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Iraqi refugees in the Middle East. Syria, Jordan and Lebanon April 2008. Situation in Iraq. Population: 25 mill. Religion: 97% Islam and 3% other (mainly Christians and Jews). Islam: 60% Shiite, 20% Sunni Arabs and 20% Sunni Kurds (in the North). Baghdad 60% Shiite - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Iraqi refugees in the Middle East
Syria, Jordan and Lebanon
April 2008
Situation in Iraq
• Population: 25 mill. • Religion: 97% Islam
and 3% other (mainly Christians and Jews).
• Islam: 60% Shiite, 20% Sunni Arabs and 20% Sunni Kurds (in the North).
Baghdad
60% Shiite
40% Sunni Arabs.
Development March 2003- April 2008
• March 2003: Start of the second Gulf war.
• May 2003: Pres. Bush “Mission accomplished”.
• August 2003: UN headquarter bombed, withdrawal.
• December 2003: Saddam captured
• 2003-2005:
– Some initial optimism after the fall of Saddam lead to the return of 300.000 Iraqis.
– But also widespread sectarian violence, guerilla warfare, suicide attacks, chaos, looting.
• February 2006: The bombing of the Golden Shiite mosque in Samarra lead to a sharp upturn in sectarian violence.
Refugees inside Iraq
• 2.7 mill internally displaced (IDPs)– 2003-2006: 1.2 mill.– 2006-2007: 1.5 mill.
• 2008: Displacement continues in a lower pace.
• Mainly from Baghdad (69%) and Diyala (18%)
• Mainly (82%) women and children
• Mainly (85%) displaced in the Southern or Central Iraq.
• In neighborhood or district controlled by their sect.
• Many IDPs live in rented houses/apartments (59%), collective settlements (22%), with host family (18%), or in tents (1%).
• More than 1 mill is in need of adequate shelter and food.
• Around 300.000 have no access to clean water.
• In 2007 UNHCR distributed 140.000 blankets, 50.000 mattresses, 20.000 stoves, 15.000 lanterns, 14.000 plastic sheets, 6.000 tents etc.
• 2 international staff + 20 national staff in 7 locations provide basic assistance.
Refugees outside Iraq
• 2.2 mill refugees in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, and Iran.
• Syria (1.5 mill) and Jordan (500.000) carry most of the burden.
• Many Sunni Arabs and ethnic minorities
• Western countries receive a small portion.
Refugees: basic needs?
• Non-refoulement
• Physical safety
• Residence and work permit
• Legal protection (detention etc)
• House, food and water
• Social assistance (incl. school)
• Health services
Permanent solutions
• Repatriation (to home country)?
» Voluntary repatriation: Some return (about 800-900 pr day)
» Economic reasons, check or sell property (“Go and see” visits)
» Follow up with family members
» To be released from detention in Lebanon or other countries
» No minority return
• Local integration (in host country)?
• Resettlement (in a third country)?
Protection “climate” in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon
• Human rights record in the Middle east.
• Syria, Jordan and Lebanon not ratified 1951 Refugee convention (144 states signed)
• No asylum system
• Illegal or “tolerated” stay
• Few local NGOs dealing with human rights (mainly humanitarian assistance).
• Political tension and instability (Lebanon)
• Local population, rising prices (Syria).
The Role of UNHCR
• Protection and assistance to refugees
• Policy of non-return (prima facie refugee status) for all Iraqis from Central and Southern Iraq
• Registration • Important first step: to be of concern to UNHCR• Interview, collect personal information, assess specific needs and
further action.
• Refugee Status Determination • Interview, written assessment, criteria for refugee status in art. 1 A of the
1951 Refugee Convention.
• Resettlement: Who do we look for?
Resettlement
Traditional criteria:
- Vulnerable groups (Women-at-risk, children-at-risk, elderly, medical needs, victims of torture)
- Legal and Physical Protection needs (risk of detention, refoulement)
• UNHCR refer 20.000 Iraqi refugees pr year, mainly to US, Canada, UK, Australia, Den/Swe/Nor.
• In 2008: 25.000
• So far in 2008: 5000 Iraqis have been submitted and 1.150 have departed.
Monthly Referrals Iraqis & Departures to US
1952
982
3110
1867
1206
972
1369
15831435
980 998
2879
19 1 163 57
529
889
450362
245375
444
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Feb/Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
2007 - 2008
No
# Ir
aqis
UNHCR Referrals to US Departures to US
Cumulative Referrals & Departures to US
19522934
6044
7911
911710089
11458
13041
1447615456
16454
19333
19 20 21 84 141670
15592009 2371 2616 2991
3,435
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
Feb/Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
2007 - 2008
No
# Ir
aqis
UNHCR Referrals to US Departures to US (IOM)
• Legal protection
• Challenge detention or deportation orders in court.
• Social assistance
• Community centers• Outreach – mobile teams• Social counseling• Home visits• Public and private school enrollment for children• Private school fees, books, uniforms etc.• Vocational training
• Medical assistance
Mixed refugee population
• Urban refugee population (live in Damascus, Amman, Beirut or other cities)
• Vulnerable groups (women, children, elderly)
• Excludable groups (criminals)
• Different needs and rights
• Dealing with expectations from refugees?
.
Syria
• Population: 19 mill.
• 90% Muslim and 10% Christian
• Muslim: 74% Sunni and 16% other Muslim sects (Alawis and Druze)
• Syria is a republic under the secular and authoritarian regime of President Bashar al-Asad.
• 1.5 mill refugees
• 30.000-60.000 each month in 2006-2007
• 165.000 registered with UNHCR
• Average 2.500 refugees registered pr. week.
• 2 months waiting period for registration (urgent cases 1 week)
• Growing numbers, because of increased support from UNHCR.
• Also growing numbers outside Damascus. (Aleppo and Homs).
• 53% Sunni, 22% Shiite and 17% Christian
• Male 52%/Female 48%
• Female principle applicant 22%
• 33% of refugees self-supported for 3 months or less.
• 20% of refugees depend on support from family abroad
• UNHCR: 4.000 ATM cards to the most vulnerable families (18.000 persons) with 100-200 USD pr month. First interviewed by Community Service staff. Will cost 1.5 mill pr. month.
• 1 mill USD distributed to vulnerable women.
• 60.000 refugees received food assistance in Damascus from UNCHR and WFP.
Package: Sugar, wheat, macaroni, tomato paste, black tea and cooking oil.
• UNHCR will also distribute non-food items: mattresses, blankets and bed-sheets. Planned for 150.000.
Iraqi refugees in Damascus
Health situation
• 20% serious medial condition
• Survey December 2007:
– 89% depressed and 82% anxious, – all experienced at least one traumatic event (witnessed shooting, affected by shelling or
rocket attacks, or harassment by militia. – 75% knew someone close who had been killed.
• 16% tortured (mainly by militia), 61% beaten with fists or objects.
• In 2007, UNHCR supported 200.000 health interventions (compared to only 15.000 in 2006)
• UNHCR supported 7 clinics for Iraqi refugees in Damascus and 4 in other parts of Syria – Red Cross and Red Crescent.
• UNHCR provided treatment for 500 cancer patients (one hospital, cost 1 mill USD, surgery for 150 refugees).
Children
• Child at risk 5%
• 40% drop-out among school children
• 10% of children are working.
• UNHCR funded rehabilitation of 100 schools/educational facilities, provide textbooks and uniforms to Iraqi schoolchildren.
• UNHCR supports access to higher education for 300 Iraqi students through scholarship.
• In 2008, UNHCR supports the building of 8 new schools and construction of one floor in a new hospital in Damascus, and expanded capacity in other hospitals.
• Syria allows Iraqi children: 50.000 enrolled by February 2008.
Women
• 5% Woman at risk
• 400 Sexual and Gender based violence (SGBV) cases identified since February 2007.
• Prostitution in Damascus
• UNHCR support 50 Iraqi women in prison and girls (12-17 years old) in Juvenile centers, mainly because of prostitution.
• UNHCR support safe houses in Damascus. In February 2008 a large new safe house opened to accommodate 120 women.
Palestinian refugeesin “No mans land”
• Palestinians fled from Palestine to Iraq in 1948, supported by Saddam Hussein to provoke Israel.
• After his fall there were 35.000 Palestinians
in Iraq. They where perceived to be supporting Saddam and harassed by militia. Today, only 15.000 left.
• 2.700 Palestinian refugees from Iraq
stranded in two camps (Al Waleed and Al Tanf) on the Iraqi side of the border to Syria (“No mans land”)
• Fear of persecution in Baghdad.
• Syria has restricted visa requirements for Palestinians.
• Dessert, high temperatures (60 degrees in the summer) and sandstorms
• Hard conditions, no proper water or sanitation, scorpions and snakes.
• Armed local men demanded part of supplies, threatened international agencies and blocked aid.
• Worried about health situation.12 refugees died in last 14 months.
• 400 km to nearest proper health facility in Iraq. No ambulance, only taxi.
• UNHCR (through implementing partners) provide daily food rations, non-food items and power supply, school (340 students), health care services and medical evacuation, Red Cross provide water and sanitation.
• Resettlement: In 2006, Canada accepted 64 persons. In 2007, Brazil received 107. In 2008, Chile will receive 117 persons. Sudan has offered to take 2000 persons.
Jordan
• Population: 6 mill.
• 93% Sunni Muslims and 6% Christians.
• Constitutional monarchy ruled by King Abdullah Hussein and supported by US and EU.
• 500.000 Iraqi refugees
• Stricter visa-requirements in February 2008. Apply in Iraq, not on the border.
• 52.000 Registered with UNHCR
• 3 days registration waiting period
• Sunni 68%, Shiite 17% and Christians 12%
• Male 55% and Female 45%
• Urban refugee population: Come from Baghdad and live in Amman.
• 40% receive financial support from Iraq
• 22% employed
• 20% female headed households and often among the poorest.
• UNHCR: 2000 families food monthly and 150 persons hot meal daily.
• UNHCR: 7.700 persons received financial assistance in 2007.
• Woman at risk 7%
• Child at risk 5%
• 15% serious health problems
• UNHCR: 40.000 health interventions in 2007.
• 95% said they wished to return if security improved.
• Only 20% concrete plans to emigrate to third country.
• Mainly poor refugees want to emigrate
• Refugees with high level of resources (economically and education) want to return.
Lebanon
• Population: 3.8 mill
• 35% Shiite, 25% Sunni, 25% Christian Maronites
• Lebanon is a parliamentary republic in which the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the leader of the Parliament is a Shiite Muslim.
• Political instability, division between ethnic and religious groups, fear of civil war.
• 50.000 Iraqi refugees
• 10.000 Registered with UNHCR• Registration waiting period: 4-5 days.
• Shiite 57%, Sunni 30% and Christians 12%• Shiite live in Shiite areas, Sunni in Sunni areas and Christians in Christian areas.
• Male 70% and Female 30%• 6% female principle applicant • Women at risk 1.5%• Child at risk 2.5%
• 10% important health problems• UNHCR supported 2.800 health interventions and 2.900 psychological intervention• UNHCR opened a new rehabilitation center for victims of torture and violence in Dec 2007.
• More than 50% never feel safe in Lebanon. • 580 in detention because of illegal entry or stay (or overstayed their visa) and 50% detained
beyond the period of their original sentence. • Detention: will be released if return “voluntary” to Iraq. • Major break through in February 2008: Recognize Iraqi refugees. Release from detention.
Residence and work permit.
Conclusions
• Flee from violence (traumatic events). Want to return if safe.
• Neighboring countries carry most of the burden.
• Seek their ethnic group in country of asylum
• Women & children left behind. Single men move on (Lebanon).
• Mixed refugee population – different background, different needs, different status.
• Targeted response (Syria: ATM cards to urban refugee population)
• Deal with expectations from refugees (assistance and resettlement).
• Local integration and repatriation. Resettlement only for a small minority.
• Difficult protection “climate” (restricted access, human rights violations, detention)
• Realistic approach
• Need to work with local governments and local population – protection principles vs. protection space?
• Resources and donor support • Resettlement countries.
• Work for UNHCR
• the need for young, motivated staff• Work is demanding, but also gratifying!