Violent Encounters and Social Status Shape the Conditions for Migrants Fleeing Civil War
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By Justin Schon
At what point do people leave their homes during civil war? Even before considering the eventual journeys that migrants make as either internally displaced persons (IDPs) or as refugees and asylum seekers, particular conditions often must exist for them to leave the place where they had been living. While it might seem obvious that violence is the primary and critical driver of migration during civil war, the reality is that fluctuations in violence do not necessarily align with variations in migration levels. Research in Nepal, for instance, found a nonlinear relationship between violence and movement, such that low and moderate levels of violence actually reduced the odds that people would migrate. Surprisingly, a given violent event does not necessarily cause civilians to relocate or leave the country.