Internal Displacement and Education of Children

Internal Displacement and Education of Children in NW Pakistan

A Brief Exploration

This essay aims to explore the impact of internal displacement on the education of children in North-West Pakistan. Due to the lack of available academic research in relation to Pakistan’s IDP in full context, the main sources for this essay originate from different Pakistani and international humanitarian agencies’ literature.

Since 2004, Pakistan has experienced several internal displacements. Some of them were caused by natural disasters including the earthquake in October 2005 and repeated monsoon flooding since 2010. However, most internal displacements stem from armed conflict between the Pakistan Army and militant groups in North-West Pakistan. Seemingly, domestic in nature, these displacements are a direct consequence of international politics due to Pakistan’s role in US led War on Terror in Post 9/11.

Overall, an estimated five million people have been displaced due to these recurring conflicts. By the end of 2009, the country had the sixth largest conflict-induced IDP population in the world (IDMC, 2010a: p. 13). Due to the erratic dynamics of internal displacement, some of the displaced people returned to their home communities after State Forces retrieved control of the area from militant groups. Nonetheless, there is a constant influx of new and secondary displaced people fleeing from different parts of the North West due to the new armed-conflicts (IDMC, 2013: p. 1).

The situation further complicates as only a small fragment of displaced people are registered as IDPs in state administrated camps of Jalozai, Togh Sarai and New Durrani. The rest of the displaced people, almost 80-90%, live with host families or in rented houses and are not registered as IDPs (UN Children Fund (UNICEF) 2009: p. 2). An alarming characteristic of this displacement is that over 50% of those affected are children (HOP 2013: p. 34). However, the unregistered population of...