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More Than 31 Million Internally Displaced in 2016

by VOA News

   A watchdog organization says 31.1 million people were displaced in 2016
   within their home countries due to conflict, violence and disasters.

   The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) of the Norwegian
   Refugee Council (NRC) released a report Monday about the startling
   statistics.

   "In 2016, one person every second was forced to flee their home inside
   their own country," said Jan Egeland, NRC secretary-general.
   "Internally displaced people now outnumber refugees by two to one. It
   is urgent to put internal displacement back on the global agenda."

   Refugees seek asylum in other countries, giving them legal refugee
   status, which entitles them to certain rights and international
   protection. An internally displaced person, or IDP, does not have legal
   status because IDPs are still under the jurisdiction of their own
   government and may not claim any rights additional to those shared by
   their fellow citizens.

   Conflicts last year caused 6.9 million new internal displacements with
   2.6 million taking place in sub-Saharan Africa, IDMC said.

   Disasters, mostly weather hazards including floods, storms, wildfires
   and severe winter conditions, were responsible for 24 million
   displacements.

   "Despite internal displacement being the starting point of many onward
   journeys, it has been overshadowed by the current global focus on
   refugees and migrants," said Alexandra Bilak, IDMC director. "We need
   to acknowledge that without the right kind of support and protection, a
   person internally displaced today may become a refugee, an asylum
   seeker or an international migrant tomorrow."

   The report said, however, more aid was spent last year on refugee
   resettlement than in the countries where the crises originated.

   Bilak said, "To the extent that the Global Report on Internal
   Displacement holds up a mirror, the reflection it projects is one of
   international indifference, lack of accountability and states' failure
   to protect their own people."