Georgia

About the Georgia Life Story Project

Some 240,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from Georgia’s secessionist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been waiting more than a decade for a solution to their displacement, following conflicts which broke out in the early 1990s. Conflict erupted when both regions demanded their independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union, causing the displacement of virtually the entire ethnic Georgian population of both areas. Close to 95 per cent of the displaced originate from Abkhazia.

Today, the Georgian government does not effectively control Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which largely owe their de facto autonomy to Russian backing. Relations between Georgia and Russia have deteriorated over the past few years, making the prospects for a resolution to both conflicts more distant. Despite the absence of a political agreement, 45,000 IDPs were able to return to the Gali district of Abkhazia, while several thousand people returned to South Ossetia over the past years.

Several recent government initiatives have been undertaken in order to improve the situation of IDPs, with little result so far. In 2007, the Georgian government developed a national strategy on IDPs, drawn up with the support of the international community and civil society organisations. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation is responsible for delivering the strategy.

Meanwhile, IDPs are entitled to very modest benefits from two sources. Based on their displaced status, IDPs get a monthly allowance administered by the Ministry for Refugees and Accommodation. Alternatively, they can enrol in a programme of social assistance managed by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs (MOLHSA), but they then have to give up their monthly IDP allowances. IDPs in Georgia proper with land titles and properties in Abkhazia can register them under a programme called "My House", and the Georgian Parliament also passed a law on restitution of properties in South Ossetia. But the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia do not recognise these measures, and so nobody has yet recovered their old homes.

Over the past few years, the Georgian government has sold more of the hotels and public buildings which IDPs have lived in. Some obtained compensation allowing them to find alternative housing, but others were forcefully evicted without rcompense. For many this was the second experience of violent displacement.

There is still insecurity in Abkhazia, especially in Gali district, where many ethnic Georgians have returned to. Living conditions of returnees in Gali district are extremely poor, and there is little housing or work. Returnees face discrimination when they try to access public services. Returning children have to attend schools where the main language of instruction is Russian, which limits their right to an education in their native language. They go on to struggle to enter higher education in Georgia proper or elsewhere with limited skills in Georgian or Russian. Many families are separated and some returnees go back to Georgia proper in the late summer for the corn and nut harvests on which many rely for income. Many children are forced to join the work, putting their education at risk.

Returnees in South Ossetia also face insecurity and poor economic prospects. The conflict led to the forcible displacement of 62,000 people of both Georgian and South Ossetian origin, within and outside the country. Some 10,000 people who fled from Georgia proper to South Ossetia are concentrated in four collective centres in Tskhinvali town, where living conditions are very bad. IDPs there often lack equal access to jobs, healthcare, education, and information about rights and entitlements. 11,000 people were also displaced from South Ossetia to Georgia proper.

For further background on the conflict and internal displacement in Georgia, see www.internal-displacement.org/countries/Georgia

While there are several studies on the impact of displacement on the health, education, psychological and socio-economic conditions of IDPs, little qualitative data exist, particularly when it comes to displaced men. In addition, most studies focus on people living in collective centres, and there is virtually no information about the living conditions of people living in private housing, or about the experience of people who have returned from Georgia proper to Gali district in Abkhazia or to South Ossetia, or about those who were affected by the conflicts and who remained in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"This project is very important in order to observe the essential and hidden parts of the conflict.” (Life story interviewer)

The overall aim of this project, carried out by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), in partnership with Panos London and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Georgia, was to go beyond the numbers to record and communicate the personal experiences of displacement and of conflict. While the stories and voices convey the devastation that conflict and forced displacement brings, they also complement official reports on the conflict and its consequences.


Back to topPreparing to collect the life stories

A workshop took place in the Georgian capital Tbilisi in March 2007 to prepare participants to interview internally displaced people in their communities, as well as people in conflict areas. It addressed listening and questioning skills, interview relationships and ethics, confidentiality, safety and security, topic development and recording techniques.

The participants came from six different areas (Tbilisi, Zugdidi, Gori, Gali District, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali) and from a wide range of backgrounds. They included IDPs, returnees, local people working with displaced groups, and people living in areas affected by the conflicts. This variety of backgrounds and experiences made it a lively workshop. Participants discussed the current situation in each area, and the major daily concerns and barriers for IDPs and conflict affected people.

"When I was listening to the stories of these people, I went once again through my own journey during the conflict.” (Life story interviewer)

The aim of the project was to gather personal experiences of the impact of conflict and of displacement, rather than evidence-based testimonies of the events and abuses surrounding displacement. Guiding the project is the belief that perceptions and emotions are as important as facts. By letting IDPs and other people affected by conflict tell their life stories, the conflicts and the displacement process are contextualised and personal strength and knowledge are acknowledged. The individual becomes a narrator rather than a victim, with many experiences and opinions to share.

"During the interview process, I saw that ordinary people are dreaming about peaceful life together. Narrators recalled with great pleasure the positive things they remembered from the so-called opposite side.” (Life story interviewer)


Back to topTestimony collection and ongoing support

Following the workshop, participants returned to their areas to record and transcribe up to five interviews each. They took steps to make sure that interviewees were informed of how their testimonies would be used and to know what personal information they were comfortable to share publicly. Interviewers met up during and at the end of the collection process to share their experiences and offer each other ongoing support and advice. Interviewers undertook thematic analyses of their own interviews, discussed and planned the publication of the stories, and learned about the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement by relating the issues and stories from their own interviews to these principles.

"Through this project, I saw that I am not the only one who remembers the past with deep sorrow, not the only one who worries about the present life, and not the only one who hopes for a brighter future."(Workshop participant)

The project required significant commitment, time and resources from both the facilitators and the participants, yet its importance goes far beyond the published work. The process of workshops, discussions and gathering life stories was valuable for local groups and displaced individuals. Participants learned practical skills related to oral testimony methodology, but the project also involved dealing with values and attitudes, and they had to learn to deal with the emotional aspect of the work. Participants also contributed to building the agendas of the workshop and meetings and led sessions, identifying the important themes for the interview guide, analysing local contexts, and steering the dissemination of the project outcomes.


Back to topReading committee and editing

A reading committee of eight people from NRC Georgia and IDMC read all 59 life stories and, according to criteria established in the participants’ review meetings, they selected 29 life stories (seven in Russian and 22 in Georgian) to put online. Professional editors were hired to ensure narrative continuity without changing the substance or style of the personal accounts. For more information on the editorial process, see Selecting and editing the testimonies.
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