1. Deprivation of Basic Needs
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are deprived of shelter, food, and clothing. Herded into relocation centers or strategic hamlets, the cramped situation takes away their privacy and makes them vulnerable to untoward incidents.
2. Economic Dislocation
Many IDPs are farmers who become economically dislocated because, oftentimes, the military does not allow them to return to their farms. Most evacuation centers are located in areas far away from the work places of IDPs. There are hardly any income-generating opportunities in the evacuation center. Idleness ushers in boredom which usually issues in anti-social behavior.
3. Prevalence of Diseases
The absence of nutritious food, congested housing and poor sanitation in relocation centers often lead to outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhea, measles, cough and colds. During the 2000 displacement in Mindanao , 150 children, ages 0-2 years, died of diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles inside the evacuation centers. In 2003, forty three (43) persons died of upper respiratory illnesses; thirty-six (36) were children.
4. Disruption of Normal Social and Family Life
Often, in the confusion that accompanies a forced evacuation, family members are separated from each other. Relationships are strained as the male family members, all of a sudden, lose their means of livelihood and are forced to seek employment elsewhere. The women, therefore, have to take on the added responsibility of keeping the family together and provide for their basic needs. Children of school age are forced to stop schooling. They are traumatized upon seeing their family members apprehended or killed, their homes burned, and their lives shattered.
5. Loss of Property
As IDPs flee their homes, a considerable amount of money and property are lost. Farms have to be abandoned, household items are stolen, houses are damaged, animals are confiscated by the pursuing soldiers, harvested corn and rice are either stolen or burned.
6. Inhuman Treatment and Other Human Rights Violations
The conduct of military campaigns and operations is often accompanied with gross human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests, abduction, illegal detention, physical assault, and arson. Cases of extrajudicial killings of IDPs who are involved in the organized movement for change have been documented.
Internal refugees are experiencing repeated, prolonged, and protracted displacement. The most vulnerable are the children, the women, and the elderly.
