Glossary Term

Internally displaced person

A person who has been forced to leave his or her home area to find a safe place inside his or her home country, rather than crossing an international border is known as an internally displaced person (IDP). IDPs often flee for similar reasons as refugees, such as armed conflict, disasters, generalized violence, or human rights violations. However, legally they remain under the protection of their own government, even though that government might be the cause of their flight. As citizens, they retain their rights, including to protection, under both human rights law and international humanitarian law.