1	International Implications of Community-Level Refugee Conflict in Ecuador Jeff Pugh PLAS Travel Grant Presentation November 7, 2005
2	Background on Colombia & Ecuador Population: 45 million GDP: $83 Billion ($1,844 per capita) 37,000 emigrated to other Andean states in 2000-2001 3,000-4,000 killed annually in conflict according to USAID Population: 13.4 million GDP: $30 Billion ($2,304 per capita) In 2002-3, 243,130 more Colombians entered than exited Ecuador There were 7,935 requests for refugee status in 2004 Ecuadorian presidency has generally been supportive of Colombian action, but public opinion tends toward nonintervention
3	Research Questions RQ₁: How do conflict dynamics among Colombian refugees and the Ecuadorian host population affect international relations between the two states? RQ₂: How can domestic and transnational nonstate networks and NGOs effectively intervene in reducing conflict and alleviating refugee-related social and security problems?
4	Who is a refugee? A person who, “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” -UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
5	What are refugees? Persons whose presence abroad is attributable to a well-founded fear of violence, as might be established by impartial experts with adequate information. In cases of persecution, the violence is initiated by some recognizable internal agent, such as the government, and directed against dissenters or a specified target group. -Zolberg, Suhrke, and Aguayo (1989)
6	Refugee Applications: 2000-2004, Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Relations
7	Sources of Ecuadorian-Colombian refugee conflict Economic competition Stereotypes of violence and crime Fear of deportation & exploitation Race Nationalism/Xenophobia Gender issues
8	Sources of conflict among Colombian immigrants/refugees Fear of political/war vendettas Economic competition Stereotypes of violence and crime Fear of deportation & exploitation Desire to escape from past Gender issues
9	State-level Ecuadorian Tensions toward Colombia Direct stimuli Perception that Colombia is not controlling its own problem Foreign/U.S. assistance weighted toward Colombia Spillover effects from Plan Colombia (glyphosate spraying, increasing violence/ FARC activity in border area) Compounding factors Political scapegoating by Ecuadorian politicians Mass media channeling and exacerbation of negative images & stereotypes tying Colombian immigrants/refugees with crime Poverty and corruption that makes enforcement of solutions difficult
10	Methods Survey instrument administered to 50 Ecuadorian and Colombian participants with 48 useable surveys returned Survey measured attitudes and experiences with respect to conflict, perceptions of self and other group Distributed within a focus group that was part of a training initiative, as well as to community organizations and to self-selecting participants
11	Methods Also conducted a focus group-style forum with Ecuadorian and Colombian community leaders in Ibarra, a city with a high Colombian immigrant/refugee population Interviewed social worker working with Colombian population, UNHCR officer in Ibarra, Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry director of refugee office, USAID democracy/conflict resolution director, and others Collected documentary evidence from Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNHCR, others
12	“I have experienced discrimination because of my nationality”
13	“I feel included in sharing the decisions in my community.”
14	“I believe that all conflict ends in physical or verbal violence.”
15	“I (or a member of my immediate family) have experienced emotional abuse/violence”
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21	“I think that the more poverty that exists, the more conflict will exist”
22	“What is the most serious cause of conflict between Ecuadorians and Colombian immigrant/refugees?”
23	Negative Stereotypes “Many of the stereotypes that Ecuadorians and Colombians have of each other are reinforced by the media and by the socializing civil society. The negative images that all Colombians are criminals and prostitutes and that all Ecuadorians are lazy and unpunctual are strengthened by ignorance, but that is not how things are.” -Ecuadorian community leader
24	Negative Stereotypes “We unfortunately have continued to discriminate against Colombians because we have prejudices of what they are like without getting to know them. Likewise, Colombians come already defensive and expecting persecution.” -Ecuadorian teacher
25	Negative Stereotypes “I had a bad experience with some Colombians who were abusive and abrasive, and I began applying that negative image to everyone. We must break this destructive image and mental frame toward Colombians.” - Ecuadorian business leader
26	Gender exploitation “Women fleeing from Colombia often continue being abused and are afraid to do anything because of their fear of other Colombians and from fear of being deported. Becoming a refugee is often an emotional blow, and it often affects people’s self-esteem.” -Ecuadorian social worker who works specifically with refugee populations
27	Colombian refugee fears Refugees don’t want to use the free halfway houses (‘albergues’) because of security: they fear the guerrilla and other armed agents, and they prefer to be anonymous. In 2002, there was a wave of single refugees who were reported to be intelligence agents for the guerrilla. -UN High Commission on Refugees Field Officer, Ecuador
28	Economic competition “There are way too many people…but what happens? There are people who have come from Colombia but that have economic resources, who have set up businesses here. And what does that do? It replaces the Ecuadorian labor pool and Ecuadorian jobs—they come to replace us. So, does that seem fair?” -Ecuadorian citizen (UNHCR ‘Mujeres al Borde’)
29	Violence and prejudice “The wave of violence has increased. Ever since the refugee rate began growing, the violence and crime really began. The people here [in Ecuador] have a negative and stereotyped image of Colombians, and Colombians have their own prejudices as well.” -Colombian community leader in Ibarra, Ecuador
30	The exacerbating role of the media “Part of the problem that exists with the negative stereotypes of the Colombian population is due to the ample coverage that the media gives to those cases involving people of that nationality, as well as to xenophobic messages with respect to the Colombian population.” -UNHCR, Mujeres al Borde
31	Interstate Tension “There was such weakness in the policy of the previous administration [of Lucio Gutierrez] with respect to relations with Colombia that the country felt under pressure. We have arrived at the point where the sole responsibility for guarding the frontier region has fallen completely on Ecuador. The Colombian guard posts are nowhere near proportional with those of Ecuador. Part of the pressure on Ecuador comes because of the role played by the United States as the principal ally of our northern neighbor.” -Mauricio Gandara, Ecuadorian Minister of Government (El Comercio)
32	Policy responses: National level Ecuadorian Move toward increasing regulation of Colombian migration, visa restrictions Increasing joint operations and intelligence coordination (U.S. base at Manta) Appeals for more international aid to deal with refugees and security Colombian Joint operations and intelligence sharing Military crackdown on armed groups Diplomatic appeals for Ecuadorian cooperation with border security
33	Policy responses: international level USAID: Funding for a border region program to provide security and economic/social improvement services for Ecuadorian border region (education, health, microenterprise, etc.) U.S. Defense/State Department: increased funding for Andean regional initiative to improve security capabilities of Ecuadorian forces, military aid to governments UNHCR: Advocacy for greater transparency in government processes, training in human rights for refugees and officials working with refugees
34	NGO responses Direct social services to refugees Capacity-building for refugees/immigrants to improve economic situation Advocacy to improve human rights and reduce corruption by government officials working with immigrant/refugee populations Public awareness campaigns to reduce negative images, stereotypes, and discrimination Cross-cutting dialogues, fora, and training including Ecuadorian and Colombian nationals
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36	Directions for Next Steps Systematic content analysis combined with focus group research to measure the mediating effect of the media on individual image formation of the ‘other’, exacerbation of national tensions and increasing political pressure on policymakers to adopt adversarial positions and restrictive policies Content analysis of public statements of Ecuadorian politicians to chart arguments made in favor of/against increasing restrictions toward Colombian immigrants & refugees