10 Oct 2007: ISS Today: Internal Displacement - A Tragedy of Our Times

10 October 2007: Internal Displacement - A Tragedy of Our Times

 

“Internal displacement is the great tragedy of our times. The internally displaced people are among the most vulnerable of the human family.” (Former UN secretary General Kofi Annan, Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)

 

Internally Displaced Persons [IDPs] are people within the political borders of their own countries who have been forced to abandon their homes due to conflicts or fear of persecution. The term does not include those who have abandoned their homes due to natural disasters such as floods and droughts. While the United Nations and other international bodies have in recent years recognized and paid more attention to the plight of IDPs, the numbers of IDPs have not declined.

 

The UNHCR estimates that that are currently 23.7m IDPs in 52 countries. For example, at the end of 2006 there were over a million IDP’s in the DRC, almost 1.4 million in Sudan, around 1.6 million in Uganda, and 400, 000 in Somalia. The majority of IDPs are women and children. IDPs are extremely vulnerable because they are not recognized as refugees and are consequently often not provided with food and shelter by international organizations and NGO’s. IDP’s are also not addressed by the international laws and conventions that aim to protect refugees who cross international borders.

 

Children are particularly vulnerable because displacement disrupts families and communities. Children then face problems of abuse, discrimination, malnutrition, poverty, denial of education and health. They are also at risk of recruitment by rebel groups, paramilitaries or even government forces. This has happened in recent times in Chad, the DRC, Uganda and Somalia.

 

Women and girls among IDPs are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence including rape, forced impregnation, forced abortion, trafficking and sexual slavery. These violations are typically under-reported. There is no legal or social protection for internally displaced women and girls. The most serious violations that have been reported have occurred in the DRC, Uganda and Sudan.

 

The challenge facing the international community is to provide protection, shelter, water, nutrition, and basic health care to IDPs, without in the process coming into conflict with the countries concerned over issues of national sovereignty. National governments often see IDPs as ‘enemies of the state’ and are hostile to agencies offering help to these people. It is critical that significant efforts are made to change these perceptions and to find ways to alleviate the suffering of millions of internally displaced persons.

 

Aquilina Mawadza, Researcher: Regional Projects, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)