OUR BLOG

Researching Internal Displacement offers a platform for publishing short pieces of writing, artistic productions and other research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement from our networks and others in a conversational and informal setting. We hope that the posts will be engaging and insightful, and welcome comments on the pieces.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Researching Internal Displacement publishes engaging and insightful short pieces of writing, artistic and research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement.

We welcome contributions from academics, practitioners, researchers, officials, artists, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, postgraduate students and people affected by internal displacement.

Abordaje del desplazamiento interno causado por el crimen organizado: ¿Qué papel puede desempeñar el marco internacional de lucha contra la trata?

By Gillian Kane

| July 10, 2025

Este cuarto volumen de nuestra serie sobre «Desplazamiento interno en el contexto de la violencia del crimen organizado» explora el papel del marco internacional de lucha contra la trata a la hora de abordar el desplazamiento interno resultante de la actividad del crimen organizado. Para ello, primero se analiza la definición de trata de personas, antes de explorar las intersecciones con el desplazamiento interno y lo que esto significa para las respuestas. Por último, el documento hace un llamado para que las respuestas legales y políticas al desplazamiento interno incorporen obligaciones contra la trata, de modo que la protección efectiva pueda ser alcanzada en la práctica.

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La aplicabilidad del Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos y del Derecho Internacional Humanitario en situaciones de violencia vinculadas al crimen organizado

By Miriam Bradley

| July 9, 2025

Este tercer volumen de nuestra serie sobre «Desplazamiento interno en contexto de violencia por crimen organizado» examina el derecho internacional sobre el uso de la fuerza en situaciones de violencia por delincuencia organizada. Dicha violencia puede alcanzar los umbrales de un conflicto armado, en cuyo caso se aplica el Derecho Internacional Humanitario (DIH), además del Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos (DIDH). Aunque la clasificación de conflicto armado puede activar los mecanismos de protección internacional, la aplicación del DIH reduce la protección que ofrece el DIDH a y puede perjudicar más que beneficiar a los desplazados internos y a quienes corren el riesgo de ser desplazados. La autora llama a reorientar los mecanismos de protección internacional para garantizar a las personas desplazadas internamente una protección más completa.

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Desplazamiento interno causado por violencia perpetrada por grupos y redes de crimen organizado: impulsores y dinámicas

By Victorie Knox

| July 8, 2025

Este segundo volumen de nuestra serie sobre «Desplazamiento interno en el contexto de la violencia del crimen organizado» examina cómo la violencia que involucra a grupos y redes del crimen organizado causa desplazamientos significativos, sobre todo en América Latina y el Caribe. La primera parte de este documento examina los factores impulsores y estructurales que sustentan la violencia y el riesgo desde grupos criminales organizados, y cómo esto se manifiesta para causar desplazamiento, con un enfoque en el papel del Estado, ya sea por su acción o inacción. La segunda parte examina a qué se asemejan el desplazamiento provocado por la violencia y el riesgo desde grupos delictivos organizados, describiendo las distintas dinámicas de desplazamiento que se producen y la falta generalizada de respuestas eficaces.

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Grupos criminales y desplazamiento interno: ¿Qué lecciones podemos aprender de Centroamérica diez años después?

By David Cantor

| July 7, 2025

Este breve artículo, que analiza el desplazamiento interno en el contexto de la violencia del crimen organizado en Centroamérica, argumenta que calificar estas situaciones de «criminales» no debería distraernos de las similitudes, así como de las diferencias, con las dinámicas de violencia y desplazamiento durante los conflictos armados, y señala las implicaciones concomitantes para proteger y asistir a los desplazados internos en este contexto.

Este es el primer artículo de una miniserie de cinco artículos sobre «Desplazamiento interno en el contexto de la violencia criminal organizada». La serie se basa en la investigación realizada por expertos del Programa de Investigación sobre Desplazamiento Interno de Refugee Law Initiative (RLI), trabajando en colaboración con la Relatora Especial de la ONU sobre los Derechos Humanos de los Desplazados Internos en relación con su 2025 Convocatoria de Contribuciones sobre este tema.

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Housing and Property Policies for IDPs: The Evolution of the Ukrainian Case

By Lidia Kuzemska

| June 26, 2025

This third and final volume in our series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’ uses the case study of Ukraine to illustrate the evolution of the state’s approach to housing and property solutions for IDPs. This piece analyses the shift from a temporary, rapid-response protection approach to current legal and practical initiatives for durable and affordable housing solutions. The author argues that even though the changes are promising, the initiatives carry financial and social risks. The author makes several recommendations to policymakers and practitioners. This paper is part of Researching Internal Displacement’s mini-series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’, convened and guest-edited by Bríd Ní Ghráinne. The three volumes in this series draw on research by experts at the Internal Displacement Research Programme at the RLI, working collaboratively with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in relation to her 2025 call for inputs on this theme.

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Informal Pathways of Integration for Internally Displaced Persons in Urban Settings in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Lessons for Policy Makers

By Carolien Jacobs and Patrick Milabyo Kyamusugulwa

| June 19, 2025

This second volume in our series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’ sheds light on some of the informal pathways through which Congolese IDPs integrate socially in urban settings. Drawing on a decade of empirical research conducted with Congolese researchers in the east of the DRC, the authors illustrate how Congolese people primarily seek refuge in host communities rather than formal or spontaneous camps or camp-like settings. The authors also present four lessons for policy makers on IDPs and their social integration in urban settings.This paper is part of Researching Internal Displacement’s mini-series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’, convened and guest-edited by Bríd Ní Ghráinne. The three volumes in this series draw on research by experts at the Internal Displacement Research Programme of the RLI, working collaboratively with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in relation to her 2025 call for inputs on this theme.

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Environmental Justice and Urban Reintegration: Protecting Climate-Displaced Persons from Resettlement in High-Risk Zones

By Brian Aycock

| June 12, 2025

This first volume in our series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’ explores the environmental justice dimensions of urban reintegration for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), arguing that reintegration policies must actively prevent secondary displacement by ensuring resettlement in safe, climate-resilient zones. Drawing on examples like Fiji, it advocates for rights-based urban planning that integrates disaster risk reduction and community participation. Additionally, it advocates for more support from developed countries as a matter of international environmental justice. This paper is part of Researching Internal Displacement’s mini-series on ‘Internal Displacement and (Re)Integration’, convened and guest-edited by Bríd Ní Ghráinne. The three volumes in this series draw on research by experts at the Internal Displacement Research Programme of the RLI, working collaboratively with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in relation to her 2025 call for inputs on this theme.

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Problems of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine and Ways to Overcome Them

By Maksym Taran

| May 29, 2025

This blog calls attention to the roles of charitable and volunteer organizations, communities, and state and local authorities in addressing the basic needs of IDPs in Ukraine. It also highlights programmatic areas where volunteer organizations and local and national governments can better collaborate to improve support for Ukraine’s sizeable IDP population. Internal displacement since 2014 has resulted in a surge in the number of charitable organizations in Ukraine, making them one of the primary stakeholders in addressing the needs of IDP. Despite their significant role, many NGOs still encounter obstacles in their daily operations. This author makes several suggestions for improving how government and volunteer organizations can work together for the benefit of IDPs.

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[Un]Wanted People: Internal Displacement in Russia caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War

By Ekaterina Pesegova

| May 22, 2025

This brief article highlights a lesser-known instance of forced displacement in the Kursk region, triggered by the Russo-Ukrainian War – internally displaced Russians who were forced to flee their homes as a result of the August 2024 Ukrainian cross-border attack and occupation of Russian territory. The absence of the term “internally displaced persons” and related protections in Russian legislation has put internally displaced Russians in limbo, a situation made worse by the government’s apparent unpreparedness for a Ukrainian invasion. The author of this piece argues that the mostly ad-hoc IDP protection responses by the Russian authorities, driven often by political, not humanitarian, concerns, have left many IDPs without adequate support. The possibility that such protections could be suspended at any time has further contributed to a sense of uncertainty and injustice among IDPs in Russia.

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