A new IOM report published today finds that families who have been
displaced by recent sectarian violence in the volatile governorate
of Diyala, which borders Iran, and the governorate of Babylon,
south of Baghdad do not have adequate access to shelter, work,
food, water and sanitation, healthcare and other services, such as
education and legal assistance.

In Diyala, the report based on interviews carried out by IOM
staff with 3,404 displaced families, finds that 62% struggle to pay
rent for shelter because of a persistent lack of employment, 24%
have moved in with friends or relatives, 10% live in public
buildings and the remainder squat in collective towns and
settlements that frequently lack water, sanitation facilities,
waste disposal and electricity. 

It notes that an overwhelming majority of the displaced fled
because of direct threats to their lives communicated through cell
phone calls of texts, graffiti on buildings or walls in the
community or leaflets. In Diyala, as in other governorates,
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) continue to move from
religiously and ethnically mixed communities to homogenous
communities.  

The report says women in both displaced and host communities in
Diyala are particularly vulnerable, especially when they have lost
husbands and sons, as they do not have access to income-generating
opportunities since insurgents have closed many hairstyling shops
and other popular forms of employment for women.

According to the report, there has been an increase in the
number of deaths during childbirth because of a lack of adequate
delivery and postpartum care at home. Furthermore, medical clinics
are even reporting an increase in requests for abortions due to
their inability to financially support another family
member. 

Information coming from Diyala governorate also reflects a grim
situation for children, some of whom are reported to have joined
the local insurgents, either for money or for revenge for violence
perpetrated against their family members. Drug abuse among children
who have lost their parents is also reportedly on the
increase. 

According to the report, only 20% of the families interviewed
have regular access to Public Distribution System (PDS) rations and
93% access water from underground pipes, water tanks, trucks,
rivers and streams, public wells or open and broken
pipes.  

As winter sets in, the report finds that 62% of the families
have no access to fuel due to its unavailability or high cost.

 

In terms of healthcare, 83% of the IDPs in the Diyala have not been
visited by healthcare workers and 70% of displaced children have
not been vaccinated.

In the Babylon governorate, south of Baghdad, another IOM
assessment report confirms that an overwhelming majority of
displaced families have fled the capital because of direct threats
to their lives.

As in other governorates, a majority of families rent
accommodation that lack basic facilities, such as sanitation, water
and electricity.

Forty-four percent of families do not have access to PDS
rations, which is higher that in other governorates. This according
to the displaced is due to insecure transportation
routes.  

The number of Iraqis displaced by violence since the bombing in
Samarra in late February has now increased to over 255,000
individuals in the 15 central and southern governorates with 1,000
people on average being displaced daily in recent months.

IOM monitors visit IDP community leaders, local NGOs, local
government bodies, and individual IDP families to assess a number
of issues and needs, including food, healthcare, water and
sanitation, documentation, and property, and the future intentions
of the IDPs.

IOM has now compiled all 15 governorate reports to identify and
prioritize areas of operation, plan emergency responses, and design
long-term, durable solutions to recent population
displacements.

The reports are available at "paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.iom-iraq.net/idp.html" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.iom-iraq.net/idp.html.

IOM has received new funding from the Dutch government and
AusAid. However, with no sign of an end to violence or new
displacement, IOM is still requesting USD 16 million to continue
providing assistance to the displaced and host
communities. 

For more information, please contact:

Rafiq Tschannen

IOM Chief of Mission for Iraq

E-mail: "mailto:rtschannen@iom.int">rtschannen@iom.int 

Dana Graber

IDP Monitoring and Reintegration Officer for Iraq

E-mail: "mailto:dgraber@iom.int">dgraber@iom.int