In Pakistan, families displaced by conflict begin the journey home
Chris Niles , UNICEF
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© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0686/Ramoneda
A woman and her children sit on the ground, near rows of tents, at Jalozai camp for displaced people, located in Nowshera district in North–West Frontier Province, Pakistan.
NEW YORK (July 20, 2009) — The first of some 2 million people displaced by conflict in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan have started to return home.
"It's because of the extremely hot temperatures that we are going. It's too hot here. All my children have fallen sick," said Ali Zafar, who has been living in the Jalozai camp in Nowshera district. Daytime temperatures in the camps reach more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and families have only tents for shelter.
UNICEF is working with its UN partners and Pakistan's Government to ensure that the return is safe and voluntary.
Security a precondition for return
© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0687/Ramoneda
A small boy helps to set up his family's tent in Jalozai camp, North–West Frontier Province. His family was displaced by the conflict in Pakistan's Swat Valley.
"It was important for us to state very clearly to the government officials that they need to give us a clear sign that the security is ensured so that we can provide support to accompanied returnees," said UNICEF Director of Emergency Programs, Louis-Georges Arsenault.
"That being said, it is clear that the people don't intend to stay in camps," he added. "They want to be able to go back as soon as possible, so we are making sure there are preconditions for that return, and the preconditions are safety and security."
Although the number of people returning is only a fraction of the millions displaced, UNICEF hopes that more can soon go back safely. In the meantime, the organization will continue to provide support for children and women who return home, as well as those remaining in camps.
However, about 90 percent of the displaced are not in the camps but, instead, staying with host communities. This situation increases the challenges facing families in the region—including both displaced and host families.
Fifty people in one room
"You have houses where you have 50 people in one room, and they've been living like this for several months now, in extreme heat," said Arsenault. "This cannot last forever. It's increasing the pressure tremendously. We are hoping that the return can take place progressively, and this is what we are planning."
One of UNICEF's most pressing priorities is to ensure that about 700,000 school-aged children—out of the estimated 1 million children displaced by the conflict—are able to return to classes when the school year begins in September. But many buildings in the Swat Valley area, where the worst fighting took place, have been destroyed, and some 4,000 schools have been turned into shelters for the displaced.
"We are really trying hard to define strategies and support for the government that will allow us to find alternatives for these shelters," said Arsenault.
