Displaced by criminal violence: Latin America's hidden humanitarian crisis

The scale of the crisis

Astrid and Miguel’s ordeal is far from unique. Across Latin America, thousands of families are being uprooted by violence that rarely makes the headlines.

According to ProLAC, a joint initiative lead by the Danish Refugee Council and NRC, 70 per cent of displaced people in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico fled their homes because of violence and criminal groups. Many have been displaced multiple times, losing homes, livelihoods, and any sense of stability.

Unlike refugees crossing borders, most victims remain within their own countries, hidden from international attention. They seek shelter with relatives, move to precarious housing, or live in constant fear of being found. This invisibility makes it harder to mobilise resources and political will. The humanitarian consequences are staggering – and largely ignored.

Hidden frontlines

What drives people in Latin America to flee? Not bombs or tanks, but the unchecked violence of organised crime.

Families flee threats of kidnapping, forced recruitment of children, and extortion schemes that drain their income. Women face gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Entire neighbourhoods fall under gang control, creating “invisible frontlines” where survival depends on compliance.

The International Committee of the Red Cross classifies these as “other situations of violence” – crises that fall outside the legal definition of armed conflict. Yet for civilians, the distinction is meaningless. The reality is brutal: stay and risk death, or flee towards an uncertain future.

Lives in limbo

Displacement is not just a physical journey, it is a descent into uncertainty. ProLAC’s survey reveals that:

• Three-quarters of displaced families go into hiding, cutting ties with their communities.
• Half restrict their movement, fearing renewed encounters with gang members.
• One-third lose their income and the ability to support themselves, plunging deeper into poverty.

Children pay the highest price. Many drop out of school to avoid recruitment or violence on the way to class. Women shoulder the burden of survival, often without access to health care or legal protection. For families like Astrid and Miguel’s, displacement is not a one-time event but a recurring nightmare.

Protection denied: legal and policy gaps

Despite the scale of the crisis, legal frameworks remain weak or non-existent. Few countries in the region have laws recognising internal displacement caused by violence. This leaves hundreds of thousands of people without access to protection, housing, or psychosocial support.

Governments often treat displacement as a temporary inconvenience rather than a structural problem. Meanwhile, humanitarian organisations struggle to fill the gap with limited resources.

This situation has worsened since January 2025, when the United States suspended funding towards aid assistance. Without legal recognition, displaced families remain invisible in official statistics – and in policy priorities.

Breaking the vicious cycle

Violence-driven displacement doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s often the result of deeper problems like inequality, weak state institutions, and limited government support.

In places where governance gaps persist, criminal groups step in, creating their own rules and power structures. On top of that, climate disasters and economic instability make life even harder for families already struggling to stay safe.

This perfect storm perpetuates a vicious cycle: violence forces families to flee, displacement deepens poverty, and poverty makes communities more vulnerable to criminal control. Breaking this cycle requires more than emergency aid – it demands systemic change.

A call to action

Latin America’s displacement crisis is not inevitable – it is a failure of protection. Governments must recognise internal displacement as a humanitarian emergency and protection crisis and adopt legal frameworks that guarantee safety, justice and reparation to victims. International donors should prioritise funding for protection services, psychosocial support, and livelihood programmes.

ProLAC partners closely follow developments in displacement, highlight protection risks, and advocate for change. But we cannot do it alone. Addressing violence-driven displacement must become a regional priority, not an afterthought.

A future worth fighting for

Astrid dreams of a day when her children can walk to school without fear. A day when home is more than a memory.

Her strength in the face of adversity speaks volumes, but no-one should have to rely on strength alone to survive. It’s time to bring Latin America’s hidden crisis into the spotlight and take action before more families are forced to flee into the shadows.

* Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identity.

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