Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance
Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian NGOs have instituted safety protocols intended to reduce the risk of spreading infection during services to refugees. But those protocols are not always followed, and how staff attribute refugee non-adherence reveals underlying power dynamics in hu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of International Humanitarian Action |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-023-00141-6 |
| _version_ | 1797647193218220032 |
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| author | Ezgi Karaoglu Stephanie J. Nawyn Natalynn Qaji Natalie Qaji Ayat J. Nashwan Stephen Gasteyer |
| author_facet | Ezgi Karaoglu Stephanie J. Nawyn Natalynn Qaji Natalie Qaji Ayat J. Nashwan Stephen Gasteyer |
| author_sort | Ezgi Karaoglu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian NGOs have instituted safety protocols intended to reduce the risk of spreading infection during services to refugees. But those protocols are not always followed, and how staff attribute refugee non-adherence reveals underlying power dynamics in humanitarian assistance which can shape how they approach improving adherence in order to enhance effective service provision to the refugees. Using the data from 1466 interviews conducted with 468 different NGO staff in Türkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon, this study exhibits how paternalistic rhetoric operated in humanitarianism during the initial stages of the pandemic. While staff attribute the non-adherence of refugees to essential refugee culture and sometimes “immoral” character, they attribute their own non-adherence to morally neutral situational factors. Some NGO staff even perceived the refugees as incapable of complying with the safety protocols without assistance. While the literature on paternalism focuses on North/South power dynamics between service providers and refugees, our data show that these dynamics also exist in South-South humanitarian interventions where both the service providers and the refugees are from the region and have similar cultural backgrounds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6182be7ee774435bbf58f297ff9acb87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2364-3412 2364-3404 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of International Humanitarian Action |
| spelling | doaj.art-6182be7ee774435bbf58f297ff9acb872023-10-29T12:32:50ZengSpringerOpenJournal of International Humanitarian Action2364-34122364-34042023-10-018111210.1186/s41018-023-00141-6Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistanceEzgi Karaoglu0Stephanie J. Nawyn1Natalynn Qaji2Natalie Qaji3Ayat J. Nashwan4Stephen Gasteyer5Department of Sociology, Michigan State UniversityDepartment of Sociology, Michigan State UniversityHuman Biology and Health Promotions, Michigan State UniversityHuman Biology and Health Promotions, Michigan State UniversityDepartment of Sociology, University of SharjahDepartment of Sociology, Michigan State UniversityAbstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian NGOs have instituted safety protocols intended to reduce the risk of spreading infection during services to refugees. But those protocols are not always followed, and how staff attribute refugee non-adherence reveals underlying power dynamics in humanitarian assistance which can shape how they approach improving adherence in order to enhance effective service provision to the refugees. Using the data from 1466 interviews conducted with 468 different NGO staff in Türkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon, this study exhibits how paternalistic rhetoric operated in humanitarianism during the initial stages of the pandemic. While staff attribute the non-adherence of refugees to essential refugee culture and sometimes “immoral” character, they attribute their own non-adherence to morally neutral situational factors. Some NGO staff even perceived the refugees as incapable of complying with the safety protocols without assistance. While the literature on paternalism focuses on North/South power dynamics between service providers and refugees, our data show that these dynamics also exist in South-South humanitarian interventions where both the service providers and the refugees are from the region and have similar cultural backgrounds.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-023-00141-6COVID-19PaternalismGlobal South MigrationHumanitarianismAttributions |
| spellingShingle | Ezgi Karaoglu Stephanie J. Nawyn Natalynn Qaji Natalie Qaji Ayat J. Nashwan Stephen Gasteyer Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance Journal of International Humanitarian Action COVID-19 Paternalism Global South Migration Humanitarianism Attributions |
| title | Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| title_full | Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| title_fullStr | Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| title_short | Refugee COVID-19 protocol adherence and NGO staff perceptions: paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| title_sort | refugee covid 19 protocol adherence and ngo staff perceptions paternalism and power in humanitarian assistance |
| topic | COVID-19 Paternalism Global South Migration Humanitarianism Attributions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-023-00141-6 |
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