Report

Unmet needs of Iraq's children in informal settlements

Published 06. Sep 2022
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While large-scale military operations to combat the Islamic State (IS) group ceased in 2017, 1.18 million people remain internally displaced in Iraq in 2022. The estimated 200,000 displaced households continue to face significant barriers to returning to their areas of origin and achieving durable solutions, especially in the midst of internally displaced person (IDP) camp closures over the last several years.

Tens of thousands of IDP families have consequently been secondarily displaced, meaning that they have been voluntarily or forcibly displaced from their current location of displacement to another location. As a result, an estimated 103,000 secondarily displaced individuals dwell in informal settlements, or sites that host five or more displaced households living in sub-standard conditions that were not constructed to accommodate people.

In early 2022, 615 household surveys and 38 key informant interviews (KIIs) were undertaken to understand the unmet needs of secondarily displaced children in informal settlements in Iraq. Children and their caregivers, teachers, community members, and government officials were surveyed and interviewed throughout Anbar, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah ad-Din governorates to assess key vulnerabilities related to the education, protection, and wellbeing of secondarily displaced children.

Read the report to learn more.