Analysis of Human Rights Needs of Internally Displaced Persons and the Role of Social Work Practice: The Case of the Northwest, Southwest, and Littoral Regions of Cameroon

Abstract

The scourge of internal displacement has continued unabated despite efforts from the international community to address its root causes. Ironically, the so-called Anglophone crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon has been widely ignored on the world stage despite the toll and misery it has caused the local people, many of whom have been internally displaced. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore the human rights situation of internally displaced victims of this violent insurgency and reflect on the role social work practice can play to alleviate the suffering of displaced people. A quantitative research approach was employed through the use of a questionnaire in collecting data from 529 respondents in the Northwest, Southwest, and Littoral regions of the country. The major finding of the study is that most of the internally displaced respondents live under immense fear of either losing a family member or being killed themselves. Moreover, they have been deprived of their basic freedoms and live in indignity as there is hardly water, food, or other means of subsistence. The greatest aspiration of most of the respondents is to reunite with their families and return to their livelihoods. An important implication from this study is the potential contribution that social work professionals can make in the rehabilitation of IDPs. This study contributes to literature on forced migration and human rights, and practical suggestions on how to improve the human rights situation of internally displaced persons.