Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
10
disasters, environmental degradation, discrimination that does not rise to the level of
persecution, poor governance, or wide-spread criminal violence also drive major forced
migration movements but do not lead to refugee protection.
While the events and circumstances that generate these drivers are easy to identify, such as
the war in Syria or ethnic violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar, individual decisions to
leave home are inherently mixed and often much more difficult to align with legal definitions
in practice. The flight of over 870,000 people from Mogadishu between 2007 and 2008 at the
height of the Somali civil war provides an example of the nuanced nature of individual
decision-making.
6
Political violence and instability had been a structural feature of life in
Mogadishu for decades, and residents had developed various coping mechanisms, such as
avoiding certain areas of the city, that allowed them to maintain key elements of their lives
and livelihoods. For many of those who fled, their decision to leave was precipitated by a
serious disruption to these coping mechanisms -such as the destruction of a home or business
in a military attack, the death of a supporting family member, or the disintegration of
protective social networks- that left them unable to protect or support themselves. While the
outbreak of an active military conflict tied to political, ethnic, and religious conflict -grounds
for Convention protection- drove flight at a macro-level, individual decisions included
economic, social, and basic personal safety factors that would not qualify for refugee status.
It is also important to note that displacement does not always occur immediately, but
develops as conditions at home evolve over time.
7
Most refugees begin their journeys as
internally displaced persons, moving to seek safety within their city, region, or country before
crossing an international border. Even the nature of cross-border displacement may evolve
over time as conflicts shift or become protracted. Refugees may initially prefer to stay as close
to home as possible, settling in the border region of a neighboring country and returning
home periodically to check on property and businesses or family. An increase or shift in the
geography of conflict or persecution may cause displacement to become more rooted and
reduce circulation.
As displacement progresses, both geographically and temporally, the drivers and motivations
of forced migrants are likely to evolve. Most displacement is protracted; nearly half of refugees
under UNHCR’s mandate have been displaced for five years or more.
8
As hope of returning
home diminishes, refugees may begin to search for a longer-term solution to their
displacement. Given the limited status and economic and social rights afforded to refugees in
many first asylum countries, some of the displaced may choose to seek protection in
destination countries, many of which are located in Europe or North America, where more
comprehensive and secure protection is provided. While the initial driver of these flights may
have been Convention-related, the reasons behind individuals’ onward movement can be
economic or social factors, including a desire to reunify with family or friends who have
already undertaken such journeys.
Moreover, the dangerous nature of onward journeys themselves can create new protection
needs or drivers for migration. Migrants can be subject to exploitation or violence at the hands
of smugglers and face various forms of deprivation along the way, including lack of access to
6
For a full discussion of forced migration from Mogadishu during this time period, see Anna Lindley, “Leaving Mogadishu:
Towards a Sociology of Conflict-Related Mobility,”
Journal of Refugee Studies
23, no. 1 (2010): 2-19.
7
For a full discussion see Roger Zetter,
Protection in Crisis: Forced Migration and Protection in a Global Era
(Washington, DC:
Migration Policy Institute, 2015),
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/TCM-Protection- Zetter.pdf .8
UNHCR,
World at War: UNHCR Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2014
, 11.