Understanding Migration and Displacement: Difference between revisions
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== Terminology == | == Terminology == | ||
There is a wide range of terminology focused around the movement of people, with terms often mixed together and sometimes used interchangeably. Having a good understanding of these various terms are important to have a greater understanding of displacement and the impact on the individual, family and community. | There is a wide range of terminology focused around the movement of people, with terms often mixed together and sometimes used interchangeably.Although breaking down terminology might not seem important, it is increasingly recognised that language shapes our perception of reality, so the words we use to talk about migration have an effect on how we think, talk and act about migration. Having a good understanding of these various terms are important to have a greater understanding of displacement and the impact on the individual, family and community. | ||
=== | === Migrants === | ||
There is no legally accepted definition of the term “migrants” at an international level, and as a result there is significant debate and dispute around who a migrant is. There are two main views in relation to migrant as a term; the ''inclusivist view'' recognises migrants as people who have moved from their usual place of residence, regardless of their legal status and their motivations for moving, while the ''residualist view'' sees migrants as those who have moved from their usual place of residence for every reason ''other than'' those fleeing war or persecution. <ref>meaningofmigrants.org. What Is The Meaning of Migrants?. Available from: https://meaningofmigrants.org/<nowiki/>(accessed 2 May 2022).</ref>[[File:Meaning-of-migrants-one-page.jpg|thumb|500x500px|'''Figure.1''' The Meaning of Migrants <ref>meaningofmigrants.org. One Page Overview. Available from: https://meaningofmigrants.org/ (accessed 2 May 2022).</ref>]]The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) uses an inclusivist view that sees migrant as an umbrella term for any person who has resided away from their usual place of residence, whether within a country or across an international border, regardless of the person’s legal status; whether the movement is involuntary or voluntary; whatever the reason for the movement are; or, what the length of the stay is. <ref>International Organization for Migration. Key Migration Terms. Available from: https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms (accessed 2 May 2022).</ref> | |||
Migrants | |||
While the United Nations Convention International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the United Nations Refugee Agency use a residualist view, where the term 'migrants' refers only to situations where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual concerned, for reasons of 'personal convenience' to improve their lives and standard of living through: finding work, seeking better education and reuniting with family and without intervention of an external compelling factor due to direct threat or persecution. | |||
This distinction is important for governments, since countries handle migrants under their own immigration laws and processes. | |||
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Revision as of 17:43, 20 May 2022
Original Editor - Naomi O'Reilly
Top Contributors - Naomi O'Reilly, Jess Bell, Kim Jackson, Carin Hunter, Shaimaa Eldib and Tarina van der Stockt
Introduction[edit | edit source]
There have been displaced persons spread throughout history, as long as there has been natural disaster, climate change, conflict, war, persecution, and political instability. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at the end of 2020 there were 82.4 Million people worldwide who have forcibly had to flee their home including 26.4 Million Refugees, 48 Million Internally Displaced Persons and over 4.1 million Asylum Seekers. Currently there are more refugees world-wide than there have been at any time since the end of World War 2.
"It is important to understand the background of the displaced person, because each one has been through different circumstances, have different backgrounds and different beliefs. The therapist need to know how to communicate with the displaced person and what they have been through, to overcome this" Anonymous Refugee
Terminology[edit | edit source]
There is a wide range of terminology focused around the movement of people, with terms often mixed together and sometimes used interchangeably.Although breaking down terminology might not seem important, it is increasingly recognised that language shapes our perception of reality, so the words we use to talk about migration have an effect on how we think, talk and act about migration. Having a good understanding of these various terms are important to have a greater understanding of displacement and the impact on the individual, family and community.
Migrants[edit | edit source]
There is no legally accepted definition of the term “migrants” at an international level, and as a result there is significant debate and dispute around who a migrant is. There are two main views in relation to migrant as a term; the inclusivist view recognises migrants as people who have moved from their usual place of residence, regardless of their legal status and their motivations for moving, while the residualist view sees migrants as those who have moved from their usual place of residence for every reason other than those fleeing war or persecution. [1]![](/images/thumb/4/4f/Meaning-of-migrants-one-page.jpg/500px-Meaning-of-migrants-one-page.jpg)
While the United Nations Convention International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the United Nations Refugee Agency use a residualist view, where the term 'migrants' refers only to situations where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual concerned, for reasons of 'personal convenience' to improve their lives and standard of living through: finding work, seeking better education and reuniting with family and without intervention of an external compelling factor due to direct threat or persecution.
This distinction is important for governments, since countries handle migrants under their own immigration laws and processes.
Internally Displaced Person[edit | edit source]
According to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP), are "persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised state border." [6] There are two important elements in the IDP definition: the movement is involuntary and takes place within national borders. Prevention of forced displacement and the protection of IDPs is the primary responsibility of the national authority.
While often referred to as refugees, IDP's do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee as they remain entitled to all the rights and guarantees as citizens and other habitual residents of their home country and remain under the protection of its government. In many cases the displacement occurs as their government, which makes IDP's more vulnerable to further displacement and other protection risks, such as lack of access to basic services, family separation, sexual and gender based violence, trafficking, discrimination and harassment.[7] [8]
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) at the end of 2021 there were 59.1 million IDP's; 53.2million as a result of conflict, violence or human rights violations and 5.9 million as a result of disaster. Syria (6,662,000), Afghanistan (5,704,000), Democratic Republic of the Congo (5,540,000), Colombia (5,236,400), Yemen (4,300,000) and Ethiopia (4,168,000) are countries with some of the largest internally displaced populations. [9]
Asylum Seeker[edit | edit source]
When people flee their own country and seek sanctuary in another country, they apply for asylum or the right to be recognised as a refugee and receive legal protection and material assistance. An asylum seeker must demonstrate that their fear of persecution in their home country is well-founded.
An asylum seeker is someone who claims to be a refugee but whose claim has not yet been fully evaluated. This person would have applied for asylum on the grounds that returning to their home country would lead to persecution on account of race, religion, nationality or political beliefs. Someone is an asylum seeker for so long as their application is pending. So not every asylum seeker will be recognised as a refugee, but every refugee is initially an asylum seeker.
Refugee[edit | edit source]
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their country and crossed an international border to find safety in another country as a result of persecution, war or violence. Refugees are defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention as: “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” The leading causes of refugees fleeing their home country include war, ethnic, tribal and religious violence, with their situation so perilous that they cross national borders to seek safety in nearby countries and seek to gain access to assistance from other states and aid organisations.
A vital part of being recognised as a refugee is Refugee Status Determination (RSD), a legal process that governments or UNHCR use to determine whether a person seeking international protection is considered a refugee under International, National or Regional Law.The process can be lengthy, complicated and is certainly imperfect. There is still no single uniting model for RSD. States do have the primary responsibility for determining the status of asylum seekers but UNHCR will step in where states are unable or unwilling.
Currently just five countries; Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar, account for 68% of all those displaced across borders.
Stateless Person[edit | edit source]
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a stateless person is someone who is not a citizen of any country, which can occur due to a variety of reasons, including sovereign, legal, technical or administrative decisions or oversights. Citizenship is the legal bond between a government and an individual, and allows for certain political, economic, social and other rights of the individual, as well as the responsibilities of both government and citizen.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Migration[edit | edit source]
Migrant[edit | edit source]
- Reactive Migration: Sociological Perspectives of Refugee Movements, Anthony Richmond, Journal of Refugee Studies (1993)
- Managing Mobility for Human Development: The Growing Salience of Mixed Migration, Nicholas Van Hear, UNDP Human Development Research Paper (2009)
- When Refugees Stopped Being Migrants: Movement, Labour & Humanitarian Protection, Katy Long, Migration Studies (2013)
- Refugee Advocacy and the Meaning of ‘Migrants’, Jørgen Carling, PRIO Policy Brief (2017)
- Forced to Leave? The Discursive and Analytical Significance of Describing Migration as Forced and Voluntary, Marta Bivand Erdal and Ceri Oeppen, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2017)
Internally Displaced Persons[edit | edit source]
- Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons
- United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
- African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention)
- UNHCR’S Initiative on Internal Displacement 2020 - 2021.
Asylum Seekers[edit | edit source]
Refugees[edit | edit source]
Stateless Person[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ meaningofmigrants.org. What Is The Meaning of Migrants?. Available from: https://meaningofmigrants.org/(accessed 2 May 2022).
- ↑ meaningofmigrants.org. One Page Overview. Available from: https://meaningofmigrants.org/ (accessed 2 May 2022).
- ↑ International Organization for Migration. Key Migration Terms. Available from: https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms (accessed 2 May 2022).
- ↑ UNHCR Teaching About Refugees. Who Is A Migrant. Available from: https://youtu.be/yRPfM5Oj-QA[last accessed 11/02/2022]
- ↑ World 101. What's the Difference Between a Migrant and a Refugee? Migration Explained | World101. Available from: https://youtu.be/vwSOds50Afk[last accessed 11/02/2022]
- ↑ United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. 2004. Available from: https://cms.emergency.unhcr.org/documents/11982/44794/UN%2C+Guiding+Principles+on+Internal+Displacement%2C+1998/47806967-dd92-4d67-ad47-578aa8b5d11f [Accessed 27th June 2020].
- ↑ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Emergency Handbook - IDP Definition. Available from: https://emergency.unhcr.org/entry/67716/idp-definition (Accessed 2nd June 2020).
- ↑ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ireland. Internally Displaced People. Available from: https://www.unhcr.org/en-ie/internally-displaced-people.html (Accessed 27th July 2020).
- ↑ Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Global Internal Displacement Database. Available from: https://www.internal-displacement.org/database/displacement-data (accessed 15 May 2022).
- ↑ UNHCR Teaching About Refugees. Who is an Internally Displaced Person?. Available from: https://youtu.be/DCzpVQkencw[last accessed 11/02/22]
- ↑ Melissa Siegel. Internal Displacement: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021. Available from: https://youtu.be/L7EEWeZV3Yc[last accessed 11/02/22]
- ↑ UNHCR. Who Is An Asylum Seeker? Available from: https://youtu.be/E1E_tiagn8Q[last accessed 11/02/2022]
- ↑ The Guardian. Limbo: A virtual experience of waiting for asylum - Guardian VR - 360 video. Available from: https://youtu.be/AyWLvrWBKHA[last accessed 11/02/2022]
- ↑ UNHCR Teaching About Refugees. Who Is A Refugee. Available from: https://youtu.be/GvzZGplGbL8[last accessed 30/10/17]
- ↑ TED-Ed. What does it mean to be a refugee? - Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman. Available from: https://youtu.be/25bwiSikRsI[last accessed 30/10/17]
- ↑ UNHCR Teaching About Refugees. Who Is A Stateless Person? Available from: https://youtu.be/NJVU-fjPrzY[last accessed 30/10/17]
- ↑ UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. #IBelong – What it feels like to be Stateless. Available from: https://youtu.be/MuDzR8d63zg[last accessed 11/02/2022]