Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen

Abstract Every year millions of people are forced to flee their homes in the context of climate change and disasters. Their needs and rights are unclear. This paper presents and discusses some findings from a socio-legal case study exploring the rights of disaster-affected Somalis and Ethiopians in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vikram Kolmannskog
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Scandinavian University Press 2015-01-01
Series:Oslo Law Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.idunn.no/oslo_law_review/2015/03/disasters_and_refugee_protection_a_socio-legal_case_study_
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849323267403284480
author Vikram Kolmannskog
author_facet Vikram Kolmannskog
author_sort Vikram Kolmannskog
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Every year millions of people are forced to flee their homes in the context of climate change and disasters. Their needs and rights are unclear. This paper presents and discusses some findings from a socio-legal case study exploring the rights of disaster-affected Somalis and Ethiopians in Yemen. The first main findings relate to the challenges that Ethiopians faced in accessing, and succeeding with, the formal asylum process. This is discussed in light of legal aid theory and research as well as research on credibility assessments. Another category of findings relates to interactions of local, religious law and international law. This is discussed in light of legal pluralism, which helps in identifying an emancipatory potential. While complex, dynamic and dependant on regional politics and other factors, the way Islamic law was applied — and influenced other bodies of law — seemed to ensure better protection than the 1951 Refugee Convention alone. This potential should be further explored and possibly expanded in order to strengthen the rights of people displaced in the context of climate change and disasters more generally.
format Article
id doaj-art-c75f78cf0bc740018e40b7665e4345cb
institution Kabale University
issn 2387-3299
language English
publishDate 2015-01-01
publisher Scandinavian University Press
record_format Article
series Oslo Law Review
spelling doaj-art-c75f78cf0bc740018e40b7665e4345cb2025-08-20T03:49:04ZengScandinavian University PressOslo Law Review2387-32992015-01-01222524010.5617/oslaw276818948693Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from YemenVikram KolmannskogAbstract Every year millions of people are forced to flee their homes in the context of climate change and disasters. Their needs and rights are unclear. This paper presents and discusses some findings from a socio-legal case study exploring the rights of disaster-affected Somalis and Ethiopians in Yemen. The first main findings relate to the challenges that Ethiopians faced in accessing, and succeeding with, the formal asylum process. This is discussed in light of legal aid theory and research as well as research on credibility assessments. Another category of findings relates to interactions of local, religious law and international law. This is discussed in light of legal pluralism, which helps in identifying an emancipatory potential. While complex, dynamic and dependant on regional politics and other factors, the way Islamic law was applied — and influenced other bodies of law — seemed to ensure better protection than the 1951 Refugee Convention alone. This potential should be further explored and possibly expanded in order to strengthen the rights of people displaced in the context of climate change and disasters more generally.https://www.idunn.no/oslo_law_review/2015/03/disasters_and_refugee_protection_a_socio-legal_case_study_Climate changedisastersrefugeesYemenSomalisEthiopians
spellingShingle Vikram Kolmannskog
Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
Oslo Law Review
Climate change
disasters
refugees
Yemen
Somalis
Ethiopians
title Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
title_full Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
title_fullStr Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
title_full_unstemmed Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
title_short Disasters and Refugee Protection: A Socio-legal Case Study from Yemen
title_sort disasters and refugee protection a socio legal case study from yemen
topic Climate change
disasters
refugees
Yemen
Somalis
Ethiopians
url https://www.idunn.no/oslo_law_review/2015/03/disasters_and_refugee_protection_a_socio-legal_case_study_
work_keys_str_mv AT vikramkolmannskog disastersandrefugeeprotectionasociolegalcasestudyfromyemen