Pedro Pagan,
Strengthening ICA's Mission: Enhancing Reporting Capacity and Documenting Human Rights Violations Among Chin Refugees and Displaced Communities
In the fall of 2023, I had the great opportunity to work as a volunteer with The Institute of Chin Affairs, INC. (ICA) in Aizawl, Mizoram in India. ICA is an independent institution, dedicated to work for the Chin national issues, social justice, cultural upliftment, and positive interaction among the Chin people. As an organization that serves refugees, forcibly displaced persons, and host communities, ICA is committed to work for a peaceful, just, democratic society in Chin State and strengthening unity, tranquility, and harmony among the Chin people worldwide. The organization looks to perform research and analysis of issues affecting the Chin people and inform, educate, and raise awareness of their struggle as they monitor, research, document, report, and educate on Chin human rights issues. ICA works to help the Chin refugees and other Chins in need, promote unity and social cohesion among the Chin people while helping to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful, developed, democratic society for the Chin people in Myanmar (Burma). This was an exciting opportunity to directly work with this population who are looking to resettle in a new temporary or permanent home.
My original goals for the project were to engage in an internship with ICA and contribute to ICA's mission of documenting the human rights violations of the Chin refugees, forcibly displaced individuals, and local community in Aizawl, India. To achieve outcomes during the fellowship, I have set the following project goals: 1. Build ICA staff and partner capacity: Assist ICA staff to develop writing and reporting skills (e.g., referencing); 2. In partnership with ICA staff and partners, develop a timely report, documenting the hardship being faced by displaced persons and/or ongoing human rights violations against the Chin people in Myanmar; 3. Documenting the experiences and living conditions of the Chin refugees and displaced people of the community. As an organization that serves refugees, forcibly displaced persons, and host communities, ICA is committed to work for a peaceful, just, democratic society in Chin State and strengthening unity, tranquility, and harmony among the Chin people worldwide. The organization looks to perform research and analysis of issues affecting the Chin people and inform, educate, and raise awareness of their struggle as they monitor, research, document, report, and educate on Chin human rights issues. The project's goals were identified by aligning them with ICA's main services, including Reconciliation, Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support, Education, and Livelihoods. These areas were chosen to address the holistic needs of refugees and contribute to their well- being, integration, and empowerment. ICA has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs faced by these vulnerable populations. With many of the members being Chin refugees relocated, ICA's expertise and experience were instrumental in shaping the project's objectives. Through this partnership, the project leverages ICA's expertise, resources, and commitment to provide meaningful support and address the pressing issues affecting refugees.
During my time in Aizawl, we were able to achieve many of the project goals with ICA to help refugees and displaced people. We were able to achieve these goals by conducting research on community integration programs, educational resources, and existing support networks for refugees in Aizawl, identifying specific issues and forms of human rights violation that needs to be explored, developing a detailed project plan, including specific interview questions and topics to discuss with the interviewee. As a Research Consultant with ICA, my responsibilities and duties were to build ICA staff and partner capacity; assist ICA staff to develop writing and reporting skills; in partnership with ICA staff and partners, develop a timely report, documenting the hardship being faced by displaced persons and/or ongoing human rights violations against the Chin people in Myanmar; and help ICA with document reviews. I was also tasked with creating a brochure with ICA's contact information, board members, information about the organization, their missions, services, and partnerships that would be handed out to the Chin community.
Another of my tasks that helped achieve some of the project goals was to interview and write an article about the Myanmar Research Fellowship Program. The fellowship is facilitated by the Institute of Chin Affairs (ICA), hosted at Mizoram University (MZU), and supported by the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar initiative by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It is a program created to support fellows in the production of their own research study on themes of displacement in Myanmar and Mizoram, informed by personal experience and perspectives. For this article, that was for the ICA's website, I had to interview a couple of the fellows to share about their experience with the program.
The last task in internship with ICA to achieve the project goals was to work on a video that highlights the situation and the current situation that the displaced Chin and other Burmese are experiencing in Mizoram. In this part of the internship, we visited different refugee camps to interview and see the difficult living conditions that they are in. their homes. We went to Tuirial Refugee Camp and Sihhmui Refugee Camp to film and interview the displaced migrants living there. These camps were in very rural parts of Mizoram which took about an hour to an hour and a half to arrive from the ICA office in Aizawl. At the camps you can quickly see the difficult circumstances that they live in. The camps were on lands that were donated by the villagers. In each camp we spoke and interviewed camp leaders and other members of the camp that shared their testimonies, explained how the camp was established, and how they sustain themselves without the ability to legally work. We documented this and created a video for the ICA to use to achieve the project goals by demonstrating and bringing awareness to the situation for the refugees in Aizawl.
Some of the challenges we faced were more logistical and cultural. As someone coming from the United States and the Western world, it can be an adjustment going to an Eastern country. One example was with punctuality. In Western countries, time and punctuality are highly valued, with an emphasis on adhering to schedules and deadlines. Being punctual is considered a sign of respect for others' time and professionalism. Lateness is often frowned upon and can be seen as rude or disrespectful. In contrast, I learned that Eastern countries can be more flexible about their approach to time and punctuality, with greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships and flexibility in scheduling. While punctuality is still appreciated, there may be more tolerance for lateness in certain contexts, particularly if it's due to unforeseen circumstances or if it helps to maintain harmony within social relationships or hierarchical structures. Being in the field, one must adjust to other people's time while understanding that there are things that come up that can prevent being punctual. It's important to be flexible and adjust one's standards and expectations understanding that this is how some cultures function. Another adjustment is understanding communication etiquettes in Eastern countries.
The work being done with the Institute of Chin Affairs in Aizawl, India is impacting many people in the community that have fled persecution and need support as they transition in a new country. During my time with ICA, I was able to build and assist ICA staff and partner capacity by developing writing and reporting skills, developed a timely report documenting the hardship being faced by displaced persons and/or ongoing human rights violations against the Chin people in Myanmar, and documenting the experiences and living conditions of the refugees and displaced people of the community. With this work, we were able to create a better structure for the organization to be more effective in reaching out and assisting the members and community, highlighted the work of the community and organization that are assisting the Chin population, and help raise awareness for locals and others abroad of the situation they face and how they can help. The work we did at the time may seem small, just a tiny dent to the civil war and persecution of the citizens of Myanmar, but ICA's work with the community is a positive influence in the life of people who have lost everything and are starting all over again.