Forced migration

Forced migration

Thasleem MPDept. of Social Work CUKerala

Coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region

The International Organization for Migration defines forced migration as any person who migrates to "escape persecution, conflict, repression, natural and human-made disasters, ecological degradation, or other situations that endanger their lives, freedom or livelihood.”

There are many causes of displacement

Some of the more common include:

Conflict-Induced Displacement -occurs when people are forced to flee their homes as a result of armed conflict including civil war, generalized violence, and persecution on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, political opinion or social group.

Example2015 Rohingya refugee crisis

According to some statistics more than 140,000 of the estimated

800,000 to 1,100,000 Rohingya have been forced to seek refuge in displacement camps after the 2012 rohinkye state riot by Buddhists

25,000 people have been taken to boats from January to March in 2015

Disaster-Induced Displacement -occurs when people are displaced as a result of natural disasters (floods, volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes), environmental change (deforestation, desertification, land degradation, global warming) and human-made disasters (industrial accidents, radioactivity).

Development-Induced Displacement -occurs when people are compelled to move as a result of policies and projects implemented to advance ‘development’ efforts. Examples of this include large-scale infrastructure projects such as dams, roads, ports, airports; urban clearance initiatives; mining and deforestation; and the introduction of conservation parks/reserves and biosphere projects.

Examples

Three Gorges Dam in China - about 1.13 million displaced (recently increased to 4 million, but many could return).Tokuyama Dam in Japan - some 600 displaced.Donji Milanovac for Đerdap hydroelectric power plantSardar Sarovar Dam in India - between 1 and 2 million displaced

Some more terms

Refugees ‘well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality,

membership in a political social group, or political opinion’

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) (who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border) armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters

Smuggled peoplemoved illegally for profit,include those who have been forcibly displaced as well as those who have left their homeland in search of better economic and social opportunities

Trafficked peoplemoved by deception or coercion for the purposes of exploitation,sale of their sexual services or labor

According to the UNHCR report on 2007 Global Trends:The total number of refugees and asylum (അഭയസഥാനം) seekers throughout theworld: 16.0 million

• Iraq was the source of the largest number of new refugees in 2007: 561,000.

• More people from Afghanistan are “warehoused” as refugees than from any other country: 2,790,900.

Source: World Refugee Survey 2008

The late Portuguese Nobelwinning novelist José Saramago is a case in point

With Africa in mind, he maintains that, “Displacement from south to north is inevitable. Neither barbed – wire fences, walls, nor deportations will be worth anything; they will come by the millions. Europe will be taken over by the hungry. They come looking for those who robbed them

Pros and cons When immigrants move to a new country, they are faced with

many unknowns, including finding employment and housing, as well as adjusting to new laws, cultural norms, and possibly a new language. It can be a challenge for a host country to assimilate immigrants into society and provide the necessary support.

Immigration does cause an increase in the labor force.

Some believe that immigration brings many advantages to a country both for the economy and society as a whole

Others believe that high immigration numbers threaten national identity and threaten national security

Another argument is that high immigration rates cheapens labor

large amounts of immigration will weaken the home country by decreasing the population, the level of production, and economic spending

If they receive an education and create a solid life, their individual success can also be beneficial to the home country, if they use their acquired skills to make a difference

Consequences

• Overpopulation• Lack of resources to support incoming refugees• Higher fertility rate, as refugees settle down.• Low literacy rates continue to Increase, not enough room in

school.• Government not able to support added migrants in their

country.

Intergovernmental Organizations

The United Nations is the largest IGO; some UN agencies relevant to forced migration are:

• UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees• UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs• UNHCHR - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights• Unicef - United Nations Children's Fund• UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund• WHO - World Health Organization

Reference • Report of forced migration online

(http://www.forcedmigration.org/about/whatisfm) • Annual report of UNHCR ( http://www.unhcr.org/47a316182.html,

http://www.unhcr.org/51c071816.html) • http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/pubhealth/modules/forcedMigration/

definitions.html• Forced migration review (http://www.fmreview.org/) • Forced migration in the 21st century: urbanised and unending’the

guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/oct/16/forced-migration-21st-century-urbanised-unending)

• Jstore ‘From Refugees to Forced Migration: The UNHCR and Human Security’(http://www.jstor.org/stable/2676049?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)