Families Displaced Within Iraq’s Disputed Internal Boundaries Face Additional Obstacles
More likely to live in public buildings and tents than those
displaced to other areas of Iraq, families displaced within
Iraq’s disputed territories struggle to gain long-term
stability, says IOM.
IOM’s latest Iraq displacement report, based on in-depth
assessments of over 31,300 families displaced within the disputed
internal boundaries (DIBs), reveals how their needs sometimes
differ from those of families elsewhere in Iraq.
Although the 2005 Iraqi constitution recognizes the Kurdish
Regional Government’s (KRG) authority over Dahuk, Erbil and
Sulaymaniyah, the status of Kirkuk and 11 districts in Diyala,
Erbil, Ninewa and Salah al-Din remain contested.
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Assessments for the IOM report were carried out in areas
considered as disputed internal boundaries in a recent UN
report.
Key findings in the report include data which show that
internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the DIBs are seven
times more likely to have been displaced due to armed violence than
other displaced Iraqis, twice as likely as other internally
displaced to cite direct threats to life and generalized violence
as their reasons for leaving their homes and have low levels of
personal security.
Exacerbating their precarious situation, these families are less
likely to live in rented homes (42 per cent) than the nationwide
average (71 per cent). Since many of the IDPs in DIBS are also
staying in public buildings and tents on public land, the threat of
eviction not only makes secondary displacement more likely, it also
adversely affects their feelings of personal security and their
long-term ability to establish themselves in their new
locations.
The report also presents data on the location, demographic
composition and needs of the 978 IOM-assessed families who have
returned to their homes or neighbourhoods in the DIBs. For 73 per
cent of these returnee families, access to health care is a
priority need and 1 in 10 of these, IOM monitors record a family
member with a chronic illness.
Legal help is also a concern for 69 per cent of the interviewed
returnee families, many of whom have been involved in property
disputes. These property disputes are widespread in the DIBs, in
part due to the years of forced migration policies under the former
regime. As a result, many families still claim ownership over
property they lost in the past, which is now often home to new
families.
Meanwhile, IOM monitors are also reporting a large wave of
Christian displacement since the bombing of the Saidat al-Najat
church in Baghdad on 31 October. Much of this displacement is
occurring around Mosul and areas within the disputed internal
boundaries, emphasizing the persistent volatility of this complex
region. Key findings regarding this and other displacement trends
affecting the disputed internal boundaries can be seen at
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.iomiraq.net" target=
"_blank" title="">www.iomiraq.net
To access the full report on the Disputed Internal Boundaries,
please visit:
"http://www.iomiraq.net/iomsfreports.html" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.iomiraq.net/iomsfreports.html
For further information, please contact:
Keegan de Lancie
IOM Iraq
E-mail:
"mailto:kdelancie@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">kdelancie@iom.int