Types of Forced Migration
What is migration?
- Migration is the movement of people across a specified boundary, national or international, to establish a new permanent or semi-permanent place of residence
- The United Nations (UN) defines 'permanent' as a change of residence lasting more than 1 year
- Migration can be split into many sub groups, but it can be classified simply into internal (within a country) or international (across international boundaries)
- Movement is geographical and involves leaving home (place of origin) to a place of destination
- There are three types of movement:
- Cyclic - these are journeys that begin and end at a place of origin such as commuting
- Periodic - longer time is spent away from the place of origin, but movement involves return at some point and includes university attendance, military service and migrant labour
- Migration - permanent move away, usually across significant distance either internally (within the same country) or internationally (to another country)
Migration terms
- Migration starts at an origin and is completed at an area of destination
- A number of migrants sharing a common origin and destination form a migration stream
- For every stream there is a reverse counter-stream
- Migrants in between origin and destination are known as en-route
- Migration mostly takes the form of step migration. Where several short moves are made and usually to slightly larger and more important settlements
- Emigrant is a person who migrates out of country
- Immigrant is a person who migrates into country
- If an international migrant moves into a country it is called immigration
- If an international migrant leaves a country this is called emigration
- If an internal migrant moves into a new area within their country this is called in-migration
- If an internal migrant moves out of their area within a country this is called out-migration
- Migration is classified by:
- Distance travelled
- Reason for travel
- Period of time of travel
- Volume of migrants
Classification of Migration
| Internal | External | |
| Voluntary | Rural to urban - jobs | West Indians to the UK |
| Urban to rural - retirement | UK doctors to the USA | |
| Forced | British inner city slum clearance | African people to America - Atlantic slave trade |
| Chinese villagers along 3 Gorges Dam | Asians from Uganda | |
| Natural disasters - Mt Pinatubo, Philippines | Partition of India - Muslims forced from India into Pakistan |
Migrant terminology
- A refugee
- Is a person who has been forced to leave home and country because of ‘a well-founded fear of persecution’ on account of race, religion, social group or political opinion
- An internally displaced person
- Is someone who has been forced to leave his / her home for reasons similar to a refugee, but remain in their country
- An asylum seeker
- Is someone who has left their home country, has applied to another country for recognition as a refugee, and are awaiting a decision on their application
Forced migration
- The Atlantic slave trade was the largest and most devastating externally forced migration in the history of humanity
- Forced migration occurs when the individual, household or community have little to no choice but to leave their country or area
- Forced migration can be due to environmental and/or human factors
- Forms of forced migration include:
- Disaster-induced displacement
- Development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR)
- Conflict-induced displacement
- Political-induced displacement
- Impelled - this form of migration is often called 'forced' migration, however, there is more of a choice
- Impelled migration takes place under a perceived threat, either human or physical, rather than actual removal
Disaster induced displacement
- This includes:
- Natural disasters such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis etc
- Human induced disasters such as the release of gas, chemicals, radiation etc.
Examples of Disaster Induced Displacement
| Natural Disaster | Human Induced Disaster |
|
In 1995 eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat devastated parts of the island The U.S. government told Montserratian refugees to leave in 2005 - not because the volcanic crisis was over or because the housing crisis caused by the volcano was solved. Rather, the U.S. government expected the volcanic crisis to last a further 10 years or more; so, the Montserratians no longer qualified as ‘temporary’ refugees |
Human induced global warming has increased the number of wildfires around the world and the rates of incidents are increasing In 2022, California saw record-breaking heat and wildfires, leaving many people to become 'climate migrants' within their own country Wildfires in California have destroyed thousands of homes, burnt millions of acres of land and forced more than half a million people to flee their homes The majority of people have been unable to rebuild, as insurance premiums are high because of the risk of wildfires and many homes were uninsured, leaving many in poverty and long-term homelessness |
Development induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR)
- People removed from their homes when large development projects are undertaken such as HS2 in the UK or hydroelectric dams such as the 3 Gorges in China or mining in the Amazon
- Affects individuals as well as whole communities and can be an internal or external movement
- There are two types of displacement:
- Primary or direct - people are moved from their homes to another place to make way for a development project, such as dam building
- Secondary or indirect - where movement is due to a consequence of a project, such as water pollution through a mining project etc.
Examples of DIDR
| Primary or Direct | Secondary or Indirect |
|
Three Gorges Dam, China Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, India (1999-2003) |
Mining is a global industry that can boost a country's economy, but can also cause harm both directly and indirectly Mining activities and poor management of waste tailings led to numerous issues such as groundwater contamination, air pollution and increased ill-health forcing many people to move from their homes, usually with no compensation or ability to sell their homes Developing countries are particularly at risk as health and safety policies are either not enforced, ignored or exist |
Conflict-induced displacement
- This is when people leave their community or country to escape violence such as civil war or persecution
- There can be internally displaced people and refugees from the same conflict
- Sudanese displaced in Darfur and refugees in Chad
Political-induced displacement
- People are forced to migrate because of their country's policies that discriminate against them
- They have well-founded fears of being persecuted and are unlikely to remain safe in their country
- In fear of repercussions, desperate Vietnamese refugees fled by the hundreds of thousands after the communist government took control of the country in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War
- Up to 300,000 people, especially those who supported the South Vietnamese government and the USA, were sent to re-education camps, where many were forced into hard labour, tortured, starved, and died from disease