Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region. It often connotes violent coercion, and is used interchangeably with the terms "displacement" or forced displacement. A specific form of forced migration is population transfer, which is a coherent policy to move unwanted persons, perhaps as an attempt at ethnic cleansing. Someone who has experienced forced migration is a "forced migrant" or "displaced person". Population transfer is a term referring to a policy by which a state, or international authority, forces the movement of a large group of people out of a region, most frequently on the basis of their ethnicity or religion. ... It has been suggested that silent ethnic cleansing be merged into this article or section. ... Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her...

Forced migration has accompanied religious and political persecution, as well as war, throughout human history but has only become a topic of serious study and discussion relatively recently. This increased attention is the result of greater ease of travel, allowing displaced persons to flee to nations far removed from their homes, the creation of an international legal structure of human rights, and the realizations that the destabilizing effects of forced migration, especially in parts of Africa, the Middle East, south and central Asia, ripple out well beyond the immediate region. Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

See also

• Atlantic slave trade
• Internally displaced person
• Refugee
• Trafficking in human beings

The Atlantic slave trade was the purchase and transport of black Africans into bondage and servitude in the New World. ... Tailor in Labuje IDP camp in Uganda An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who has been forced to leave their home for reasons such as natural or man-made disasters, including religious or political persecution or war, but has not crossed an international border. ... For the television mini-series relating to this subject, see Human Trafficking. ...

External links

• Eurasylum Many relevant documents on asylum and refugee policy, immigration and human trafficking/smuggling internationally
• Forced Migration Discussion List (Archives of FORCED-MIGRATION@JISCMAIL.AC.UK) focuses on issues concerning refugees and internal displacement.
• Forced Migration Online provides access to a diverse range of relevant information resources on forced migration, including a searchable digital library consisting of full-text documents.
• Forced Migration Review World's most widely read refugee magazine: available in English, Spanish, Arabic and French
• The International Association for the Study of Forced Migration brings together academics, practitioners and decision-makers working on forced migration issues.
• The International Organization for Migration is a non-governmental organization with a major role mediating modern migration.
• The Journal of Refugee Studies from Oxford University provides a forum for exploration of the complex problems of forced migration and national, regional and international responses.
• The Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford: a leading multidisciplinary centre for research and teaching on the causes and consequences of forced migration.
• What is Forced Migration?, an introductory guide for those who are new to the subject.