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Internally Displaced Persons

Definition

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are individuals who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict, violence, disasters or human rights violations but unlike refugees, they remain within their home country's borders.

Analogy

Imagine a situation where you're forced out of your room in your house because it's flooded. You seek refuge in another part of the same house - maybe the living room or kitchen. That's what happens with IDPs. They're displaced from their 'room' (home region) but stay within the 'house' (their own country).

Related terms

Forced Migration: This is a general term referring to the movements of refugees and internally displaced people as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, chemical or nuclear disasters, famine, or development projects.

Humanitarian Aid: This refers to assistance given to people in distress by other individuals, organizations, or governments—both domestically and internationally—to save lives and alleviate suffering.

Conflict-induced displacement: This refers specifically to situations where people are forced out of their homes due to armed conflict including civil war, generalized violence or persecution on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, political opinion or social group.