Internal Displacement in Latin America

This chapter presents a general overview of internal displacement dynamics in Latin America. It begins by presenting a conceptual discussion of the term followed by a brief description of the historical evolution of internal displacement in the region. The chapter concentrates on three main issues. First, it discusses internal displacement's root sources, including different forms of violence (political and criminal), man-made conditions related to development projects, and environmental and climate factors. Subsequently, it examines institutional responses by the state and civil society, including providing assistance and protection to internally displaced people (IDPs) and developing other long-term approaches. Lastly, it considers survival strategies developed by the internally uprooted. While the analysis seeks to provide a general overview of the phenomenon in this region, it concentrates on emblematic cases including Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Haiti, and El Salvador. The chapter argues that while endemic conditions in Latin America have long forced people to abandon their communities and places of residence, displacement dynamics have evolved in the last thirty years as complex intermestic factors significantly transformed state-social relations.