Citation

McDermott R, Gibbons P. Disasters 2016; 41(3): 587-605.

Affiliation

Lecturer and Director, Centre for Humanitarian Action, School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12217

PMID

27655013

Abstract

The proactive displacement by public authorities of populations from areas perceived to be exposed to a high risk of disaster presents complex human rights challenges. Provided that no ulterior motive is at play, the use of compulsory evacuations and relocations as policy responses to such risk is mandated by the duty to protect the right to life. However, proactive displacement in the interest of saving lives can be problematic as such measures can lead to the limitation of other human rights, resulting in an intricate assessment of whether compulsory evacuation or permanent relocation is proportional in any given circumstance. Such an analysis demands critical attention by public authorities to the perception of the disaster risk in question and problematises claims to objectivity of official risk assessments. Furthermore, it poses the question as to whether measures designed to address the disaster risk in question that are less intrusive than relocation may be available to public authorities.

© 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

Language: en