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The
displacement of people refers to the forced movement of people
from their locality or environment and occupational activities.
It is a form of social change caused by a number of factors, the
most common being armed conflict. Natural disasters, famine, development
and economic changes may also be a cause of displacement.
In
regard to population displacement resulting from development
there are typically two types: direct displacement, which leads
to actual displacement of people from their locations and indirect
displacement, which leads to a loss of livelihood. Forced to leave
the home region to which they are attached and for which they have
the knowledge to make a living most effectively, displaced populations
often become impoverished.* The displacement
of people as a result of development projects, policies and processes
therefore constitutes a social cost for development.
One
of the major challenges today is the growth in the number of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. While there are no official
definitions of an internally displaced person, the Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement set by of Office
for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
holds internally displaced persons to be "persons or groups
of persons who have been forced to flee, or leave, their homes or
places of habitual residence as a result of armed conflict, internal
strife, and habitual violations of human rights, as well as natural
or man-made disasters involving one or more of these elements, and
who have not crossed an internationally recognised state border".**
Accordingly,
the internally displaced are people who are forced to flee their
homes, often for the very same reasons as refugees
- war, civil conflict, political strife, and gross human rights
abuse - but who remain within their own country and do not cross
an international border. They are therefore not eligible for protection
under the same international system as refugees. Also, there is
no single international body entrusted with their protection and
assistance.
Estimates
on the number of IDP estimates are often very rough, and they tend
to differ greatly in terms of the source (governments, international
agencies, non-governmental organisations). This is partly because
IDP movements, in contrast to forced
migration, typically involve short distances and often short
time frames. In addition, internal movements are much less recorded
than international movements. One reason is that the inherent interest
of a receiving country in who is entering is absent in the case
of internal movements, which are free of restrictions and subject
to fewer administrative hurdles. In addition, considering that they
are still living in the country where they have been persecuted,
the internally displaced may be less willing to register than those
who enjoy the protection of their asylum country.
*Economic
Policy, Population Displacement and Development Ethics
**
See UNHCR site
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