The Socio-Economic Impact in the Local Community Due to Settlement of Bhutanese Refugees in Beldangi-Ii Camp:A Case Study of Damak Village of Jhapa

Abstract

According to the refugees' law, refugees must reside within their camps and not to engage in economic activities outside the camp. In practice neither refugees are following this law nor is government of Nepal being able to effectively implement this law. As a result, employment opportunities and wage rate of Nepali citizen is affected. On one side the people of Nepal are suffering from lack of employment opportunities, and in other side refugees are obtaining facilities provided by UNHCR and other national and international organizations and at the same time they have been entered in labor market. Although the refugees have some positive impacts but these positive impacts are very less in comparison to the negative impacts. This situation is providing the ground of further incumbent of poverty level of Nepalese people. This present study entitled THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITYDUE TO SETTLEMENT OF BHUTANESE REFUGEES IN BELDANGI-II CAMP(A Case Study of Damak Village of Jhapa)has tried to reveal the various impacts of Bhutanese refugee of Beldangi Camp on the local people who are living around the camp and its adjoining area. Mainly the study has focused on the socio economic and environmental impacts of the refugees. Impacts may be both positive and negative. In this study both exploratory and descriptive research designs have been used. The study is descriptive as it attempts to describe the cause of influx of Bhutanese refugee in Nepal. Both primary and secondary data have been used to carry out the study. The primary data were collected from the local community. Apart from the primary data, much relevant secondary information was also used from published and unpublished literature. Refuges have created both positive as well as negative impacts to the local people and environment. Thefts, prostitution, alcoholism, gambling, fights are social negative impacts of refugee. Similarly exchange of culture and tradition, health facilities obtained from the camp are social positive impacts. Likewise, markets for local product, easy and cheap wage, skill and idea sharing, employment creation are economic positive impacts. High market price exploitation of labor, unemployment is negative economic impacts of refugees. From environmental point of view, refugees have created mostly negative impacts to the local community. Although refuges have created both positive and negative impacts, the positive impacts are less in comparison to the negative impacts. So, local people are bearing lots of negative impacts of the refugees in particular and Nepal in general. However, with resettlement, there has been a fresh batch of problems as well as its own solutions.