Displacement Resources
Image via unsplash // Last updated: 12th December 2024
CONTEXT
IOM Key Migration Terms
Understand important terminology around displacement.
Voluntary-Involuntary Migration
Forced to leave? The discursive and analytical significance of describing migration as forced and voluntary
120 Million People Displaced
Get the figures on global displacement from UNHCR
75.9 Million IDPs
2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement from IDCM
CAUSES
Armed conflict:
this is a broad legal term that activates international humanitarian obligations. It encompasses both ‘international conflicts’ between states and ‘non-international conflicts’ involving clashes between armed groups or such groups and governing authorities. Violence stemming from armed conflicts jeopardises physical safety, homes, and livelihoods while also undermining economic opportunities, social structures, and political systems.
Settler colonialism:
refers to a distinct form of colonialism where foreign settlers establish permanent residence on lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples, with the aim of displacing or eliminating the original inhabitants. Unlike other forms of colonialism, which often focus on resource extraction and economic exploitation, settler colonialism seeks to create a new society on occupied lands, effectively replacing the Indigenous populations with settlers.
Land/ resource theft:
land grabbing + resource theft involves the rapid sale of land to outside investors without the informed consent of local communities. Indigenous populations, particularly those living on fertile agricultural land or land rich in natural resources, are often the victims of these practices. Displacement is a significant consequence of such land deals, especially in areas where resource extraction plays a role in fuelling civil wars, ethnic conflicts, and violence.
Development:
DIDR [development induced displacement + resettlement] typically occurs as a result of large-scale development projects such as creating dams, highways, or mining sites. The resettlement aspect involves the process of relocating communities, often without adequate consultation or compensation. DIDR can lead to various negative impacts, including landlessness, loss of livelihood, increased poverty, social marginalisation, and disruptions to cultural and community ties.
Climate change:
refers to the forced relocation of people due to the ruinous effects of climate, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, desertification, and other environmental changes that make environments uninhabitable or unproductive. Climate driven displacement often affects vulnerable populations who live in areas most susceptible to climate impacts causing loss of livelihoods, inadequate access to resources, and social and economic marginalisation.
Natural disasters:
disaster induced displacement may be worsened by insufficient preparation and warning systems, poor governmental responses, substandard construction and poor urban planning standards related to risk reduction, etc. The partial or total collapse of homes and vital infrastructure frequently drives individuals, families and communities elsewhere. The severity of disasters is exacerbated by climate change and often contributes to a reduction in resilience of the local community, leading to DIDR.
CONSEQUENCES
The Long-Term
Consequences of Forced
Displacement
from JDC QUARTERLY DIGEST
Mental Health in Displaced Child and Youth Populations:
A Developmental and Family Systems Lens from UNICEF
Unveiling the Cost of Internal Displacement
from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Shelter in Displacement
Issue 55 from Forced Migration Review/ a review of diverse shelter responses
VOICES
Limbo
A virtual experience of waiting for asylum from Guardian VR.
Narrated Experiences of Sexual + Gender Minority Refugees
Resilience in the Context of Hardship from Pre- to Post-Migration from NJMR
Life in Limbo Storymap
Inside the World’s 10 Largest Refugee Camps, UNHCR
Decolonising Knowledge Production in
Forced Displacement
Challenging Colonial Narratives and Amplifying Displaced Voices
