CHENNAI: If around 2,000 people from the rehabilitation camps are completing their education, only one per cent of them are able to get employment that match their qualifications, largely because of the stigma associated with displaced people, actor and music director Hiphop Tamizha Adhi said on Friday.
He was the chief guest at an event organised by the UNHCR and the South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) to mark World Refugee Day. Adhi invited 19-year-old V Dishathana from the Paramathi camp to sing in his next film after she impressed the audience by performing three songs at the event.
Sharing his experience, Dinesh (35) from the Rayanoor camp in Karur said that while a few people support him, he continues to face judgement from society and often conceals his identity.
SICCI and UNHCR also marked one year of the ‘Partnership Forum’, an initiative aimed at improving livelihood and employment opportunities for displaced people. A report released during the event said Tamil Nadu, which hosts a majority of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India, has 103 refugee camps across 29 districts.
Around 58,000 refugees live in the camps, while another 32,000 reside outside them. Although nearly 40% of the refugee population is in the 18-40 age group, only 31% are employed. Over the past year, the forum has launched five livelihood projects.
Among them is ‘Adisil’, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee-run restaurant at the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Ripon Building, which is managed by 15 camp residents.
The forum now plans to expand the Adisil model and its Foodpreneurs Network, strengthen digital and market-linked skill development, forge partnerships with CSR, industry and government institutions, and establish a regional chapter in Coimbatore.
