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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.

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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.

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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.