1st Edition

Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action Operational Challenges and Solutions for Supporting People on the Move

Edited By Lorenzo Guadagno, Lisette R. Robles Copyright 2025
    176 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Forced population movements are a defining feature of almost any humanitarian crisis, shaping the design, targeting, and delivery of emergency responses.

     

    This book investigates how the evolving situation of different forced migrants is accounted for and addressed in humanitarian action in order to improve their access to support and assistance. Bringing together case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, the book focuses on a diversity of operational modalities and types of assistance provided by both traditional and non-traditional humanitarian actors to address the specific needs of displaced children, women, people with disabilities and older people, as well as trafficked migrant workers.

     

    This book adopts a broad perspective on humanitarian action, acknowledging how its boundaries are challenged and expanded in forced migration contexts. Its operational and theoretical insights will be useful for a range of readers, from humanitarian and migration researchers and students to practitioners and policymakers.

    1. Introduction: Forced Migration Crises, Diverse Humanitarian Needs and Responses

    Lorenzo Guadagno, Lisette R. Robles, and Ako Muto

     

    2. Humanitarian Programming on Child Migration in Northern Africa and Southern Europe: The Role of Data

    Irene Schöfberger and Salma Nooh

     

    3. Representative Humanitarian Data Collection: Female Participation for Better Data on Migration and Internal Displacement

    Alexandra Bate and Nikki Herwanger

     

    4. From policy to practice: The evolution of disability-inclusive humanitarian action on internal displacement in Vanuatu and Nigeria

    Oliver Neuschaefer and Louisa Yasukawa

     

    5. Inclusion of Displaced Older People in Research and Practice: Insights on Humanitarian Action for Older Filipinos

    Lisette R. Robles and Rogie Royce Z. Carandang

     

    6. Protecting Forced Migrant Workers: A Case Study of Rescue Operations for Fishermen Trafficked from Thailand to Indonesia

    Tatsuya Hata and Kaito Takeuchi

     

    7. Reflections on Operational Challenges in Forced Migration: Towards Inclusive Humanitarian Action for People in Displacement

    Lisette R. Robles and Lorenzo Guadagno

    Biography

    Lorenzo Guadagno works on displacement, disasters and climate change with the Platform on Disaster Displacement. He has a PhD in sociology of disasters and over 15 years of experience working with academic institutions, International and Non-Governmental Organisations on Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Management, and Migration and Displacement.

     

    Lisette R. Robles is Research Fellow at JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, where she has been involved in research initiatives on human security and empowerment, disaster displacement, and forced migration. She holds a PhD in Media and Governance from Keio University, Japan.

    Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action brings together a wealth of experience and much-needed knowledge on how humanitarian action can be improved to more effectively meet the specific and differentiated needs of displaced people who are all too often lumped together under the label of 'vulnerable groups'.

    Walter Kälin, Professor Emeritus at University of Bern, Switzerland, and former Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons.

     

    Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action makes a valuable contribution to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the humanitarian system in responding to the needs of forced migrants at particular risk because of their age, gender, ability and legal status. I hope that the book is not only widely read but that its insights are translated into more effective humanitarian action.

    Elizabeth Ferris, Professor at Georgetown University, USA.

     

    This book offers thought-provoking insights into different forced migration scenarios. It poses well-grounded lessons on addressing displacement challenges for researchers and practitioners in Japan and around the globe. 

    Yukie Osa, Professor of Rikkyo University, and Chairperson of the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR), Japan.