Legal Definitions - internal audit

Internally Displaced Person (IDP)

An Internally Displaced Person (IDP) is an individual who has been forced to leave their home and migrate to another location within the borders of their own country. This displacement occurs because of serious threats to their life, physical safety, or freedom, and they are unable to return to their original residence due to these ongoing dangers.

IDPs often flee for reasons similar to refugees, such as armed conflict, widespread human rights abuses, civil unrest, or natural disasters. However, a key distinction is that IDPs do not cross international borders, meaning they remain under the legal jurisdiction of their own government and typically do not receive the same international legal protections afforded to refugees.

• Example 1: Conflict-Driven Displacement

  In the fictional country of "Veridia," a prolonged civil war erupts, leading to intense fighting in the northern provinces. A family living in a village caught between warring factions sees their home destroyed and their community threatened by daily violence. They pack what they can and flee to a larger city in the southern part of Veridia, seeking safety. However, the conflict continues, making it impossible for them to return to their village.

  Explanation: This family is internally displaced because they were forced to migrate within Veridia's national territory due to the direct threat of armed conflict, and they cannot safely return to their original home due to the ongoing violence.

• Example 2: Natural Disaster Displacement

  The island nation of "Aethelgard" experiences a catastrophic volcanic eruption, rendering an entire region uninhabitable due to ashfall, lava flows, and toxic gases. Thousands of residents are evacuated by the government to temporary settlements and host communities in other, safer parts of Aethelgard. Scientists determine that the affected region will be unsafe for human habitation for many years, preventing the former residents from returning.

  Explanation: The evacuated residents are internally displaced. They were compelled to move within Aethelgard's borders due to a natural disaster that made their homes unsafe, and they cannot re-establish residence in their original area because of the continuing environmental threats.

• Example 3: Persecution-Driven Displacement

  In the country of "Xylos," a minority religious group faces escalating persecution, including arbitrary arrests, destruction of their places of worship, and threats to their livelihoods. Fearing for their lives and freedom, many families from this group abandon their ancestral villages in rural areas and seek refuge in larger, more diverse urban centers within Xylos, hoping to blend in and find safety, but they cannot return to their homes without risking further harm.

  Explanation: These families are internally displaced because they were forced to migrate within Xylos's national territory due to threats to their freedom and safety based on their religious beliefs, and they cannot safely return to their original homes.