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Iraqi Refugee Crisis

Iraqi Refugee Crisis. Prepared by Nicholas Elliott with help from Jennifer Bing-Canar. What’s a refugee?. According to the United Nations, a refugee is a person who.

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Iraqi Refugee Crisis

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  1. Iraqi Refugee Crisis Prepared by Nicholas Elliott with help from Jennifer Bing-Canar

  2. What’s a refugee? According to the United Nations, a refugee is a person who Has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion Is outside their home country Is unable to get protection in their home country

  3. Why are so many Iraqis refugees? • Saddam Hussein • First Gulf War • Sanctions • Second U.S. invasion 2003 - present • 21 days into the war, Iraqi government falls • May 1, 2003 – President George Bush declares, “Mission Accomplished” • The Iraq War continues today

  4. Impacts of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq: Casualties Iraqi Civilian Deaths • 99,500 - Iraq Body Count • 151,000 - Iraqi Family Health Survey • 601,000 - Lancet Survey • 1,033,000 - Opinion Research Business Survey

  5. Impacts of War and Occupation: Iraqi Youth • From 1990 to 2005, infant mortality rates increased 150% • In 2005 alone, 122,000 Iraqi children died before reaching 5. • By 2009, child malnutrition stands at 22%. • 28% of Iraqi children suffer some degree of PTSD.

  6. Impacts of War and Occupation:Iraqi Youth • 2003-2007 school attendance is only 30% in Iraq. • Youth are joining militias and becoming child soldiers. • 500 Iraqi youth are in prison without charge

  7. Psychological Impactsof War and Occupation • 80% witnessed a shooting • 68% interrogated or harassed by militias • 77% affected by shelling/rocket attacks • 72% witnessed a car bombing • 23% of Iraqis in Baghdad have had a family member kidnapped • 75% had a family member or someone close to them murdered • 80,000 Iraqis need artificial limbs Source: AFSC and AFSC Staff Report Jordan/UNHCR

  8. Iraqi Displacement

  9. Over 5 Million Iraqis Displaced • Estimated Total of Displaced Iraqis since 2003: 5.4 million • Population of Chicago: 2.8 million • At the height of the crisis, over 3,000 Iraqis displaced per day • 83 per hour

  10. Refugee Statistics • Iraqi refugees outside Iraq 2.2 million • Iraqis displaced inside Iraq 2.7 million • Iraqis fleeing their homes each month 60,000 • In Jordan 450,000-500,000 • In Syria 1.2 – 1.4 million • In Iran and other Arab Countries 333,000 – 357,000

  11. Inside Iraq • 8 million Iraqi civilians need urgent assistance • 4 million have food insecurity • 2.7 million internally displaced • More than half of these displaced since February 2006

  12. Iraqi Refugees in Jordan

  13. Iraqi Refugees in Jordan • Refugees have no legal status in Jordan • Those who can deposit $50,000 U.S. are able to obtain an annual residency pass • Jordan condemned for recognizing Iraqis simply as visitors, not extending the same rights as refugees Source: http://halfpalestinian.wordpress.com/

  14. Iraqi Refugees in Jordan An Iraqi street vendor sells her wares in Amman, Jordan, July 2005. Photo: Jon Elmer 2005 A large segment of the Iraqi Chaldean Christian population has fled to neighboring Jordan Photo: www.ankawa.com Iraqi refugee kids set off for school in Zarqa, Jordan Photo: IRC

  15. Iraqi Refugees in Syria

  16. Iraqi Refugees in Syria • 1.5 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria; most fled the extreme sectarian violence sparked by the bombing of the Mosque of Samarra in 2006 • 700,000 fled to Syria in 2006 alone • October 2007 the Syrian government imposed strict visa requirements for refugees • Until May 2008, only a handful of international NGOs were allowed to work in Syria In Damascus, a UNHCR staff member talks with an Iraqi refugee family in the 1-room apartment shared between 13 family members Photo: UNHCR/M.Bernard

  17. Iraqi Refugees in Syria Iraqi refugees sell bread at a market in Damascus A blind Iraqi man sells shoes in Damascus Iraqi refugees in Syria wait their turn to be processed by UNHCR

  18. Women and Children are the Most at Risk • More than 33% of Iraqi refugees registered with UNHCR have special needs, including medical needs and women at risk • Thousands of Iraqi women in neighboring states have turned to prostitution as an economic means to survive • Percentage of Internally Displaced Iraqis who are women and children is 82%

  19. Iraqis at Risk Photo- Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News • According to some organizations, most prominently The List Project: • The US has a pressing moral onus to resettle the several hundred thousand Iraqis and their families who assisted the US in military and non-military efforts • These Iraqis have been branded as traitors in many contexts and have received death threats • This community, like many other vulnerable refugee groups, is still at risk and should be resettled. Yet, considering they represent at most 5% of total refugee population this is only a start

  20. Rebuilding: What Will It Cost Iraq? • Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined will end up costing the U.S. $3 trillion. • Yet we must also ask what the cost of the wars will be for the citizens of the countries where these wars are being waged.

  21. What Will It Take to Rebuild Iraq? A group of Iraqi women listens to a social worker from Catholic Relief Services Source: CRS An estimated 40% of the Iraqi middle class has left. More than 300,00 school-aged children displaced “Brain drain”

  22. The Way Forward?

  23. The Way Forward Depends on the Fate of Iraqi Refugees The U.S. has a binding moral and legal responsibility to all Iraqis. Specifically, the U.S. should: • Provide substantial long-term and transparent funding for humanitarian relief, reparations, and Iraqi-led reconstruction efforts • Provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees and increase its impact • Lead resettlement of Iraqi refugees • Appoint a White House coordinator for Iraqi refugees

  24. 2008 and 2009 have seen an increase in Iraqi resettlement in the US – 12,000 in 2008 and 17,000 in 2009

  25. What Can You Do? • Be aware of the situation. Check in for the latest news at alternative news sources such as democracynow.org, commondreams.org, alternet.org, directaidiraq.org, and afsc.org. • Tell others what you have learned. Share it with your friends, family, teachers, and community members. • Extend the hand of friendship. Iraqi refugees are often the target of hatred because they, too, need a share of the limited resources of the communities they are resettling in. Chances are, the Iraqi population will grow in Chicago and they will need neighbors who understand where they are coming from and are willing to help them out. • Volunteer at local resettlement agencies. Iraqi refugees have little to their names and need basic necessities like food, clothing, and household items. School age children often need tutoring. Check with the local resettlement agencies like Heartland Alliance, Interfaith Refugee Services, and Catholic Charities. • Keep in touch with AFSC! We have lots of resources you can use to advocate for Iraqi refugees in your community.

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