IDPs
Fled but home
IDPs is the abbreviation for internally displaced persons—people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, natural disasters, or human rights violations who remain within their country's borders.
Unlike refugees, who cross international boundaries, IDPs stay within their own nation and thus remain under their government's jurisdiction, even when that government may be the source of their displacement.
The UN estimates millions of IDPs in the region following the civil war.
The term appears frequently in humanitarian aid contexts and policy discussions.
Permanent change of residence
- uprootedRemoved from foundation
- fledEscaped from danger
- evacuationRemoval from danger
- returnGo back again
repatriation · resettlement · camps · settlements · temporary shelter · transit · cross-border
Opposition between parties
- violenceHarmful physical force
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- natural disastersCatastrophic environmental events
- floodsOverflowing onto dry land
earthquakes · hurricanes · drought · famine · civil war · insurgency · ethnic cleansing · development projects
Organized action during crises
- shelterProtected place or structure
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
- healthcare accessAbility to obtain treatment
- UNHCRUN body aiding refugees
Openness to harm
- humanitarian assistanceHelp for disaster victims
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- registrationFormal recording of participation
- legal statusOne's position in law
property rights · freedom of movement · non-discrimination · family reunification · housing rights · land rights · compensation · women and children
Ongoing observation of something
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- estimatesRough calculations of value
- data collectionSystematic accumulation of facts
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
population movement · numbers · reporting · undercounting · verification
relocation
Permanent change of residence
- uprootedRemoved from foundation
- fledEscaped from danger
- evacuationRemoval from danger
return · repatriation · resettlement · camps · settlements · temporary shelter · transit · cross-border
conflict
Opposition between parties
- violenceHarmful physical force
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- natural disastersCatastrophic environmental events
floods · earthquakes · hurricanes · drought · famine · civil war · insurgency · ethnic cleansing · development projects · environmental degradation
emergency response
Organized action during crises
- shelterProtected place or structure
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
- healthcare accessAbility to obtain treatment
vulnerability
Openness to harm
- humanitarian assistanceHelp for disaster victims
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- registrationFormal recording of participation
legal status · property rights · freedom of movement · non-discrimination · family reunification · housing rights · land rights · compensation · women and children
monitoring
Ongoing observation of something
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- estimatesRough calculations of value
- data collectionSystematic accumulation of facts
profiling · population movement · numbers · reporting · undercounting · verification
- displaced peoplerefugee, displaced, asylum seeker, displaced persons, displaced person
- GeorgiaTbilisi, Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, Columbus
People living somewhere long-term
IDPsrefugees
People seeking safety elsewhere
asylum seekers · exiles · emigrants · stateless persons · émigrés