GCRF Development Award: Rights for Time
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Department of English Literature
Abstract
Humanitarian policy and practice is driven by the immediacy of crisis and urgency. But in contexts of protracted conflict and displacement, it is often the hidden damage that takes place over time that sets the terms for future violence, change, and possible peace. The Rights for Time/Time for Rights (RfT) Network will co-create, co-evaluate and support the dissemination of a new understanding of how time conditions war, displacement, and violence, and shifts the possibilities and frame of action for humanitarian protection and human rights.
Our focus on time responds to gaps identified by our overseas partners in the Protection in Contexts of Conflict and Displacement theme. One of the major stumbling-blocks to protection is the failure to measure and identify needs and
problems not currently obvious to external actors in policy, law, and in local contexts. Aid and protection that reacts to only the most 'recent' abuse or threat not only fails to understand the nature of injury, but limits the sustainability of possible solutions. Uncovering layers of time and hidden damage will reveal the specific needs of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised. Multiple, layered and even simultaneous experiences of violence, displacement, and generational trauma persist into future generations, creating new challenges and blocking change.
To address this, we are proposing a new global, mobile, interdisciplinary, and multi-directional approach to uncover and focus on modern conflict, violence, and uprootedness within a longer time frame. Drawing together in-country partners and academic experts from the arts and humanities, the psy-sciences, neuroscience, medical anthropology, refugee studies, gender studies, human rights, transitional justice, and humanitarian law, and protection policy, we will meet these challenges by developing interdisciplinary, peer-to-peer, case-based research. We have chosen to work both within and across specific contexts where the long periods of violence produce enduring and intractable challenges, particularly for vulnerable communities and groups, such as women and girls. Conflict in Lebanon, Rwanda, Kenya, Jordan and the Gaza Strip and West Bank, has resulted in patterns of forced displacement that span generations. Memory legacies are acute, and trauma is ever-present.
We will develop the concept of Rights for Time to build a network that can bring the hidden legacies of conflict directly into humanitarian protection and human rights policy and practice. Co-Investigators based at the universities of Birmingham, KCL, SOAS, UCL and at the Hashemite University (Jordan) and the Lebanese American University will work with a series of Project Partners, including Wangu Kanju, We Love Reading, BLAST, the African Initiative for Mankind Progress and the Kigali Center for Photography to identify, pilot and commission a series of initial case studies, followed by longer projects, to generate new evidence bases, develop new policy, practice and law in action and make the forms of injury of protracted violence culturally visible at local, national and international levels. In doing so, partner countries will have the necessary tools and an increased ability to develop effective protection solutions
for those most affected by conflict and violence, especially vulnerable groups.
This Development Award will allow us to deepen and strengthen our partnerships, particularly with NGOs, charities and community groups in the LMICs mentioned above. It will also facilitate extensive planning and the formulation of key policies, to be adopted across the Network, particularly around ethics/safeguarding and gender and inclusivity. We will also develop a communications plan for the RfT Network, including the launch of an initial project website, to raise awareness and encourage engagement with the project.
Our focus on time responds to gaps identified by our overseas partners in the Protection in Contexts of Conflict and Displacement theme. One of the major stumbling-blocks to protection is the failure to measure and identify needs and
problems not currently obvious to external actors in policy, law, and in local contexts. Aid and protection that reacts to only the most 'recent' abuse or threat not only fails to understand the nature of injury, but limits the sustainability of possible solutions. Uncovering layers of time and hidden damage will reveal the specific needs of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised. Multiple, layered and even simultaneous experiences of violence, displacement, and generational trauma persist into future generations, creating new challenges and blocking change.
To address this, we are proposing a new global, mobile, interdisciplinary, and multi-directional approach to uncover and focus on modern conflict, violence, and uprootedness within a longer time frame. Drawing together in-country partners and academic experts from the arts and humanities, the psy-sciences, neuroscience, medical anthropology, refugee studies, gender studies, human rights, transitional justice, and humanitarian law, and protection policy, we will meet these challenges by developing interdisciplinary, peer-to-peer, case-based research. We have chosen to work both within and across specific contexts where the long periods of violence produce enduring and intractable challenges, particularly for vulnerable communities and groups, such as women and girls. Conflict in Lebanon, Rwanda, Kenya, Jordan and the Gaza Strip and West Bank, has resulted in patterns of forced displacement that span generations. Memory legacies are acute, and trauma is ever-present.
We will develop the concept of Rights for Time to build a network that can bring the hidden legacies of conflict directly into humanitarian protection and human rights policy and practice. Co-Investigators based at the universities of Birmingham, KCL, SOAS, UCL and at the Hashemite University (Jordan) and the Lebanese American University will work with a series of Project Partners, including Wangu Kanju, We Love Reading, BLAST, the African Initiative for Mankind Progress and the Kigali Center for Photography to identify, pilot and commission a series of initial case studies, followed by longer projects, to generate new evidence bases, develop new policy, practice and law in action and make the forms of injury of protracted violence culturally visible at local, national and international levels. In doing so, partner countries will have the necessary tools and an increased ability to develop effective protection solutions
for those most affected by conflict and violence, especially vulnerable groups.
This Development Award will allow us to deepen and strengthen our partnerships, particularly with NGOs, charities and community groups in the LMICs mentioned above. It will also facilitate extensive planning and the formulation of key policies, to be adopted across the Network, particularly around ethics/safeguarding and gender and inclusivity. We will also develop a communications plan for the RfT Network, including the launch of an initial project website, to raise awareness and encourage engagement with the project.
Organisations
- University of Birmingham (Lead Research Organisation)
- Wangu Kanja Foundation (Collaboration)
- Kigali Center for Photography (Collaboration)
- African Initiative for Mankind Progress Organization (Collaboration)
- Palestine Trauma Centre UK (Collaboration)
- Centre for Lebanese Studies (Collaboration)
- Ajyal Foundation for Education (Collaboration)
Description | This award allowed for launching the Rights for Time Research network, including the launch of 5 case study projects in Palestine, Kenya, Rwanda, Jordan, and Lebanon. |
Exploitation Route | The case study research has been completed, and the results are in different stages of dissemination. |
Sectors | Creative Economy Education Government Democracy and Justice Security and Diplomacy |
Description | The Rights for Time/Time for Rights (RfT) Network Development Award has enabled us to establish vital partnerships with NGOs, charities, and community groups in Lebanon, Rwanda, Kenya, Jordan, and the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Through these collaborations, we have begun to co-create and co-evaluate a series of proof-of-concept case studies that will uncover the hidden damage of protracted conflict and displacement, and shift the possibilities for humanitarian protection and human rights. The award has also facilitated extensive planning and the formulation of key policies around ethics, safeguarding, gender, and inclusivity, which will be adopted across the Network to ensure our research is conducted responsibly and equitably. Moreover, we have developed a communications plan, including the launch of an initial project website, to raise awareness of our innovative approach to understanding how time conditions war, violence, and uprootedness, and to encourage engagement with our transformative work. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic Policy & public services |
Description | Investigating and mobilising peace and trust for sustainable development via the UK's international Rights for Time Research Network |
Amount | £49,054 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AH/W009676/1 |
Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2022 |
End | 07/2023 |
Description | The CARE Project: Building Sexual Violence Survivors' Capacity to Evidence and Research (C)rimes and (A)dvocate for Effective (Re)sponses |
Amount | £168,710 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ES/T010207/1 |
Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2019 |
End | 12/2021 |
Description | Thinking Like Hannah Arendt: Crisis-Thinking from the 20th Century for Today |
Amount | £200,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2021 |
End | 08/2023 |
Description | Time for Rights/Rights for Time: Responding to the times of violence, conflict, and displacement |
Amount | £1,867,627 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AH/T008091/1 |
Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2020 |
End | 03/2024 |
Description | Visualising Justice on Sexual Violence in Kenya: Stimulating inclusion, Peace and Public Engagement through the Creative Economy |
Amount | £130,862 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AH/W006510/1 |
Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2021 |
End | 10/2023 |
Description | AIMPO |
Organisation | African Initiative for Mankind Progress Organization |
Country | Rwanda |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Rwanda about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social wefare of people in Rwanda. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the English and Law. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Aiyal |
Organisation | Ajyal Foundation for Education |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Palestine about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social welfare of people in Palestine. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the English, and Psychology. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Centre for Lebanese Studies |
Organisation | Centre for Lebanese Studies |
Country | Lebanon |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building each other's capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Jordan about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social welfare of people in Lebanon. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus. Case study research is underway in Lebanon on refugee policy. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the Politics, English, and Law. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Centre for Lebanese Studies |
Organisation | Centre for Lebanese Studies |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building each other's capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Jordan about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social welfare of people in Lebanon. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus. Case study research is underway in Lebanon on refugee policy. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the Politics, English, and Law. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Kigali Photo Centre, Rwanda |
Organisation | Kigali Center for Photography |
Country | Rwanda |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Rwanda about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social welfare of people in Rwanda. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus, and a case study participatory photography project. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the English, and Law. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | PTC |
Organisation | Palestine Trauma Centre UK |
Department | Palestine Trauma Centre UK, Gaza |
Country | Palestine, State of |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | The team is building each other's capacity to develop funding proposals and conduct arts and humanities research in Jordan about humanitarian protection initiatives, in furtherance of economic and social welfare of people in the OT Palestine. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to the development of the Rights for Time research network plus; Co-designed and is delivering a research case study on a humanitarian protection initiative in Gaza. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary research is underway in collaboration with this partner. The disciplines include the English, and Psychology. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Wangu Kanja Foundation, Kenya |
Organisation | Wangu Kanja Foundation |
Country | Kenya |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Thsi project was conducted in collaboration with partners in Kenya, including the Wangu Kanja Foundation. |
Collaborator Contribution | This Kenyan partner contributed to the design of the study, data analysis, and dissemination, which has included written outputs and workshops. |
Impact | *1 policy brief (see publications section of form) *1 research report (see publication section of form) *3 research articles (see publication section of form) *2 webinars |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Living with the pandemic: Gender based violence |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Patterns of sex offending against adults and children in Kenya signal compounding harms arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, emerging evidence from Kenya suggests that child victims are younger, more likely to be victimized by a neighbor in a private residence, and in the daytime, compared to pre-pandemic. We conclude that situational crime prevention strategies that focus on providing alternative safe venues to reduce offending opportunities must be a central part of a public health approach to reduce children's vulnerability during crises such as COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/unibirmingham/videos/1757756671057585/ |
Description | Time under lockdown |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Confinement for people living in the gloabal south is not only geographical but also extends to temporal trajectories and itineraries. Temporal uncertainty, lockdowns, closed borders and crackdowns in the name of COVID 19 have made futures even more precarious, uncertain and fuzzy. We will draw on case studies from Lebanon, Kenya, and Jordon, as well as allude to wider displacement in the Euro-Mediterranean zone. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |