Forced migration
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[edit] Definition/short descriptionThe International Association for the Study of Forced Migration or IASFM, describes forced migration as ‘a general term that refers to the movements of refugees and internally displaced people (those displaced by conflicts) as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, chemical or nuclear disasters, famine, or development projects.’ It is generally a condition which is extremely complex and is tackled by different industries and groups across the globe, for example by governmental, inter-governmental and NGO's, as well as charities and other organisations. People affected by forced migration are sometimes referred to as refugees or displaced persons.  [edit] In depthIn many areas where war and conflict occur people who are forced to leave their homes due to a variety of reasons including armed conflict in close proximity, general violence, and persecution of certain ethnicity, religion, politics or social group membership. Specifically the migration occurs precisely because state authorities are unable or unwilling to protect such individuals. Many of these people cross international borders as refugee's with some seeking asylum under international law. Others prefer anominity on the grounds that they believe, rightfully or otherwise, that they would not be granted asylum and could be returned to their original country of residence. Many conflicts which have occurred recently have been largely internal, that is within states themselves and not between two or more states, and have been substantially based on areas of national, ethnic or religious struggles. Because of this there has been a dramatic increase in the number of refugees in these areas since displacement is an increasingly popular strategic tactic in which players seek to gain power, often this tactic can occur on all sides of a conflict. There were approximately 11.5 million refugees and asylum seekers with around 21 million internally displaced persons, or IDP's, worldwide recorded at the end of 2004. [edit] Forced migration which is development inducedIn certain areas people are forced to move or migrate due to policy or project implementation that is aimed at enhancing development of the area. Examples of this could include large infrastructure projects like dams for electricity, roads, ports, airports, areas for mining and deforestation, new conservation areas and wildlife reserves. Unlike refugee's, individuals affected due to these circumstances usually remain within their home country and although some are resettled there is much evidence showing that they are poorly compensated. A recent example of this would be the 20,000 families facing eviction in Kenya's Mao forest, many of whom will not be compensated and made to give up their farmland and means of living. This situation is thought to affect around 10 million people each year as a result of dam building projects alone, with between 90 and 100 million people worldwide being displaced due to infrastructural projects.  [edit] Forced migration due to natural and man made disastersIndividuals displaced due to disasters can be as a result of a number of natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and earthquakes, as a result of environmental change, for example desertification and global warming, and man made disasters such as industrial or nuclear accidents, or radioactivity etc. In some cases one disaster type can dramatically add to another and create a far greater problem, for example flooding in certain areas can do a great deal more damage if that area is strongly affected by desertification. There is far less evidence and global statistics on persons displaced under this category but rough figures suggest that several million are forced to migrate each year due to circumstances such as those mentioned. [edit] Types of forced migrantsThere are several terms used to describe groups affected by forced migration. [edit] RefugeesIndividuals recognized as refugee's are generally more well off than other forced migrants as they have a clear, undisputable legal status which entitles them to protection under the UNHCR. [edit] Asylum seekersAsylum seeker's are people who have migrated across an international border in search of protection, who's claim for refugee status has not been determined. [edit] Internally Displaced PersonsGenerally defined as individuals who have been forced to leave or flee their homes suddenly and/or unexpectedly in large numbers. This may be as a result of conflict, human rights violations and natural or man made disasters. These people are always within their home country. They can sometimes be referred to as internal refugees. [edit] Development displaceesIndividuals that are forced to move due to policies and projects. Affected people usually remain within the territory of their home country. This situation often has little recognition or support outside of the affected population.  [edit] Environmental and disaster displaceesAlso known as environmental or disaster refugees. Many of these individuals remain within the territory of their home country. [edit] Smuggled peopleSuch people are those moved illegally for profit and are in effect partners in a commercial transaction, albeit an unequal one. [edit] Trafficked peopleThere are individuals which are moved by deception and/or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. Profit from human trafficking does not come from movement, but from the sale of their sexual or labour services in the destination country. Trafficked individuals are often physically and forceably prevented from leaving the destination country. [edit] The relevance of Forced migration for Migration and/or Migration PolicyMigration is ofcourse a very broad concept, on which forced migration can easily be linked to. Migration consists of many forms and has various aspects to it. Forced migration is a form of migration which is used often in combination with armed conflict, natural or environmental disasters. a very sizeable proportion of international migration is related to forced migration and particularly to the movement of refugees and displaced persons in search of asylum. This in turn creates a dilemna as governments formulate policies to manage the new arrivals of people who have been forced to move.This policies always include housing,jobs ,provision of healthcare and maybe possibilities of intergrating these people into their societies as many of them more often than not are reluctant to return to their former countries.A good example is europe where many people come to seek Asylum after experiencing instabilities in their country.Most european countries now have an elaborate migration policy to deal with these cases.International migration is common phenomena as many people have been forced to migrate for various reasons as mentioned above.This explains why Governments need to put in place miration related policies to manage and cater for migrants while also protecting their countries from the effects of uncontrolled migration. With respect to international migration, perhaps the best set of comprehensive information is that provided by population censuses. Information on the place of birth or the citizenship of the enumerated population can be used to assess the impact of international migration by deriving estimates of the stock of international migrants. Data on place of birth are preferred as the basis for such estimation, since a person born in a country other than the one in which he or she is enumerated must have migrated internationally at least once. http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/immigration/fsj_immigration_intro_en.htm [edit] Examples
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