Ensuring Iraqi Refugee's Return

In yesterday’s post Iraq’s Forgotten Refugee Children, the need to ensure that those displaced by the Iraq war are adequately meet.  Humanitarian aid is with out a doubt needed, as are other infrastructures to ensure that some symbolance of normality and daily life is given to refugee families.  Adequate, food, shelter and sanitation are still lacking and families can not longer continue to live in such dire circumstances.  Children are most often left with no formal or even informal education, and illiteracy rates among refugees are only climbing.  The current state of refugees is leaving one with little hope for the future…little hope at a return.

For minority groups such as Christians, who are estimated to make up less than 3 percent of Iraq’s current population today,  and it is believed that over 300,000 of  the some 800,000 Christians have fled the country since 2003.  While Baghdad has issued statements of peace, few find return a possibility, as auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of the Patriarchate of Babyloblames, in southern Baghdad, stated that emigration to European countries, hinders progress as focus must be placed on improving conditions and treatment for them in Iraq.

“Instead of searching for jobs for them and helping to bring peace, to bring reconciliation to the country, they accept the immigration. This is bad!” (CS Monitor).

Christians are not the only minority population in Iraq looking at emigration as their only option.  The fate of return, and state,  is of grave concern most especially for the stateless Palestinians of Iraq, a return seems highly improbable and many will most likely need to be relocated yet again to a second or third country for permanent placement.  Therefore special considerations and programs must be developed to ensure that these Iraqi refugees are given residency and assistance in a country in which they will be allowed to grow and thrive, and that a state of limbo or statelessness is prevented.

It is estimated that some 34,000 stateless Palestinians have been living in Iraq since 2003, of which their persecution from the Iraqi government, and other armed factions, has persisted since the beginning of U.S. military operations in the country.  The remaining estimated 14,000 Palestinians in Iraq and in camps along the Iraqi-Syrian border, continue to face a precarious existence, despite a slowly improving security situation, say observers (IRIN).  Over 3,000 stateless Palestinians remain on the Syrian-Iraqi border, with little humanitarian aid and access to basic services, lost in a true ‘no mans land’, as Syria refuses entry into the state and resettlement is far and fair between.   This failure to act by resettlement countries such as the U.S., recently  led the UNHCR to sign a tripartite agreement with the PLO and the Government of Sudan, calling for the relocation of Palestinian refugees to Khartoum.

“While the U.S. resettled nearly 14,000 Iraqi refugees in 2008, only 3,000 refugees have been allowed in for the first few months of the 2009 fiscal year,” Younes added. “Many Iraqis can never return home, but a stable Iraq will only occur when displaced Iraqis find solutions to their plight. The U.S. and its allies must continue to increase the number of Iraqis resettled, and should start with this group of Palestinians.” (Refugees International)

While emigration is often unavoidable in situations of persecution, it is not a sustainable solution for peace and development.  In fact seeing emigration of an entire minority results in an essential genocide, as it removes the population from the country, and does little to face the realities of ethnic persecution.  All states must look for viable options in the home country when necessary, as the only way forward for peace and ethnic unity is to find a prosperous and stable Iraqi state.

While sustainable internal relocation programs are being developed, an increase in humanitarian aid must be ensured in all of the refugee camps, both internally and externally, to ensure that both adequate shelter and nutrition are received, as well as to see that a system of education is put into place for both children and adults.  Should the Iraqi government and the international community to fail on such matters, the return of refugees will thus more than likely become hindered as they will have more health issues, difficulty in finding employment, and children will lag behind their non-displaced counter parts in school, only fueling instability.

For more information on the refugee situation and policy reconmendations see, Iraq: Preventing the Point of No Return, published by Refugee’s International.