Global Displacement Crisis Worsens Amid Rise of Organised Crime and Violence

Strategic Insights -

As the number of people internally displaced worldwide reaches a record 83 million, a report by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Paula Gaviria Betancur, highlights the growing threat of organised crime and violence in driving displacement and rights violations. In 2024, at least 1.2 million people were displaced by crime-related violence, more than double the 2023 figure, amidst a global decline in support for international norms, human rights, and the rule of law.

Key Takeaways:

  • The global displacement crisis is worsening due to the rise of organised crime and violence, with at least 1.2 million people displaced by crime-related violence in 2024, more than double the 2023 figure.
  • Displacement is increasingly driven by the threat of violence or the desire of criminal groups to control territory, resources, and illicit economies.
  • In regions like Sudan, Palestine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), occupying powers and criminal groups are systematically uprooting communities to alter demographics, treating IDPs as military targets.
  • IDPs in these contexts face grave violations of their human rights, including murder, violent assault, kidnapping, forced labour, child recruitment, and sexual exploitation.
  • The rise in global displacement is the result of systemic failure, the failure of States and the international community to tackle its root causes.
  • Support for the UN and accountability for criminal groups are necessary to address the root causes of displacement.
  • Genocide risks are escalating in Sudan, Gaza, the DRC, and beyond, with ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF in Sudan and hate speech fuelling violence in the DRC.
  • Hate speech, which has been a precursor for genocide in the past, is present in far too many situations, often targeting vulnerable groups, including refugees, indigenous peoples, and religious minorities.
  • Trafficking of migrant domestic workers disproportionately affects women, with 61% of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022 being women.

Statistics:

  • 83 million: the number of people internally displaced worldwide.
  • 1.2 million: the number of people displaced by crime-related violence in 2024.
  • 10.5 million: the number of displaced people in Sudan since fighting erupted in April 2023.
  • 61%: the percentage of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022 that are women.

Sources:

  • Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, United Nations.
  • Virginia Gamba, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, United Nations.
  • SiobhÈín Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, United Nations.