The impacts of forced evictions on livelihoods with regards to forests
Millions of people across the world are faced with the threat of forceful eviction annually, leading to homelessness, elevated poverty levels and destitution and people left without land. The severe trauma caused by forced evictions makes it hard for individuals to move on or even settle elsewhere for fear of eviction. Forced evictions are experienced worldwide, in both developed and developing countries (UN, 2014). Globalization, urbanization and climate change are amongst the contributing factors, enhancing the complexity of forced evictions. According to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Resolutions, forced evictions to go against human rights, particularly the adequate housing right. Women, children and girls are a particularly vulnerable population throughout the process of eviction. Therefore, one way or the other forced evictions negatively impact on people’s livelihood, some having their lives changed forever.
Henry K. Kosgei conducted a study about forest eviction impact on the socio-economic aspect of life, Sengwer Community Embobut Forest in Kenya. The research purposed to analyze how the eviction of the Sangwer community had impacted on their livelihood socio-economically. The forest had been in the spotlight concerning matters deforestation due tosigns such as springs used to supply domestic water usage to nearby villages drying up. Before the eviction, the forest had been the home of the Sengwer indigenous community. An interview conducted with a sample of 24 people from a 2880 population and the information collected used to carry out research together with Focus Group Discussions. Some of the humanitarian programs proposed to benefit the evictees include; the community was allowed to perform cultural practices inside the forest, land for the settlement of the community members, members were allowed to pick herbal medicine and graze their sheep, cows and goats in the forest and they were allowed to be the keepers of the forest, ensuring its conservation. This provided a minimal negative impact on their socio-economic lifestyle.
In conclusion, the forceful eviction of people from their homes for forest conservation is against human rights. People should be given notice early enough and primarily compensated for the damages caused before the actual eviction process. The law should be able to protect such people from being forcefully evicted, ensuring their demand are met once they agree to leave on their own and land for them to settle should be ready. Instead of marking the evicted forest as a protected area, the evicted community should be given the role of being the forest custodians.
References
Kosgei K. Henry. ‘The Socio-Economic Impact of Forest Eviction: A Case Study of the Sengwer
Community of the Embobut Forest, Kenya” (2014/2015).
United Nations Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1993/77 and 2004/28
UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2014