Originally posted, Thursday 26 August 2021, on the UCL IRDR Blog. Yesterday – 25 August 2021 – marked four years since the start of a brutal military assault against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, which forced three quarters of a million Rohingyas to flee over the country’s borders. The deliberate, systematic, and extreme violence usedContinue reading “Rohingya crisis anniversary: four years of genocide in Myanmar, four years of protection failures in India”
Author Archives: Jess Field
UCL IRDR Humanitarian Summit: Inequalities and injustices at the centre of discussions
Originally posted, Monday 15 June 2021, on the GRRIPP blog This Wednesday, the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction at UCL will host its annual Humanitarian Summit, which is aimed at engaging with the latest humanitarian debates and linking them to the department’s ongoing work. It’s a timely moment to host this event. Not leastContinue reading “UCL IRDR Humanitarian Summit: Inequalities and injustices at the centre of discussions”
G7 and COP26: “Global Britain” reneges on humanitarian commitments, costing lives
Originally By Jessica Field, Friday 11 June 2021, on the IRDR blog The IRDR annual Humanitarian Summit is almost upon us. After the developments of the last few months, there’ll certainly be a lot to discuss next Wednesday. Today [Friday 11 June], leaders of the world’s seven largest ‘advanced economies’ will descend on Cornwall for a G7Continue reading “G7 and COP26: “Global Britain” reneges on humanitarian commitments, costing lives”
The Real Effect Of India’s Digital Discrimination Of Rohingya Refugees
By Anubhav Dutt Tiwari and Jessica Field, originally posted, 20 January 2021, on Article-14 Parallel to a new citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims, India—in violation of global laws that it’s signed—digitally denies Muslim Rohingya refugees access to healthcare, education and jobs. New Delhi: The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination,Continue reading “The Real Effect Of India’s Digital Discrimination Of Rohingya Refugees”
Bombay in 1944 and Beirut in 2020: Port explosions and failures in accountability
The port explosion in Beirut on Tuesday is shocking for both the scale of the disaster and the level of mismanagement that led to the catastrophe. At least 137 people are so far known to have died, more than 5,000 are injured and countless more homes and businesses have been completely destroyed. For the people of Beirut,Continue reading “Bombay in 1944 and Beirut in 2020: Port explosions and failures in accountability”
Military standoff at India-China border increases disaster vulnerability in Ladakh
Confrontations between India and China on the Line of Actual Control this week have left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unspecified number dead/injured on the Chinese side. This is the the most serious confrontation that these nuclear powers have had in decades. As well as having serious implications for conflict and stability in the widerContinue reading “Military standoff at India-China border increases disaster vulnerability in Ladakh”
Triple disaster in Bangladesh: cyclone, pandemic, human rights
Cyclone Amphan swept across eastern India and Bangladesh on the 20th May causing significant damage in its wake. Amphan was the first super cyclonic storm to form in the Bay of Bengal in over two decades. Bangladesh and India evacuated millions and fewer than 100 people are believed to have died. This is remarkable in terms of scaleContinue reading “Triple disaster in Bangladesh: cyclone, pandemic, human rights”
Independence Day Earthquake in Assam, 1950
On 15 August 1950, communities across India were marking Independence Day – the third such commemoration since gaining independence from the British Empire in 1947. At 7:39pm, a large earthquake struck, the epicentre of which was in the Mishmi Hills of present-day Arunachal Pradesh, near Tibet. It measured 8.69 in magnitude and is the world’sContinue reading “Independence Day Earthquake in Assam, 1950”
Rohingya refugees scapegoated for COVID-19 in India and Malaysia
Islamophobia and COVID-19 in India In India during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling strand of public debate (and fake news) around the national response to the pandemic merged with a more pernicious and long-running strand of public discourse that frames the Muslim migrant as a national security and socio-economic threat. TheContinue reading “Rohingya refugees scapegoated for COVID-19 in India and Malaysia”
Kashmir’s lockdown increases disaster risk
On 5 August 2019, the Government of India unilaterally reorganised Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – and revoked Article 370, which contained protected privileges for the disputed territory. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been deployed to the region, tens of thousands of tourists and workers have fled. SinceContinue reading “Kashmir’s lockdown increases disaster risk”
Dr Jessica Field 