Forced and Voluntary Migration
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| voluntary migration/ˈvɒləntəri maɪˈɡreɪʃn/ | Movement undertaken mainly by choice, although economic, social or environmental pressures may constrain the available options. |
| forced migration/fɔːst maɪˈɡreɪʃn/ | Movement caused by coercion or threats such as conflict, persecution, disasters or compulsory removal. |
| refugee/ˈrefjuːdʒiː/ | A person outside their country who needs international protection because of persecution or other circumstances recognised under applicable refugee frameworks. |
| internally displaced person/ɪnˈtɜːnəli dɪˈspleɪst ˈpɜːsn/ | A person forced to leave their home who has not crossed an internationally recognised state border. |
| transnational migration/trænˈsnæʃənl maɪˈɡreɪʃn/ | Movement across national borders, often accompanied by continuing family, social or economic connections between countries. |
Two kinds of move
- Migration divides into voluntary and forced.
- Voluntary migration 自愿迁移 is by choice, usually for economic reasons.
- Forced migration 强迫迁移 is against a person's will.
Voluntary migration is usually driven by economic reasons.
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Most voluntary migrants move for jobs and a better standard of living.
Refugees and the displaced
- A refugee 难民 flees across a border to escape danger.
- An internally displaced person 境内流离失所者 (IDP) flees but stays inside their own country.
- War, persecution, and disaster are the main causes of forced migration.
Source title: Hungarian Immigrants Cleveland. Motives and legal status are not established by the photograph
Voluntary or forced?
Sort each move as voluntary or forced migration.
A refugee is a person who...
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A refugee crosses a border to escape danger; an IDP stays inside their country.
Someone forced to flee but who stays inside their own country is an internally ____ person.
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An internally displaced person (IDP) has not crossed a border.
Select all causes of forced migration.
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War, persecution, and disaster force people to move; a better salary is a voluntary pull.
Types of movement
- International migration crosses a national border; internal migration stays within a country.
- Transnational migration 跨国迁移 keeps strong ties to both the origin and destination.
- Much internal migration is rural-to-urban — the move to cities.
Match each term to its meaning.
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Refugee = crossed a border; IDP = did not; voluntary = a free choice.
A refugee has crossed an international border; an IDP has not. This distinction matters legally — refugees have protections under international law that IDPs, still inside their own country, often do not.
A family that leaves the countryside for the city to find factory work is a voluntary, internal, rural-to-urban migration. A family that flees across a border to escape a war is forced migration — they become refugees.
Voluntary migration is by choice (usually economic); forced migration is against one's will. A refugee crosses a border to escape danger; an IDP stays inside their country. Movement may be international or internal (often rural-to-urban).
Write from a flood causing forced migration
- A flood destroys a village and people leave because they cannot stay.
- A student later chooses a university abroad.
Which move is forced migration?
Forced migration happens when staying is not a real option.
Which move is forced?
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The flood removed the choice to stay.