I'm Prepared: Year 3 Learning Report
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‘I’m Prepared’: Equality for Refugee Women in the Return and Reintegration Context Year 3 Learning Report Prepared for Act for Peace, OfERR and TBC Institute for Sustainable Futures March 2021 ‘I’M PREPARED’: YEAR 3 LEARNING REPORT isf.uts.edu.au 1 I’m Prepared: Equality for Refugee Women in Front cover: Protection and preparedness the Return and Reintegration Context is training for Karenni refugees funded by ‘I’m supported by the Australian Department of Prepared’ (Photo credit: 2019 – TBC); Refugee Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Gender Action women’s self-help groups in India (Photo credit: Platform, and implemented by Act for Peace, the 2012 – OfERR/ ECHO Arjun Claire) Organisation for the Rehabilitation of Elangai/Eelam Refugees (OfERR), the Border Acknowledgements Consortium (TBC) and the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology We would like to thank Act for Peace, OfERR, Sydney (ISF-UTS). TBC, KNWO, and local researchers for their valued contributions to this research and ongoing This publication has been funded by the work supporting refugees. Most importantly, Australian Government through the Department warm thanks go to the women and men who of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views were so generous with their time to participate in expressed in this publication are the author’s this research. We hope that this research report alone and are not necessarily the views of the supports them in their struggles for social justice Australian Government. and building towards a better life for themselves and their families. About the authors I’mResearch Prepared: Team Equality for Refugee Women in the Return and Reintegration Context is The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) is an supported• Tamara by Megaw, the Australian Research Department Consultant of interdisciplinary research and consulting Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Gender Action organisation at the University of Technology Platform,• Dr Keren and Winterford,implemented Research by Act for Director Peace, Sydney. ISF has been setting global benchmarks Organisa• Jay Falletta,tion for theResearch Rehabilitation Consultant of since 1997 in helping governments, organisations, Elangai/Eelam Refugees (OfERR), the Border businesses and communities achieve change Consortium (TBC) and Institute for Sustainable towards sustainable futures. Futures, University of Technology Sydney (ISF- Citation We utilise a unique combination of skills and UTS). perspectives to offer long term sustainable solutions ThisPlease publication cite as: Megaw, has been T., funded Winterford by the K. , Falletta, that protect and enhance the environment, human AustralianJ., (2021), Government‘I’m Prepared through’: Equality the for Departme Refugeent wellbeing and social equity. ofWomen Foreign in Affairsthe Return and andTrade. Reintegration The views Context, ISF acknowledges and respects the Aboriginal expressedYear 3 Learning in this Report,publication Prepared are the for author’s Act for alonePeace, and OfERR, are not TBC, necessarily by the Institute the views for of the and Torres Strait Islander custodians of Australia and the Gadigal peoples upon which the UTS City AustralianSustainable Government. Futures, University of Technology Sydney. Campus now stands. We continue to value the generations of knowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples embed within our University and we pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. Disclaimer The authors have used all due care and skill to ensure the material is accurate as at the date of this report. ISF and the authors do not accept any responsibility for any loss that may arise by anyone relying upon its contents. © UTS March 2021 Institute for Sustainable Futures Disclaimer University of Technology Sydney PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW, 2007 The authors have used all due care and skill to ensure the material is accurate as at the date of this report. ISF and the authors do not accept anywww.isf.uts.edu.au responsibility for any loss that may arise by anyone relying upon its contents. © UTS March 2021 ‘I’M PREPARED’: YEAR 3 LEARNING REPORT 2 Executive Summary This document provides learnings from Year 3 research activities of the project “’I’m Prepared’: Equality of Refugee Women in the Return and Reintegration Context” (I’m Prepared) funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Gender Action Platform (GAP). ‘I’m Prepared’ is implemented in four country contexts. These countries are India and Thailand, where encamped refugees decide whether or not to return home, and the reintegration contexts of north-east Sri Lanka and Kayah State, Myanmar. The research learnings relate to gender equality and women’s empowerment and changes that have taken place from Year 1 (2018) to Year 3 (2020) of the ‘I’m Prepared’ Project. To note, ‘Year 3’ was originally scheduled to take place between 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020, however due to COVID-19 was extended for a further nine months up to 30 March 2021. The report has been prepared by the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney (ISF-UTS), who has been leading research activities in partnership with Act for Peace, Organisation for the Rehabilitation of Elangai/Eelam Refugees (OfERR) and The Border Consortium (TBC). This report provides insight into the experience of a sub-set of 100 refugee households in the project (50 households in Thailand, and 50 households in India including 12 households who returned to Sri Lanka during the project period) and their experience of a series of activities within the 3-year implementation of the Project. This report is the third of 3 annual research learning reports. The reports were supported by design of research tools; researcher training; data collection; collation and analysis carried out by TBC, OfERR, and ISF-UTS. The ‘I’m Prepared’ Project As noted in the Project Design the Project pioneers a refugee-led approach, using protection preparedness methods, to strengthen women’s resilience and gender equality in the return and reintegration process for Tamil and Karenni refugees while developing evidence-based guidance to help women prepare for safe, dignified voluntary repatriation. From 1 July 2017 to 31 March 2021, the project reached over 26,000 refugees or returnees. This Project built from Act for Peace’s partnership and decades of work experience with OfERR in Sri Lanka and India, and TBC in Thailand to strengthen the preparedness of refugees, increase self-reliance and promote gender equality approaches in return. The long-term outcome of the project is: Increase and strengthen women’s resilience and gender equality in the return and reintegration process (in Thailand/Myanmar and India/Sri Lanka context). The Project theory of change has three pathways to influence change and associated objectives which are detailed in the body of the report. The pathways are related to knowledge, economic empowerment, and leadership. The research process The research was conducted over the three years of the Project (2018-20 with a 9 month extension until March 2021 due to COVID-19) and provides different types of learning which will inform the Project. Research questions guided the inquiry: 1. What are women and men’s experience of change in the fulfilment of practical and strategic needs of women in the project areas? 2. What mechanisms within the theory of change (program interventions) influence change and what is the similarity / difference within and across country contexts? 3. What impact do changes to gender equality and women’s empowerment have on women’s and men’s decision making in return / reintegration (since Year 1)? 4. What learning from Year 3 research can inform future projects of partners and women’s empowerment and resettlement in other contexts? Context of research locations ‘I’M PREPARED’: YEAR 3 LEARNING REPORT 3 In Thailand the research was carried out in the two refugee camps where the ‘I’m Prepared’ activities are being implemented: Ban Mai Nai Soi Camp (Site 1) Muang District, Mae Hong Son and Ban Mae Surin Camp (Site 2) Khun Yuam District, Mae Hong Son. In India the research focused in 14 camps from the 107 camps where the ‘I’m Prepared’ activities are being implemented in Tamil Nadu. Research in Sri Lanka focused on households in north-east Sri Lanka, where the returnees from Tamil Nadu are reintegrating in the Sri Lankan society and economy. Further details on the research participants and country contexts are found within the body of the report. Research findings This longitudinal research provides learnings from the different country contexts of Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. It does not provide a country comparison, since that is not helpful to inform local programming and inappropriate to compare research findings across different contexts. Nonetheless, summary comments are helpful to synthesise learning from the unique contexts for refugees in the research countries, informing refugee protection programming in similar contexts. While there were two and a half years between baseline and final data collection, the research findings should be read with reference to the entrenched barriers and obstacles that pose challenges to realising the strategic and practical needs of refugee women. In the case of those refugee women who had relocated from India to Sri Lanka during the research, most of the cohort had been in Sri Lanka for less than eighteen months and therefore were still in the process of reintegration. There were positive changes related to meeting women’s practical needs in access to information. Women’s access to information increased in Thailand, India and Sri Lanka during the three years of project activities. Changes in access to services were more varied across the three country contexts. Women’s access to six types of services increased in Thailand, with the exception of shelter-related support. In India women’s access to four types of services improved or stayed the same, and decreased for travel documentation and expenditure for flights.