Forced Internal Displacement in Mexico Due to Violence and Insecurity in Mining Regions

Abstract

Forced internal displacement is a phenomenon arising from conditions of intense violence, associated with various victimizing circumstantial facts, which has led to the internal migration of social groups under extreme vulnerability conditions. This article describes an exploratory study of the relationship between forced displacement in different regions of Mexico and the presence of metal mining operations in the exploration, production, development, postponement, or closure phases. Displacement is addressed through a proxy - emigration at the municipal level associated with high incidence rates of high-impact crime. It shows correlation values of both parameters through the regionalization of the country to observe the presence and spatial distribution of both phenomena. Also, this article describes the peculiarities of each region at the national level, according to the type of mining activity and the violence profiles. This paper addresses the methodological issues involved in the identification and spatial association of these phenomena, based on the information available in various statistical sources and official and civil society databases. The use of these sources allows for exploring the challenges related to the study and visualizing forced internal displacement, which can serve as inputs for the application of regulatory frameworks and the prevention of this phenomenon.