Forced migration

involuntary or coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region

Forced migration, or forced displacement, involves people being made to leave their home or homeland. It is usually caused by violence, persecution,[2] danger, or an authority (such as a government) telling people to move. People are removed by force or by a threat or command. Those who have been forced to migrate are called "forced migrants" or "displaced persons" They may be called a refugee, but that term has a specific legal definition.

An overcrowded train carrying refugees during the partition of India in 1947. Considered to have been the largest migration in human history, millions of people were displaced by force.[1]

Migration of people constantly happens, but in a stable society, that is usually because a person chooses to do it. Forced migration occurs when people's lives, well-being, or freedom is endangered. They may have little or no choice but to move. In some cases, such as human trafficking and slavery, people are physically removed from their homes.

Occasionally, a government forces people and communities out of their homes or homelands for the purposes of economic development or the military. That has been most often been associated with the building of dams and military bases.

Migration may also be forced by natural disasters, when people are forced to evacuate an area.[3] That is usually temporary, and people can then return to their land once it is safe. Otherwise, such forced migrantion violates Fourth Geneva Convention.[4]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has stated for 32 yeaes that Afghanistan produces the largest number of refugees each year. Almost half of the refugees are children under the age of 18. Many of them are separated from their parents.[5]

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References

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  1. Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar (February 2013). "India–Pakistan Partition 1947 and forced migration". The Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781444351071.wbeghm285. ISBN 9781444334890.
  2. Conventions No. 29, 105, 138 and 182; Convention No. 97 (Art. 3, Annex I; Art. 8 and Annex II, Art. 13); Convention No. 143, Part I; 1990 International Convention (Art. 21)
  3. Bogumil Terminski (2012). Environmentally-Induced Displacement: Theoretical Frameworks and Current Challenges, University de Liege.
  4. Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49
  5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "New UNHCR report says global forced displacement at 18-year high". United Nations. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

Other websites

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