Transcript Iraqi Refugee Crisis - American Friends Service Committee

The Iraqi Refugee Crisis
Prepared by Nicholas Elliott with
help from Jennifer Bing-Canar
Cause of the Crisis:
U.S. Led Invasion, March 2003
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U.S. invasion on March 19, 2003
21 days into the war, Iraqi government falls
May 1, 2003 – President George Bush
declares, “Mission Accomplished.”
Impacts of War and Occupation:
Iraqi Casualties
Iraqi Civilian Deaths
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99,500 - Iraq Body Count
151,000 - Iraqi Family
Health Survey
601,000 - Lancet Survey
1,033,000 - Opinion
Research Business
Survey
Impacts of War and Occupation:
Iraqi Youth
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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
Impacts of War and Occupation:
Iraqi Youth
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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
Psychological Impacts
of War and Occupation
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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
Iraqi Displacement
Over 5 Million Iraqis Displaced
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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
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83 per hour
Refugee Statistics
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Iraqi refugees outside Iraq
2.2 million
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Iraqis displaced inside Iraq
2.7 million
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Iraqis fleeing their homes each month
60,000
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In Jordan
450,000-500,000
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In Syria
1.2 – 1.4 million
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In Iran and other Arab Countries
333,000 – 357,000
Inside Iraq
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8 million Iraqi civilians need urgent assistance
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4 million have food insecurity
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2.7 million internally displaced
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More than half of these displaced since February 2006
Displaced Groups at Risk
Al-Tanf refugee Camp Photo: UNHCR
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Persecution of
Christians in Mosul and
tensions over Kirkuk
represent a potential
source of future
refugees and Internally
Displaced People (IDPs)
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34,000 Palestinian
refugees (from 1948
and 1967 Wars) now
stranded along IraqSyria Border in camps
with terrible conditions
Why Is This Refugee Crisis Different?
FIVE YEARS LATER , A HIDDEN CRISIS : Report of the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees
Iraqi Refugees in Jordan
Iraqi Refugees in Jordan
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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/
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
Iraqi Refugees in Syria
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
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
Women and Children
are the Most at Risk
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Percentage of Internally Displaced Iraqis who are women and
children is 82%
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More than 33% of Iraqi
refugees registered with
UNHCR have special needs,
including medical needs and
women at risk
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Thousands of Iraqi women in
neighboring states have
turned to prostitution as an
economic means to survive
“Survival Sex” in Syria-based Iraqi
Refugee Communities
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Since June 2007, there has been a
documented sex trade of Iraqi refugee
women and young girls in Syria
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UNHCR calls it “Survival Sex” and sees it as
directly proportional to general refugee
impoverishment
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Hana Ibrahim, founder of the Iraqi
women's group “Women's Will” puts the
figure at 50,000 women.
Iraqis at Risk
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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
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These Iraqis have been branded as
traitors in many contexts and have
received death threats
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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
Photo- Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News
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
Process and Policy of
Refugee Resettlement in U.S.
There are three ways in which an Iraqi individual can obtain resettlement in the
US:
1.As a refugee according to the definition in the 1951 UN Convention on
Refugees. This must be obtained by registering with the UNHCR.
2.As a Special Immigration Visa Holder, which goes to those who have aided U.S.
Forces.
3.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.
Refugee Communities in the U.S.
Iraqis Resettled in the U.S.
Rebuilding: What Will It Cost Iraq?
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Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz
estimates that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
combined will end up costing the U.S. $3 trillion.
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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.
What Will It Take to Rebuild Iraq?
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An estimated 40%
of the Iraqi
middle class has
left.
More than 300,00
school-aged
children displaced
“Brain drain”
A group of Iraqi women listens to a social worker
from Catholic Relief Services
Source: CRS
The Way Forward?
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.”
The Way Forward
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AID
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Return
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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.
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
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A large number of Iraqis will not return under any circumstances.
The US must lead international efforts to find third countries for
their settlement.
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:
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Provide substantial long-term and transparent funding for
humanitarian relief, reparations, and Iraqi-led reconstruction
efforts
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Provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees and increase
its impact
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Lead resettlement of Iraqi refugees
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Appoint a White House coordinator for Iraqi refugees
AFSC and Iraqi Refugee Communities
in the Middle East
AFSC is working with local organizations in Jordan and other countries to
support refugees by:
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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
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.