Compensation and the Human Security–Insecurity Matrix in Forced Displacement. Experiences from the Tokwe Mukosi Displacement in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Compensation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is one of the most important ways in which IDPs can be cushioned against multiple forms of insecurity. If conducted timely and impartially, it can increase resilience in the wake of the sudden and often unplanned livelihood-related and social changes that are associated with internal displacement and concomitant vulnerabilities for the displacees. Yet, states have a poor reputation of delaying the compensation of displacees, sometimes indefinitely. Often, displaced communities have to engage in protracted legal and illegal battles with states to get compensation for land and for other valuable and compensable assets. Many such battles never end in the favor of the displacees as delays in compensation erode its value, particularly in countries with hyperinflation, such as Zimbabwe. In this article, we argue for thinking about compensation as a critical component of IDPs’ human security. More precisely, we conceive of compensation as one of the key means of enhancing two forms of human security: food security and housing security.