Unit 3.2 - Governance - Refugee Movements Flashcards
Define ‘internally displaced people’. How many people are IDP’s today?
Many people worldwide have become internally displaced people (IDPs) after fleeing their homes. They now live in another part of their home country, possibly in an IDP camp. Today there are 40 million internally displaced people.
Define ‘refugee’.
Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their country. They are defined and protected under international law and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their life and freedom are at risk.
What is a case study of conflict displacement?
The ongoing conflict in Syria has resulted in over 5.5 million refugees and 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) since 2011, with half of those affected being children. Other conflicts in South Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Ukraine, and the Central African Republic often stem from long-standing tensions between ethnic or religious groups within a single state. Superpower involvement, such as the USA, Russia, China, and some EU countries, has made these conflicts worse. Terrorist and militia groups, such as al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and Daesh (ISIS), have persecuted, enslaved, and murdered minority communities, leading to many becoming refugees.
What is land grabbing displacement?
This is a form of economic injustice. MNCs and governments seize control of agricultural or forested land in developing countries. Sometimes, land is simply seized from communities and not paid for.
In some cases, subsistence farming communities who lack literacy are simply unable to assert any legal claim to their own ancestral lands. There are many examples of this around the world, such as logging companies seizing the land of Amazonian rainforest tribes.
How are refugee’s affected by displacement?
Refugees often face challenges upon leaving their homes due to lack of time, money, and language barriers. Many are held in overcrowded camps, with COVID outbreaks circulating rapidly in some camps. Refugee children may not receive education, leading to long-term injustice. Additionally, some refugees become stateless, no longer recognized as citizens by their home state or the country they fled to, a fundamental breach of human rights. This highlights the urgent need for improved conditions for refugees and their communities.
