Thomas is a member of the War Studies Department at King’s College, London. He wrote this piece as part of his internship with Arts4Refugees. His motivation was to help his peer group understand the unique experiences of post-conflict communities. This article was edited by Cassia Jefferson, a fellow student journalist from Oxford University.
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Finally Finding a Home: Georgia’s Long Journey to Housing Their Displaced People
During the height of the Soviet Union, Tskaltubo stood as a resort town close to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Millions of tourists passed through the doors of its many hotels and sanatoria. The famed hot water springs attracted all kinds of people to this picturesque Central Georgian town, ranging from Stalin to the regular worker.
Over the past few years, I have visited Tskaltubo many times and witnessed the change it has undergone. Today, the town is a regular stop on the global dark tourism trail. The once great ornate Soviet sanatoriums lie decrepit and crumbling.This utopia is now overgrown, dominated by collapsing buildings and stray dogs.
What remains in Tskaltubo?
In spite of this decline, some people are still living amidst the town’s remains. This population, estimated to be upwards of 6000 in 2018, is largely made up of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Abkhazia, a north-western province of Georgia. They came to Tskaltubo following the conflict in Abkhazia between 1992 and 1993. The conflict saw 200,000 predominantly ethnic Georgians flee the breakaway province. They found shelter in various places across their country, including in the Sanatoriums of Tsklatubo, which had been left abandoned since the end of the Soviet Union.
An IDP is someone forced from their homes as a result of conflict, natural or human-made disasters, general violence, or human rights violations. In contrast to refugees, IDPs are those who have not crossed an internationally recognised border, thus remaining in the jurisdiction of their own country. Unlike refugees, IDPs are not afforded international protection. The government of the state where the IDPs are located are expected to provide for their needs.
The human needs of IDPs and the regular population should be respected equally. All people’s safety and security should be ensured. They should be able to live in a safe environment, in relative comfort, with access to key amenities to live a fruitful life. However, the human needs of IDPs in Georgia have been disregarded for decades. Until 2007, Georgian policies led to the marginalisation of IDPs within their own society.
In 2008, 44% of all Georgian IDPs were living in state-owned collective accommodation centres. These centres, not designed for long-term living, were considered “deplorable” by the UN. The state denied IDPs the minimum expected shelter standards of privacy and access to adequate utilities. The Georgian government even acknowledged that 79% of these buildings were in a condition posing “serious risk to life and health”.
The Georgian government's failure to support their IDP populations can be explained in part by the belief that IDPs will be able to return home in the near future. This has made states less willing to provide for the full integration of IDPs.
The government consistently advocated for a solution to the conflict in Abkhazia and the return of the IDPs to their original homes, conducting numerous negotiations with the de facto Abkhaz authorities. However, they all failed to find a political settlement and enable the return of IDPs. Throughout this process, integration of IDPs with the rest of Georgia was not considered
The Georgian government finally began to consider alternative actions in 2007. The State Strategy for Internally Displaced Persons emphasised the integration of IDPs for the first time.
Although this was a significant development, further progress has been slow. The ruling Georgian Dream party set a goal of 3000 IDP families receiving new accommodation per annum. However, between 2013 and 2016, this target was not reached.
At the time of my visit to Tskaltubo in 2021, many of the buildings were home to large communities of IDPs. Old hotel rooms were being used as family apartments. Some were rebuilt with only cardboard walls separating families from the corridors. The communal areas where men played chess and went about their daily business were filled with old furniture and election posters. The abnormal and inadequate living conditions had become the residents’ normality- a situation that should never have been allowed to occur. The only semblance of state protection in these old buildings was the solitary security guard by the front doors.
However, there has been progress. On my visit this year the people were largely gone, leaving behind only the family photos, books, and furniture which bear witness to their twenty year exile. In the last few years, the Georgian Dream government has finally invested more significant effort into rehousing the IDPs.
In 2019, the Infrastructure Minister committed to building new apartments for 700 families in Tskaltubo. Within two years, more than 550 of these families had moved into their new accommodation.
Last year, Prime Minister Garibashvilli announced that accommodation for 13,000 families would be built by 2024. If completed, Georgia will have provided 60,000 of the 92,000 displaced families with adequate housing.
These developments are all welcome, yet, the question of why now still exists. Why were these projects not initiated 25 years ago?
Why has the government put more effort into integrating the IDPs?
In 2022, the Georgian Prime Minister announced plans to invest tens of millions of Georgian Lari in Tskaltubo. However, the primary aim was not to integrate the IDPs. Lari’s policy was introduced in an attempt to reinvigorate Tskaltubo as a spa resort like those seen in European towns such as Baden-Baden.
The government stated that they intend to sell fourteen of Tskaltubo’s sanatoria to developers, including those which the IDPs had lived in for decades. They estimate that the redevelopment of the town will lead to a tenfold increase in tourism.
Such reinvigoration will likely lead to more opportunities for the IDPs, who have long suffered from fewer opportunities than the general Georgian society. IDPs are far more likely than other Georgian citizens to be living below the poverty line.
It may be a coincidence that this drive for IDP accommodation came along with the realisation of Tskaltubo’s potential economic value. Public pressure as a result of tragic incidents in the IDP community has also forced the government's hand. However, what is not in doubt is that the rehousing of IDPs is long overdue. We will likely never know the true reasons for the government's re-engagement with IDP integration. However, it would appear that political and economic factors are still considered before people's humanitarian needs.
It is essential to stop IDPs being treated as political or economic pawns, not just in Georgia but across the world. IDPs must not live in limbo for years if not decades. Their safety and ability to prosper within their society must not be disregarded. IDPs and refugees globally must be treated with the respect and attention they deserve.
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