Georgia

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About 240,000 people out of a population of four and a half million were displaced in Georgia by conflicts which broke out in the early 1990s. Many still live in precarious conditions, but their stories are little known. Now that the Georgian government is implementing a national strategy on IDPs, it is important that their situation, feelings and hopes are understood in order to effectively protect their rights.

Georgia is the second country selected in IDMC’s IDP Voices series. IDMC plans to publish together with Panos London more stories of displaced people from all around the world. These stories reveal issues that go beyond typical perceptions of IDPs’ assistance and protection needs and touch on values, identity, feelings and emotions. By giving them the opportunity to speak out, rather than having their needs and priorities decided by outsiders, IDMC wishes to contribute to a better understanding of forced displacement and its impact.

Read their stories and hear what they have to say.

Read and listen to the individual stories of 29 internally displaced people

Download the book of life stories: A Heavy Burden: Internally Displaced in Georgia:Stories of People from Abkhazia and South Ossetia