Authors: Nyi Nyi Kyaw and Caitlin McCaffrie
Executive Summary
Myanmar has long been the primary source of displacement in Southeast Asia, with waves of conflict forcing people of different ages, genders and ethnicities to flee from their homes over decades. Refugees and people seeking asylum from Myanmar live across Southeast and South Asia, often in precarious circumstances.
This has serious impacts on the mental and physical health of those displaced. It also renders them vulnerable to human trafficking, migrant smuggling and related forms of exploitation, which in turn has security implications for the entire region.
This paper aims to unpack the current situation facing those displaced from Myanmar and offer policy proposals to improve their lives in displacement, while working towards supporting conditions in Myanmar becoming safe for repatriation in the future.
In this context, the paper identifies three key challenges facing those displaced, namely:
● deteriorating conditions in Myanmar making safe,
voluntary repatriation a distant possibility;
● inconsistent or lack of access to services for
those displaced in neighbouring countries, and
● an absence of regional level coordination or
leadership on refugee protection.