In recent years the number of complex humanitarian emergencies around the world has been steadily increasing. War and political, ethnic, racial, and religious strife continually force people to migrate against their will. These forced migrants create a stream of new challenges for relief workers and policy makers. A better understanding of the characteristics of refugee populations and of the population dynamics of these situations is vital. Improved research and insights can enhance disaster management, refugee camp administration, and repatriation or resettlement programs.

Forced Migration and Mortality examines mortality patterns in complex human- itarian emergencies, reviewing the state of knowledge, as well as how patterns may change in the new century. It contains four case studies of mortality in recent emergencies: Rwanda, North Korea, Kosovo, and Cambodia. Because refugees and internally displaced persons are likely to continue to be a significant humanitarian concern for many years, research in this field is critical. This is the first book to comprehensively explore forced migration and mortality and it provides useful material for researchers, policy makers, and relief workers.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• ROUNDTABLE ON THE DEMOGRAPHY OF FORCED MIGRATION
• COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
• CONTRIBUTORS
• Preface
• 1. Understanding Mortality Patterns in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
  • DEFINITIONS AND TYPOLOGY
  • CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
  • NEW CONTEXTS FOR COMPLEX EMERGENCIES
  • DATA ISSUES
  • OVERVIEW OF THE VOLUME
  • NEXT STEPS
  • REFERENCES
  • APPENDIX: FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS OF UNCERTAINTY: MORTALITY IN AFGHANISTAN, BOSNIA, NORTH KOREA, RWANDA, AND SIERRA LEONE
• 2. The Evolution of Mortality Among Rwandan Refugees in Zaire Between 1994 and 1997
  • INTRODUCTION
  • MORTALITY DURING THE GOMA INFLUX
  • MORTALITY IN TINGI TINGI
  • MORTALITY IN THE CAMPS ALONG THE UBUNDU-KISANGANI RAILWAY
  • MORTALITY IN NDJOUNDOU AND LOUKOLÉLA, CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Famine, Mortality, and Migration: A Study of North Korean Migrants in China
  • INTRODUCTION
  • STUDY DESIGN
  • STUDY RESULTS
  • ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Methods of Determining Mortality in the Mass Displacement and Return of Emergency-Affected Populations in Kosovo, 1998-1999
  • INTRODUCTION
  • METHODS
  • RESULTS
  • MORTALITY
  • LIMITATIONS
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 5. The Demographic Analysis of Mortality Crises: The Case of Cambodia, 1970-1979
  • CAMBODIA IN THE 1970s
  • DATA SOURCES AND MORTALITY ESTIMATION
  • NATURAL AND CRISIS MORTALITY PATTERNS
  • ESTIMATIONS OF EXCESS MORTALITY IN CAMBODIA
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Reflections

Suggested citation:

National Research Council (2001) Forced Migration and Mortality. Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration. Committee on Population. Holly E. Reed and Charles B. Keely, eds. Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.