Protecting internally displaced women and girls from sexual gender based violence in Nigeria

Published on March 4, 2021

Cynthia Adaugo MBAJUNWA | genida

Over the last decade, Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) has been the ‘collateral damage’ of violent clashes, and its prevalence in Nigeria is often seen as a by-product of internal conflicts involving irregular forces, which frequently result in disproportionate civilian casualties. Consequently, internally displaced women and girls battling deprivation, uncertainty and SGBV are a very vulnerable population. This brief examines the measures taken to protect internally displaced women and girls from SGBV in Nigeria.

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The Mass Deportations of Lithuanians during the Two Soviet Occupations

By Tomas Balkelis | Jan 8, 2026

This brief article highlights the lesser-known deportations of people from Lithuania conducted in 1940-1950s by the Soviet authorities. The unlawful Soviet actions led to the forced displacement, imprisonment, and deaths of thousands of Lithuanians within the Soviet Union, resulting in significant shifts in political, cultural, and economic life in Lithuanian society. Since the Soviet government concealed the deportations until just before the Soviet Union's collapse, scholars are still at work analysing the deportations and their long-lasting consequences for the re-establishment of Lithuania's independence in 1990, for Lithuanian historical memory and national identity. This blog provides a glimpse into this tragic period in Lithuanian history.

Displacement Capitalism in Barbuda: A Story of Greed, Resistance and Hope

By John Mussington | Dec 18, 2025

This short blog by a Barbudan community advocate examines how the Government of Antigua and Barbuda cynically forced the evacuation of Barbuda during Hurricane Irma in 2017 to make way for a luxury real estate development project catering to the exclusive private lifestyles of millionaires. Declaring the island ‘uninhabitable’, the government used threats and dubious legal procedures to confiscate all Barbudan land and prevent Barbudans from asserting their right to live on their land and island. Eight years on, Barbudans, led by community representatives and activists, continue their struggle. As the author notes, their challenges have strengthened the resolve of the people of Barbuda and helped forge alliances with other communities facing similar injustices.

Living in Both Places: The Struggles of Tsunami-Relocated Families 20 Years Later in Sri Lanka

By Nishara Fernando | Dec 4, 2025

This policy brief examines the forced and mostly failed relocation of members of coastal Sri Lankan communities following the 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of the country. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the Sri Lankan government decided to enforce a coastal buffer zone law that banned housing within proximity to the coastline, requiring residents in the buffer zone to vacate and move to poorly planned and constructed housing in ill-conceived relocation sites. As government and civil society organisations involved in the relocation gradually disengaged from the project, community members were left to fend for themselves amidst growing economic and social challenges associated with the relocation. As such, many families eventually returned to the buffer zone, exposing themselves to both legal and coastal hazard risks. This blog highlights how failure to involve communities in the planning and development of the relocation project has led to a second disaster for tsunami-affected communities – that of a poorly implemented planned relocation.