.
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Keywords
Anglophone Crisis, Internally displaced women, Bamenda (Cameroon), Internal displacement experiences, Socio-economic barriers