Displacement, miseries, and responsibilities: what does it mean to rebuild the home among young people affected by conflict in the southern Philippines?

ABSTRACT

This study examined the experiences of young people as they navigate the life of hardships owing to conflict-induced displacement. The study is particularly aimed at investigating how the family misery under displaced context has shaped the attitudes and dispositions of the young members of the family to proceed in life despite discouraging environments. Findings were drawn from face-to-face interviews with ten young internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur, in the Philippines, the site of a conflict in 2017 which has displaced thousands of people. Results reveal that young people perceive the displacement situation as an extremely difficult part of their lives, but which has strengthened their spirit to be better for their families. This article argued that, instead of feeling defeated and unmotivated, young adult members of the family are capable of rising above the occasion though engaging or sharing in parental roles and maintaining the focus on helpful goals for the family. This article demonstrated then that young people can become one of the family resources during difficult times among internally displaced families (IDPs).

KEYWORDS:

• Young people
• internal displacement
• internally displaced people
• family resources
• conflict-induced displacement

Acknowledgments

For the accommodating and kind-hearted people of Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines. The author also acknowledges the valuable contribution of Prof. Alessandra Arpon of the Psychology Department of De la Salle University - Manila in the writing of this article.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Limitations of the study

Readers are asked to be cautious of the degree or extent of these findings. The small number of participants may present generalizability issues.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding to report.

Notes on contributors

Zaldy C. Collado

Zaldy C. Collado obtained his PhD in Sociology major in Family, Health and Population from De La Salle University – Manila, Philippines where he is currently connected as a lecturer under the Behavioral Sciences Department. Concurrently, he is also a faculty member of the Sociology Department of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. He is involved in various externally-funded studies tackling youth, health, and social development. His special research interests include the social consequences of man-made disasters and lived experiences in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.