The Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement
- October 2013
Direct Link to Full 32-Page 2013 Report: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2013/10/noncamp%20displaced%20persons/under%20the%20radaridps%20outside%20of%20camps%20oct%202013.pdf
Rather than living in large camps, most of the
world’s 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently live
“outside camps.”[1] This
rather inelegant term – “IDPs outside camps” – refers to IDPs who live in a
variety of settings or situations, making generalizations difficult. They may
be in urban, rural or remote areas; they may own or rent housing; they may be
sharing a room or living with a host family; they may be occupying a building
or land that they do not own, or living in makeshift shelters and slums or
living on the streets. Many IDPs have fled to small towns and villages near
their homes but increasingly IDPs are ending up in urban areas, where those who
have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict, human rights abuses
and disasters live side-by-side with the non-displaced poor and economic
migrants.[2]
While urban areas may offer opportunities for rebuilding lives, they usually
present particular difficulties for IDPs seeking to find their place in a new
and complex environment. Adequate housing and shelter are often in short
supply, and access to public services such as education, health, water and
sanitation may be more difficult for IDPs to access.
Because
of the circumstances that led to their displacement and the conditions they
encounter after being displaced, IDPs often face particular assistance and
protection concerns in comparison with those living in the same communities who
have not been displaced. Yet, because they are dispersed and often not easy to
identify, non-camp IDPs tend to remain under the radar screen of government
authorities and international actors concerned with IDPs. Local organizations
may be more aware of IDPs’ needs and concerns, but often lack the capacity to
assist all of those in need. Where assistance is provided to IDPs outside
camps, it is generally ad hoc and insufficient.
____________________________________________________
