The Nexus of Forced Migration and Organized Violence

Abstract

In this chapter, we analyze the relationship between forced migration and organized violence, focusing on the experiences of forced migrants in transit through México. Historically a country with one of the world's highest emigration rates, Mexico has in the last decade become an important transit country for migrants seeking to reach the United States. Its transition from mostly a sending state to an important transit country has had repercussions in the experiences of those trying to flee their countries to reach a safe destination. Most forced migrants in transit through Mexico come from Central America, where insufficient employment opportunities and the lack of public security, combined with an atmosphere of generalized violence, have fueled emigration. However, those forced to flee violence in their home countries are often subjected to other forms of organized violence on their journeys in Mexico as well. In addition to being exposed to criminal actors such as drug cartels, trafficking networks and gangs, migrants also have to endure discrimination and abuse by corrupt authorities. In addition, the relationship between Mexico and the United States, as well as their binational strategies designed to stop migration, violate migrants’ rights and put them in increasingly vulnerable positions.