Protection Risk: Unlawful Impediments or Restrictions to Freedom of Movement, Siege and Forced Displacement

This protection risk refers to all restrictions and barriers to freedom of movement, including situations of isolation, siege, forced displacement and any situation when a person does not have free choice related to movements. All restrictions to freedom of movement are unlawful, are subject to strict criteria under human rights law and must be provided for by law, be considered necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate aim (such as protect national security or public order, health or morals, or the rights or freedoms of others), and be non-discriminatory and consistent with other human rights. Impediments to freedom of movement in a displacement context can take different forms, andforms and relate with to harmful conditions of safety and dignity of the population that are not properly prevented, responded or redressed by responsible authorities. Forced displacement occurs when individuals and communities have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of events or situations such as armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights abuses, natural or man-made disasters, and/or development projects. It both includes situations where people have fled as well as situations where people have been forcibly removed from their homes, evicted or relocated to another place not of their choosing, whether by State or non-State actors. The defining factor is the absence of will or consent. Siege can be understood as the military encirclement of an area with the imposition of restrictions on the entry and exit of essential goods with the aim of forcing its surrender.