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The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

The Iraqi Refugee Crisis. Prepared by Nicholas Elliott with help from Jennifer Bing-Canar. Cause of the Crisis: U.S. Led Invasion, March 2003. U.S. invasion on March 19, 2003 21 days into the war, Iraqi government falls May 1, 2003 – President George Bush declares, “Mission Accomplished.”.

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The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

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

  2. Cause of the Crisis: U.S. Led Invasion, March 2003 • U.S. invasion on March 19, 2003 • 21 days into the war, Iraqi government falls • May 1, 2003 – President George Bush declares, “Mission Accomplished.”

  3. Impacts of War and Occupation: Iraqi 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

  4. 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 age 5 • In 2009, the child malnutrition rate is 22% • 28% of Iraqi children suffer from PTSD

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. Iraqi Displacement

  8. Over 5 Million Iraqis Displaced • Estimated Total of Displaced Iraqis since 2003: over 4 million • Population of Chicago: 2.8 million • At the height of the crisis, over 3,000 Iraqis displaced per day • 83 per hour

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. Displaced Groups at Risk • Persecution of Christians in Mosul and tensions over Kirkuk represent a potential source of future refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) • 34,000 Palestinian refugees (from 1948 and 1967 Wars) now stranded along Iraq-Syria Border in camps with terrible conditions Al-Tanf refugee Camp Photo: UNHCR

  12. Why Is This Refugee Crisis Different? FIVE YEARS LATER , A HIDDEN CRISIS : Report of the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees

  13. Iraqi Refugees in Jordan

  14. 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/

  15. 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

  16. Iraqi Refugees in Syria

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. Women and Children are the Most at Risk • Percentage of Internally Displaced Iraqis who are women and children is 82% • 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

  20. “Survival Sex” in Syria-based Iraqi Refugee Communities • Since June 2007, there has been a documented sex trade of Iraqi refugee women and young girls in Syria • UNHCR calls it “Survival Sex” and sees it as directly proportional to general refugee impoverishment • Hana Ibrahim, founder of the Iraqi women's group “Women's Will” puts the figure at 50,000 women.

  21. 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

  22. Iraqi Refugees in the U.S. • U.S. increased the number of Iraqi refugees allowed to resettle in the states and actually accepted more than 12,000 in FY 2008 • At the end of December 2008, there were 18,835 Iraqi refugees resettled in the U.S. • According to the State Dept Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, the U.S. seeks to admit a minimum of 17,000 Iraqi Refugees in FY 2009 State Department Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, James Foley

  23. Process and Policy of Refugee Resettlement in U.S. • There are three ways in which an Iraqi individual can obtain resettlement in the US: • As a refugee according to the definition in the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. This must be obtained by registering with the UNHCR. • As a Special Immigration Visa Holder, which goes to those who have aided U.S. Forces. • Through the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program, which also goes to those who have aided the U.S. and their immediate family or to those who already have immediate family in the U.S. as permanent residents.

  24. Refugee Communities in the U.S.

  25. Iraqis Resettled in the U.S.

  26. 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.

  27. 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”

  28. The Way Forward?

  29. The Way Forward? “Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that America has both a moral obligation and a responsibility for security that demands we confront Iraq’s humanitarian crisis ‐‐ more than five million Iraqis are refugees or are displaced inside their own country. Obama and Biden will form an international working group to address this crisis. They will provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find sanctuary.”

  30. The Way Forward • AID • Displaced Iraqis need more assistance, and aid delivery needs to be more effective. The U.S. has the principal responsibility and should lead by example. • Return • Best solution for refugees is safe, voluntary return. With more than 40% of Middle Class outside of Iraq, this is crucial to Iraq’s future. • Resettlement • A large number of Iraqis will not return under any circumstances. The US must lead international efforts to find third countries for their settlement.

  31. 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

  32. AFSC and Iraqi Refugee Communities in the Middle East • Building the skills needed to work with ex-prisoners and victims of torture. • Helping survivors of violence and amputees recover from physical and psychological trauma through individual peer support and other ways of overcoming depression, loneliness and frustration. • Training refugees in handicraft production as a way to supplement their income AFSC is working with local organizations in Jordan and other countries to support refugees by:

  33. 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, and DirectAidIraq.org. • Tell others what you have learned.Share it with your friends, family, teachers, and community members. Only when the majority of people are aware of the issue and feel the responsibility that we have to the Iraqi people can we pressure our leaders to make it a priority. • 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 your community and they will need neighbors who understand where they are coming from and are willing to help them out. • Check with local resettlement agencies. Donated items are often needed for these agencies, but you may have some skill or talent that would also be beneficial, like tutoring, mentoring or skill sharing. • Advocate for the U.S. to admit more refugees. Write letters to the Editor, arrange visits with your representatives-find out who else is advocating for this and try to work with them. • Join our Countdown to Withdrawal campaign. You will receive monthly advocacy messages to help end the war and build the peace. www.countdowntowithdrawal.org • Support AFSC’s work in the region. Visit our website at www.afsc.org to find out how you can help.

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