Refugee Stories
Mirah, Age 27
In 2003, Mirah was attending university in southern Iraq, pursuing a degree in English. After the war began, she saw an opportunity to begin working for women's rights. Mirah organized other individuals at her school and worked with the Coalition Provisional Authority to discuss and promote issues facing women in Iraq. Less than a year had passed before her mentor was gunned down and her office was attacked by the Mahdi Army. Faced with several death threats, she fled to Jordan where she is currently a refugee. She has tried to get work, but without any legal status, she could be deported at any time.
| "Millions of Iraqis now face widespread suffering and deprivation. In many areas, social services are failing and rule of law is absent. Fear prevents families from accessing services and professionals from providing them--stifling Iraq's significant capacity as a nation. Conflict and criminality have killed an estimated 151,000 civilians, created tends of thousands of widows and orphans, cut 60% of the population off from at least one essential social service, forced 1.2 million people to flee their homes since 2006 and left more than 4 million Iraqis food-insecure." UNOCHA, 2008 Consolidated Appeals Process for Iraq |
As a translator working for the Coalition forces, Ali was a constant target for kidnappings and worried that a member of his family might be attacked. His wife, eight-year-old son, and four-year-old daughter fled Iraq for Amman, Jordan. Although they arrived safely in the country, they have no legal status and Ali has been unable to get work. They are currently living on savings, hoping that an application for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to the United States will be approved. After seven months of waiting, there seems to be no end in sight. Fearful of reprisal from their new host community, Ali has never spoken of his ties with the United States, and is concerned his children may face harassment in school.
Living in Baghdad, Ibrahim and Adra were happy newlyweds in 2003. However when the sectarian violence began infiltrating their neighborhood, they feared the worse. Several of Ibrahim's friends were killed for their political affiliations and promoting negotiation. When they discovered that their Sunni family was on a hit list, the couple--along with their one-year-old daughter-- fled to Jordan. Since then, both Adra's father and brother have been murdered. Ibrahim has been suffering from asthma, but is unable to afford medication since he cannot get a job without legal status.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees "does not believe that the time has come to promote, organize or encourage returns. This would be possible only when proper return conditions are in place – including material and legal support and physical safety. Presently, there is no sign of any large-scale return to Iraq as the security situation in many parts of the country remains volatile and unpredictable." |
