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</div> </form> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="content" class="span-13 append-1"> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13625"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/07/05/international-committee-of-the-red-cross-iraq-activities-update/#comments" title="Comment on International Committee Of The Red Cross: Iraq Activities Update">1 Comment</a></span> Posted on July 5th, 2011 by Burhan Aydin</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/07/05/international-committee-of-the-red-cross-iraq-activities-update/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to International Committee Of The Red Cross: Iraq Activities Update">International Committee Of The Red Cross: Iraq Activities Update</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-ghraib/" rel="tag">Abu Ghraib</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-rashad/" rel="tag">al Rashad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-khadra/" rel="tag">al-Khadra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-qosh/" rel="tag">al-Qosh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" rel="tag">Anbar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/armed-conflict/" rel="tag">armed conflict</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/babil/" rel="tag">babil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bala/" rel="tag">Bala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/balad/" rel="tag">Balad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detainees/" rel="tag">detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detention-facilities/" rel="tag">detention facilities</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rice/" rel="tag">rice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah-al-din/" rel="tag">Salah al-Din</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation/" rel="tag">sanitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/shirqat/" rel="tag">Shirqat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/statistics/" rel="tag">statistics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wasit/" rel="tag">Wasit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-purification/" rel="tag">water purification</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment/" rel="tag">water treatment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zaidan/" rel="tag">Zaidan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zubair/" rel="tag">Zubair</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="text-align: left; unicode-bidi: bidi-override; direction: ltr"> <p>Three decades of conflict have left hundreds of thousands of families struggling to find out what happened to their missing loved ones. Abandoning the search is not an option. Since 1980, the ICRC has spared no effort to put an end to their anguish. Operational update, March-May 2011. </p> <p>"Iraq is currently one of the countries with the highest number of missing persons and, as a result, with the highest number of families seeking information on their missing relatives," said ‘Dika Dulic’, the ICRC delegate in charge of issues relating to missing persons in Iraq. A lack of clear statistics, however, makes it difficult to accurately establish the true size of the problem.</p> <div style="border-bottom: black 1px solid; border-left: black 1px solid; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; padding-left: 5px; width: 48%; padding-right: 5px; float: right; border-top: black 1px solid; border-right: black 1px solid; padding-top: 5px"> <h3>How do I report my relative as a missing person?</h3> <p>The Ministry of Human Rights is responsible for collecting information about any person reported missing in connection with armed conflict or internal violence. The ministry has offices in each Iraqi governorate. In northern Iraq, the Ministry of Anfal is in charge of this issue.</p> <p>The Department for missing persons, prisoners of war and human remains has two hotline numbers: <br/>+964 781 375 7020 <br/>+964 781 375 7021 <br/>and can also be contacted by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/mailto:d.mom-mhr@humanrights.gov.iq">e-mail</a></p> <p>Information provided by Basra’s Al-Zubair Centre on soldiers exhumed or otherwise known to be dead can be found on the Ministry of Human Rights website: <br/><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.humanrights.gov.iq /">www.humanrights.gov.iq</a>  You can also contact Al Zubair Centre directly.</p> <p>If you believe that one of your relatives has been killed, you can contact Baghdad’s Medico-Legal Institute by telephone: <br/>+964 78 137 57 655 or by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/mailto:mli_bag41@yahoo.com">e-mail</a></p> <p>In an effort to alleviate the agony of those still waiting for news, the ICRC, in its role as a neutral intermediary, facilitates dialogue between the parties involved in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War and in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, who have an obligation under international humanitarian law to account for those who went missing.Baghdad resident Hayat has led a sad life since her husband disappeared on 8 April 2003. "I lost hope," she said. "In the past nine years I have searched every prison. I ended up convincing myself that my husband Abdallah must have died."</p> <p>In an effort to alleviate the agony of those still waiting for news, the ICRC, in its role as a neutral intermediary, facilitates dialogue between the parties involved in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War and in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, who have an obligation under international humanitarian law to account for those who went missing.</p> </p></div> <p>Baghdad resident Hayat has led a sad life since her husband disappeared on 8 April 2003. "I lost hope," she said. "In the past nine years I have searched every prison. I ended up convincing myself that my husband Abdallah must have died."</p> <p>In April, the remains of 17 Iranian soldiers killed in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War were handed over from the Iraqi to the Iranian authorities under ICRC auspices at the Shalamja border crossing, near Basra.</p> <p>As a neutral intermediary, the ICRC facilitates the dialogue between the parties who were involved in the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf war and who carry the responsibility to clarify the fate of persons still unaccounted for. This includes: <br/>supporting authorities in the collection of information <br/>facilitating transmission of information between the parties chairing meetings <br/>facilitating joint missions in the field and the handover of human remains</p> <p>The ICRC continues to provide training and other support for the Ministry of Human Rights, Basra’s Al-Zubair Centre of Iraq and Baghdad’s Medical-Legal Institute.</p> <h4>Bringing aid to people facing hardship</h4> <p>Many people in Iraq are still struggling to earn a living and support their families. Between March and May, the ICRC:</p> <p>Distributed over 8 million Iraqi Dinars through cash-for-work scheme, to 450 vulnerable displaced people and residents of Deralok in Dohuk governorate; <br/>Awarded 108 grants to disabled people and women-headed households in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Basra, Missan, Erbil, Baghdad and Sulaimaniya, enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. <br/>Distributed individual food and hygiene parcels, including essential household items, to 2475 internally displaced households, benefiting some 14850 people, in the group settlements of Ninawa, Kirkuk and Wasit;</p> <p>Following heavy rainfalls and consequential flooding in Ninawa, Erbil and Salah Al-Din governorates in April, the ICRC assisted affected/displaced households, distributing: 4984 blankets, 634 towels, 1340 hygiene parcels, 1315 tarpaulins, 317 kitchen sets, <br/>763 food parcels, and 11.1 metric tons of rice. The ICRC assistance also reached families affected by the floods in Rabea and Baaj districts.</p> <h4>Assisting health-care facilities</h4> </p></div> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/07/05/international-committee-of-the-red-cross-iraq-activities-update/#more-13625" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12918"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/01/iraq-women-struggle-to-make-ends-meet/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 1st, 2011 by Harith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/01/iraq-women-struggle-to-make-ends-meet/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet">Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-ghraib/" rel="tag">Abu Ghraib</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detainees/" rel="tag">detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detention-facilities/" rel="tag">detention facilities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/disabled-people/" rel="tag">disabled people</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/divorce/" rel="tag">divorce</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diwaniya/" rel="tag">Diwaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dohuk/" rel="tag">Dohuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/education/" rel="tag">Education</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-parcels/" rel="tag">Food parcels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gulf-war/" rel="tag">Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-storage/" rel="tag">Water storage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment/" rel="tag">water treatment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment-plants/" rel="tag">water treatment plants</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-poverty-of/" rel="tag">women - poverty of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-war/" rel="tag">women and war</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/womens-rights/" rel="tag">Women's Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Iraqi women have repeatedly been victims of armed conflict in recent decades. Today, as their dependence on a crumbling social structure grows, many find themselves struggling to make ends meet. The ICRC is helping them get back on their feet.</p> <p>A great many women in Iraq are facing challenges in the task of caring for their families, earning income and taking part in community and professional life. Since widespread violence erupted in 2003, they have been increasingly caught in the crossfire, killed, wounded or driven from their homes. As their menfolk have been killed or taken away in large numbers, the entire burden of running the household has been suddenly thrust upon them.</p> <p>"Regardless of the circumstance of loss, the mere fact that there is no traditional breadwinner directly affects the family’s financial situation," said Caroline Douilliez, head of the ICRC’s Women and War programme in Iraq. "The ICRC’s observations across Iraq have led us to the distressing conclusion that the lack of regular and sufficient income over the years has cast a huge number of families into severe poverty."</p> <div style="border-right: black 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: black 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: black 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: black 1px solid"> <p>30-03-2011 Operational Update </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/2011/iraq-update-01-02-2011-icrc-eng.pdf" target="_blank" class="external"><strong>Download full document: "Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet"</strong></a> PDF 368 KB </li> </ul></div> <p>According to ICRC estimates, between one and two million households in Iraq today are headed by women. This figure includes women whose husbands are either dead, missing (some since as far back as 1980) or detained. Divorced women are also taken into account. All these women were wives at one time, and today remain mothers to their children and daughters to their parents, and sometimes ultimately breadwinners and caregivers for all these people. Without a male relative, they lack economic, physical and social protection and support. Often they struggle with harrowing memories of the circumstance of death or disappearance of their husband. Displaced women face the added challenge of coping with the loss of a home that they had to leave because of threats to their safety, or for lack of income.</p> <p>"With no job opportunities, with no help from relatives themselves too poor to provide it, and with no assistance from the State social-security system, these women’s daily struggle revolves around putting food on the table and paying for shelter, schooling and medical care," said Ms Douilliez. "Sometimes their only option is to take their young boys out of school and send them out to earn a few dinars for the family. As a result, future generations pay the price of today’s difficult times. Without a proper education, today’s youth will not be equipped to face their own challenges once they have families of their own."</p> <p>In response to this emergency, the ICRC has launched programmes aimed specifically to assist women heading households alone. Since 2008, the organization has focused on finding ways to help women attain self-sufficiency.</p> <p>At the same time, the ICRC closely monitors the effects of efforts made by the State to improve social-welfare benefits for women facing particular hardship. The ICRC can attest to the struggle required to increase budgetary allocations and other resources for this vulnerable group. Ms Douilliez stresses the scale of the problem and the need for a comprehensive approach by the Iraqi government.</p> <p>The ICRC is engaged in dialogue with parliamentarians and other central and provincial policy-makers to ensure that the social-welfare system for vulnerable women receives the resources it needs.</p> <p><b>Assistance:</b> Between 2009 and 2010 the ICRC assisted around 4,000 women heading households who have been displaced from their homes. Food parcels and hygiene items were distributed to women in Baghdad, Diyala and Ninawa governorates.</p> <p><b>Micro-economic initiatives:</b> The ICRC provides in-kind grants to help finance income-generating projects. The grants are extended to women who are willing and able to run such projects, which are often home-based businesses such as small shops, trade projects or food production. The projects, which have been initiated in Najaf, Basra, Missan and Baghdad since 2009, are conducted in partnership with local NGOs and monitored for several months to ensure sustainability.</p> <p><b>Social welfare benefits:</b> The ICRC, working in partnership with local NGOs, helps women handle the formalities associated with applying for social-welfare benefits. As the cost of travel to gather documents is high, especially for women who have very limited resources, it reimburses the travel expenses incurred by women in Baghdad, Anbar, Basra and Missan who have not previously applied for the allowance. In addition, the ICRC has provided the agency in charge of administering the benefit with technical support.</p> <h4>Bringing aid to people facing hardship</h4> <p>The ICRC has maintained its support for people struggling to earn a living, such as women heading households, people with disabilities and the displaced. During the months of January and February, the ICRC:</p> <ul> <li>provided emergency winter assistance for more than 44,000 displaced people in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Diyala, Baghdad, Wassit, Babil, Anbar, Salah Al-Din, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya; </li> <li>awarded 82 grants to disabled people and women heading households in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Ninawa, Sulaimaniya and Erbil to enable them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. Around 900 households headed by women and the disabled have received such assistance since 2008. The grants have benefited over 5,000 people. </li> </ul> <h4>Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres</h4> <p>Because health-care services in some rural and conflict-prone areas are still struggling to meet the needs of the civilian population, the ICRC continues to help renovate the premises of health-care facilities and train staff. To help disabled people reintegrate into the community, the ICRC also continues to provide limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services. In January and February:</p> <ul> <li>192 new patients were fitted with prostheses and 1,010 with orthoses at 10 ICRC-supported centres throughout Iraq; </li> <li>17 doctors and 44 nurses took part in a course on emergency services given in Sulaimaniya and Najaf for medical personnel from Koya, Erbil, Dohuk, Khanaqin, Sulaimaniya, Kirkuk, Babil, Muthanna, Diwaniya, Kerbala and Najaf. </li> </ul> <p>In 2010 the ICRC began providing on-site support for eight primary health-care centres in Diyala, Ninawa, Kirkuk, Babil and Diwaniya. By agreement with the local authorities, the ICRC visits the centres on a regular basis to maintain and, where necessary, upgrade water supply networks. The ICRC also provides advice for emergency stabilization and referral services. In addition, it helps local health administrations to ensure that stocks of medicines and vaccines are adequate and that these items are always readily available.</p> <p>Over 280,000 people, including internally displaced people, now have better access to basic health-care and emergency services in the eight primary health-care centres. By mid-2010, the ICRC was providing the centres with enhanced support for various services. Local health authorities appointed additional female doctors to work in some facilities and provided additional ambulances and beds.</p> <h4>Providing clean water and sanitation</h4> <p>Access to clean water remains difficult in much of Iraq. ICRC engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitary facilities, especially in places where violence remains a concern and in rural areas to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. In January and February, these activities included:</p> <h5>Emergency assistance:</h5> <p>The ICRC delivered water by truck:</p> <ul> <li>to al-Sadr City (sectors 52 and 53), Husseinia and Ma’amil area in Baghdad governorate to over 4,840 internally displaced people; </li> <li>to al-Zeidan primary health-care centre in Abu Ghraib, Baghdad governorate. </li> </ul> <h5>Support for health-care facilities:</h5> <p>The ICRC completed the following works:</p> <ul> <li>upgrading the water storage capacity in al-Shirqat General Hospital (100-bed capacity) in Salah al-Din governorate; </li> <li>renovation of the sanitary facilities in three buildings (Zainab, al Kindy and al Razi) in al- Rashad Psychiatric Hospital Phase 2 Stage 2 (1,300-bed capacity) in Baghdad governorate; </li> <li>renovation of a primary health-care centre in al-Sadr City (300 patients per day) in Baghdad governorate. The area served by the centre has a population of 50,000; </li> <li>installation of specialized equipment in al-Sadr Teaching Hospital (200 bed capacity), Najaf governorate. </li> </ul> <h5>Drinking-water supply:</h5> <p>The ICRC completed 10 main projects benefiting over 612,250 people throughout the country:</p> <ul> <li>renovation of Qaim water treatment plant in Anbar governorate, serving about 170,000 people; </li> <li>renovation of a compact unit in Za’faraniya, Baghdad governorate, serving about 200,000 people; </li> <li>transfer and reinstallation of a compact unit from al-Quds to al-Rasheed in Baghdad governorate, serving about 15,000 people; </li> <li>upgrade of five compact units in Abu Ghraib district, Baghdad governorate, serving about 74,000 people; </li> <li>renovation of a compact unit in al-Shirqat, Salah al-Din governorate, serving about 20,000 people; </li> <li>renovation of a compact unit in Diyala governorate serving about 40,000 people; </li> <li>supply of a generator for Mendili and Qaratapa water treatment plants in Diyala governorate, serving about 42,000 people; </li> <li>upgrade of water supply system in Qosh villages, in Ninawa, serving about 45,000 people; </li> <li>upgrade of water supply system in Khanaqin, Diyala governorate, serving about 6,000 people; </li> <li>renovation of a compact unit in Missan governorate serving about 250 people. </li> </ul> <h5>Renovation of infrastructure in places of detention:</h5> <p>● electro-mechanical works completed in Kadhimiya maximum security prison in Baghdad governorate; <br/>● improvement of the women’s yard in Hilla Prison (No. 2), Babil governorate, serving about 50 detainees.</p> <h4>Visiting detainees</h4> <p>In January and February, ICRC delegates visited detainees held by the Iraqi Correctional Service under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, various branches of the Kurdish Regional Government and the United States government in 27 places of detention in 14 governorates. The delegates monitored the conditions in which detainees were being held and the treatment they received.</p> <p>The ICRC shared its observations and recommendations with the detaining authorities with a view to bringing about improvements where needed.</p> <p>In some of the places of detention, the ICRC gave detainees mattresses, blankets and recreational items such as books and games.</p> <p>The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between people held in detention facilities and their loved ones. In January and February over 350 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad. The ICRC also responded to over 750 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives or requesting other types of information, for instance on missing relatives. In addition, in Iraq, Iran and Kuwait, the ICRC issued close to 1,000 certificates of detention to former detainees and prisoners of war from previous international armed conflicts. The voluntary repatriation of two released detainees took place under the auspices of the ICRC. The organization also issued travel documents to 13 persons, mainly refugees, to enable them to resettle abroad. In February, the ICRC made arrangements for a three-day visit for seven Iraqi families (19 persons) to visit their loved ones detained in Kuwait Central Prison.</p> <h4>Clarifying the fate of missing people</h4> <p>During the months of January and February, the ICRC, in its role as a neutral intermediary, chaired a meeting between Iraq and Iran during which joint field work undertaken with a view to recovering the remains of soldiers killed during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War was discussed. It also chaired one meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee dealing with missing persons from the 1990-1991 Gulf War, and participated in technical meetings with the parties concerned with a view to preparing joint field exhumations.</p> <p>The mortal remains of 38 persons, presumed to be Iraqi soldiers killed during the Iran-Iraq War, were handed over by the Iranian to the Iraqi authorities under ICRC auspices.</p> <p>The ICRC continued to provide the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and Baghdad’s Medical-Legal Institute with the technical support they require to exchange information and build up their capacity in the area of forensics. In January, the ICRC provided training in forensic anthropology for 27 members of the Medico-Legal Institute.</p> <h4>Promoting compliance with international humanitarian law</h4> <p>Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to spread knowledge of international humanitarian law by organizing presentations for various audiences, including military personnel, prison staff, students and professors.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2011/iraq-update-2011-03-30.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11826"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/30/iraq-civilians-still-suffering-undue-hardship/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship">No Comments</a></span> Posted on November 30th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/30/iraq-civilians-still-suffering-undue-hardship/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship">Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/health-crisis-iraq/" title="View all posts in Health" rel="category tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amil/" rel="tag">Amil</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-parcels/" rel="tag">Food parcels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gulf-war/" rel="tag">Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hit/" rel="tag">Hit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hospitals/" rel="tag">Hospitals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/humanitarian-situation/" rel="tag">humanitarian situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/husseinia/" rel="tag">Husseinia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene/" rel="tag">hygiene</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene-kits/" rel="tag">hygiene kits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icrc/" rel="tag">ICRC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/imam-ali-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Imam Ali General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/indiscriminate-attacks-against-civilians/" rel="tag">indiscriminate attacks against civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-federation-of-red-cross/" rel="tag">international federation of red cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-federation-of-red-cross-and-red-crescent/" rel="tag">International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran-iraq-war/" rel="tag">Iran-Iraq War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italy/" rel="tag">Italy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kerbala/" rel="tag">kerbala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khalis/" rel="tag">Khalis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdish-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdish regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kuwait/" rel="tag">kuwait</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/limb-fitting/" rel="tag">Limb-fitting</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ministry-of-justice/" rel="tag">Ministry of Justice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/missing-persons/" rel="tag">missing persons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/muqdadiya/" rel="tag">Muqdadiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/najaf/" rel="tag">Najaf</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nasiriya/" rel="tag">Nasiriya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninewa/" rel="tag">Ninewa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga/" rel="tag">Peshmerga</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners/" rel="tag">prisoners</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-of-war/" rel="tag">prisoners of war</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reparations/" rel="tag">reparations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/repatriation/" rel="tag">repatriation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rules-of-engagement/" rel="tag">rules of engagement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah/" rel="tag">Salah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation/" rel="tag">sanitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security/" rel="tag">Security</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-environment/" rel="tag">security environment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-forces/" rel="tag">security forces</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sheep/" rel="tag">sheep</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/situation-in-iraq/" rel="tag">situation in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tarmiya/" rel="tag">Tarmiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tarmiyah/" rel="tag">Tarmiyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tripartite-commission/" rel="tag">Tripartite Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vice/" rel="tag">Vice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-purification/" rel="tag">water purification</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wheat/" rel="tag">wheat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" rel="tag">Women and Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>The persistent lack of security is hampering efforts to provide essential services for civilians. The ICRC is doing its utmost to help meet the most pressing needs. This is an update on these and other <span style="border-right: black 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: black 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: black 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: black 1px solid"><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a> 30-11-2010 <a title="Operational Update" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2010/irak-update-2010-11-30.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Operational Update</a></strong> </span>ICRC activities carried out in Iraq in September and October.</p> <p>Despite improvements in the security situation achieved over the years in many parts of Iraq, ongoing violence continues to claim the lives of hundreds of men, women and children every month, and to have a serious impact on the lives of many more.</p> <p>Over the past year, the lives of many Iraqi civilians have not changed for the better. Civilians continue to carry the heaviest burden amid the widespread violence. They are still the main victims of the indiscriminate attacks and mass explosions that have taken place in cities such as Baghdad, Ninewa, Diyala, Anbar, Najaf, Kerbala and Basra, and that have left, on average, hundreds of people wounded or dead each month this year.</p> <p>"Indiscriminate attacks against civilians inflict tremendous suffering. They are clearly unacceptable. They are contrary to international humanitarian law and to the most basic principles of humanity," said Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. "Civilians must be protected against violence, as must be medical personnel and facilities".</p> <p>The humanitarian situation in Iraq remains serious. Iraqis are filled with anxiety and uncertainty about what the future holds. Vulnerable people, such as women heading households, disabled people and detainees, continue to depend to some extent on outside help to meet basic needs.</p> <p>The persistent lack of security and wanton violence have had a considerable effect on the feasibility of providing essential services for the population. The ICRC is doing its utmost to help meet the most pressing needs, especially in rural areas and in the places hardest hit by the conflict and other violence. ICRC activities aim primarily at ensuring that people have access to adequate health, water and sanitation services, and at helping the destitute and other needy people.</p> <p>Visits to detainees held under Iraqi, Kurdistan Regional Government and USF-I authority remain a priority for the ICRC. "Ensuring that detainees are treated humanely and are held in conditions that respect their dignity has been our constant concern since we started working in Iraq 30 years ago," said Mr Barth.</p> <p>The ICRC continues to speak out about the plight of conflict victims in Iraq. It does so in dialogue with as many parties as possible that can influence the situation on the ground. Its aim is to bring about greater respect for civilians and detainees, and to ensure that unimpeded access is granted for humanitarian action to help the people in greatest need throughout the country.</p> <p>"The role of the ICRC, as an impartial humanitarian organization, is crucial to efforts to protect civilians from harm and to ensure that detainees are properly treated and held in decent conditions," said Mr Barth.</p> <p>In September and October 2010, in response to the unstable and often changing security environment, the ICRC made further adjustments to its working procedures so that it could continue to provide services to those who need them most.</p> <h4><b>Bringing aid to vulnerable people</b></h4> <p>The ICRC has maintained its support for people facing special difficulties earning a living and supporting their families, such as women heading households and people with disabilities. In September and October:</p> <ul> <li>hygiene kits and food parcels were provided for more than 5,600 people in the governorate of Mosul; </li> <li>emergency aid was provided for more than 170 displaced people in Sulaimaniya governorate; </li> <li>95 grants were made in Kirkuk, Ninewa, Dohuk, Sulaimaniya and Erbil governorates to enable disabled people to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. Around 700 disabled people have received such aid since 2008; </li> <li>the livestock of 731 needy farmers in the Kifri district of Diyala governorate were vaccinated; </li> <li>around 950 metric tonnes of wheat seed were delivered to some 3,800 farmers in the governorates of Diyala, Anbar, Salahadin, Baghdad and Babil to help them restore their food production; </li> <li>50 kilometres of irrigation canals serving over 7,000 people were cleaned and renovated in the Khalis and Kifri districts of Diyala governorate; </li> <li>600 sheep and 38 metric tonnes of fodder were distributed to 200 farmers in the Baaj district of Ninewa governorate. </li> </ul> <h4>Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres</h4> <p>In some rural and conflict-prone areas, health-care services are still struggling to meet the needs of the civilian population. The ICRC continues to help renovate the premises of health-care facilities and train staff. Limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services are provided by the ICRC to help disabled people reintegrate into the community. In September and October:</p> <ul> <li>10 doctors and 28 nurses successfully took part in a course intended to strengthen emergency services given in Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf; </li> <li>273 new patients were fitted with prostheses and 1,148 new patients with orthoses at 10 ICRC-supported centres throughout Iraq. </li> </ul> <h4>Providing clean water and sanitation</h4> <p>Access to clean water remains difficult in much of Iraq. ICRC engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitary facilities, especially in places where violence remains a concern and in rural areas, to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. In September and October, these activities included:</p> <h5>Emergency assistance:</h5> <p>The ICRC delivered water by truck:</p> <p>● in Zharawa district, Sadr City, Husseinia and Maamal to 6,384 internally displaced people; <br/>● to the 385-bed Al Imam Ali General Hospital; <br/>● to the 400-bed Al Kindy General Hospital in Baghdad, which was struggling to cope with summer water shortages.</p> <h5>Support for health-care facilities:</h5> <p>The ICRC completed work upgrading: <br/>● Tarmiyah General Hospital, which serves between 250 and 300 outpatients daily, in Baghdad governorate; <br/>● Tamour primary health-care centre, which serves 50 patients per day, in Kirkuk governorate.</p> <h5>Water supply in hospitals:</h5> <ul> <li>The ICRC completed the installation of drinking-water purification units in Baquba General Hospital, Muqdadiya General Hospital, Baladrooz General Hospital and Al Zahraa Maternity Hospital, with an overall capacity of 600 beds, in Diyala governorate. </li> </ul> <h5>Drinking-water supply:</h5> <ul> <li>Five main projects benefiting around 725,000 people were completed throughout the country. </li> </ul> <h4><b>Visiting detainees</b></h4> <p>ICRC delegates visit detainees in order to monitor the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive. In all cases, the ICRC shares its findings and recommendations confidentially with the detaining authorities, with the aim of obtaining improvements where necessary.</p> <p>In September and October, the ICRC visited detainees held by the correctional service of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and various Kurdish Regional Government authorities in places of detention in Basra, Thi Qar/Nasiriya, Baghdad, Babil, Kirkuk, Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates.</p> <p>In some of these places, to help the detaining authority improve conditions of detention, the ICRC gave detainees mattresses, blankets and recreational items such as books and games.</p> <p>The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between detainees and their families. In September and October, over 1,000 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad. The ICRC also responded to around 800 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives. In addition, it issued 249 certificates of detention to former detainees. The ICRC facilitated the voluntary repatriation of two released detainees, and issued two travel documents to refugees to enable them to resettle abroad.</p> <h4><b>Clarifying what happened to missing people</b></h4> <p>In its role as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC continues to chair the mechanisms set up to address the cases of people who went missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War. At the 67th session of the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, held on 28 September in Kuwait, the members of the sub-committee reaffirmed their commitment to accounting for people who went missing in connection with the war. At the sub-committee’s next meeting, which will take place in Kuwait in November, preparations will be made for a joint field mission to the south of Iraq to check on suspected burial sites.</p> <p>On 27 and 28 October, representatives of Iran and Iraq held a high-level meeting in Geneva under ICRC auspices with the aim of determining what happened to people missing in connection with the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. The meeting was the first of its kind following the signature in October 2008 of a memorandum of understanding between Iran, Iraq and the ICRC aimed at expediting the search for information on people previously registered as, or presumed to be, prisoners of war and on others who have gone missing, and at identifying mortal remains.</p> <p>Relieving the suffering of the families of missing persons by clarifying what happened to their loved ones is one of the ICRC’s priorities. The ICRC continues to provide the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and Baghdad’s Medical-Legal Institute with the technical support they require to exchange information and build up their capacity in the area of forensics.</p> <h4><b>Promoting international humanitarian law</b></h4> <p>Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within civil society. In this framework, it organizes presentations for various audiences, which include military personnel, prison staff, students and professors.</p> <p>In September and October, information sessions on international humanitarian law were organized for members of the Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga forces and Assayesh security forces. In October, a "train-the-trainers" course was organized for 14 members of the Iraqi Centre for Military Values and Professional Leadership Development. One member of the Iraqi armed forces attended an advanced course on international humanitarian law at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy, and another attended a workshop on rules of engagement, also held in Italy.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2010/irak-update-2010-11-30.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11176"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/28/international-committee-of-the-red-cross-helping-detainees-and-their-families/#respond" title="Comment on International Committee of the Red Cross: Helping detainees and their families">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 28th, 2010 by Omar Khdhayyir</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/28/international-committee-of-the-red-cross-helping-detainees-and-their-families/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to International Committee of the Red Cross: Helping detainees and their families">International Committee of the Red Cross: Helping detainees and their families</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amil/" rel="tag">Amil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/armed-conflict/" rel="tag">armed conflict</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prison-visits/" rel="tag">prison visits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners/" rel="tag">prisoners</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-of-war/" rel="tag">prisoners of war</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-families/" rel="tag">Prisoners' families</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/repatriation/" rel="tag">repatriation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-environment/" rel="tag">security environment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/social-affairs-ministry/" rel="tag">social affairs ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/who/" rel="tag">WHO</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Laurent Saugy spent two years in Iraq coordinating the ICRC’s work in behalf of detainees and other categories of people protected by international humanitarian law. He replies to questions about the challenges faced by the ICRC in this part of its humanitarian activities.</p> <p><b>Where does the ICRC visit detainees in Iraq?</b> </p> <p>Let me say first of all that visiting detainees is one of the ICRC’s priorities in Iraq. Ensuring that detainees and prisoners of war are treated humanely and are held in acceptable conditions has been a constant concern for the ICRC ever since it started working in the country, in 1980. </p> <p>Currently, more than 30,000 detainees, held all over the country by three distinct authorities – the federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the United States Forces – Iraq (USF-I, the successor to the Multi-National Force – Iraq, or MNF-I) – are visited regularly by ICRC expatriate staff.</p> <p>We first visited a place of detention run by the current Iraqi government in October 2007, when we went to Fort Suse, near Sulaymaniya. Gradually, we have been able to go to other places. Since 2008, the ICRC has visited 25,000 people held in 35 places of detention under Iraq’s justice, defence and interior ministries, and its labour and social affairs ministry. </p> <p>In the Kurdistan Region, where visits started in 1992, the ICRC visits 3,000 detainees each year in more than 30 places of detention. </p> <p>Our organization also continues to visit around 3,000 people currently in US custody at Camp Cropper, near Baghdad’s airport. </p> <p><b>What are the main challenges you are facing? Do you have access to all places of detention in the country?</b> </p> <p>Although the Iraqi authorities generally welcome visits by the ICRC in places of detention, we have not yet been able to visit detainees everywhere in the country. </p> <p>One reason is the security environment. ICRC delegates cannot travel everywhere. It should not be forgotten that there is still an armed conflict under way, in a country that is struggling to deal with the legacy of decades of conflict. Some areas remain dangerous – in Mosul, Salahidin and Diyala, for example, ICRC delegates have not yet been able to visit detainees. </p> <p>Another reason is that, despite declarations that have been made, the ICRC has not in fact always been able to visit all detainees in all places. Right now, as we speak, the ICRC is still waiting for a response to its requests to visit more places of detention. As in many other contexts where it works, the detainees most in need of protection are often the ones that are most difficult to reach. The situation is just as frustrating, if not more so, for the hundreds of families seeking information about their relatives. </p> <p>An overall agreement formally granting the ICRC access to all places of detention throughout the country has yet to receive final approval. We are confident that this will happen in the near future, since the issue has now reached the level of the Council of Ministers.</p> <p><b>What are the main challenges you are facing? Do you have access to all places of detention in the country?</b> </p> <p>Although the Iraqi authorities generally welcome visits by the ICRC in places of detention, we have not yet been able to visit detainees everywhere in the country. </p> <p>One reason is the security environment. ICRC delegates cannot travel everywhere. It should not be forgotten that there is still an armed conflict under way, in a country that is struggling to deal with the legacy of decades of conflict. Some areas remain dangerous – in Mosul, Salahidin and Diyala, for example, ICRC delegates have not yet been able to visit detainees. </p> <p>Another reason is that, despite declarations that have been made, the ICRC has not in fact always been able to visit all detainees in all places. Right now, as we speak, the ICRC is still waiting for a response to its requests to visit more places of detention. As in many other contexts where it works, the detainees most in need of protection are often the ones that are most difficult to reach. The situation is just as frustrating, if not more so, for the hundreds of families seeking information about their relatives. </p> <p>An overall agreement formally granting the ICRC access to all places of detention throughout the country has yet to receive final approval. We are confident that this will happen in the near future, since the issue has now reached the level of the Council of Ministers. </p> <p><b>What impact has the ICRC’s work had on the lives of detainees in Iraq? What has the ICRC achieved by visiting detainees?</b></p> <p>Detainees often view the ICRC as a "gate to the outside world." We are the ones who can bring reassuring news from their loved ones, and who can carry a message back to the families. This is done in full transparency: the detaining authorities check the messages, which are allowed to contain nothing but family news. More than 400,000 of these "Red Cross messages" have been exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq since 2003. </p> <p>For detainees, a visit by ICRC staff is also an opportunity to speak privately with someone who will truly listen to what they have to say. The ICRC holds private interviews with detainees to gather information about the treatment they receive and the conditions in which they are being held. On the basis of this information, gathered from as many detainees as possible, and of observations made by its own staff, it shares findings and recommendations with the authorities. </p> <p>The fact that the ICRC does not publicize its findings by no means indicates that it is satisfied with the conditions in any given place of detention, or that it is inactive. The ICRC uses confidentiality as a tool to make absolutely clear the exclusively humanitarian – and completely neutral – nature of its work: doing so is essential to its continued access to detainees. The ICRC believes that the best way to prevent or halt ill-treatment, and to ensure decent conditions of detention, is by maintaining unrestricted access to detainees and urging the detaining authorities to make any necessary improvements. </p> <p>Families and communities also suffer when one of their members is held in detention, which breaks ties, keeps parents apart from their children, and often results in families being left without a breadwinner. </p> <p>The ICRC provided financial support enabling the families of nearly 30,000 people held in Camp Bucca, a prison camp in Iraq run by the US military, to visit their detained relatives until the facility closed in September 2009. </p> <p>Families often turn to the ICRC when seeking information on their detained relatives. To help them, we have been running, for many years now, a telephone helpline system enabling them to request information on the whereabouts of missing and possibly detained relatives. From 2007 to April 2010, the ICRC helpline received 187,000 phone calls. </p> <p>Foreign prisoners, far from their countries and families, are particularly vulnerable not only during the period of their detention but also after their release. The ICRC can often facilitate their repatriation. In the past seven years, the ICRC has helped repatriate more than 300 ex-detainees. </p> <p><b>Has the ICRC’s work resulted in any improvements? What can the ICRC do to help improve detention conditions?</b> </p> <p>Our visits frequently lead to improvements in the way prisons are run, in particular when local authorities understand what we are trying to do. ICRC visits can only be expected to have a significant impact when the detaining authorities, both within the prisons themselves and in the upper echelons of government, understand the spirit of our work, see us as a partner and are willing to consider our recommendations as being in their own interest. </p> <p>Sometimes, it may not seem possible to reconcile security imperatives with humanitarian concerns. But I believe there is no real obstacle to doing so. It is not only detainees but also the detaining authorities who can benefit from the ICRC’s humanitarian services. In Iraq, for example, the ICRC plays a constructive role in the system of interministerial coordination. Although it cannot have a seat on interministerial committees, it advises and shares information on what it observes in prisons. The ICRC voices the concerns of detainees and their families, and shares its own findings, to promote improvements. Protecting the health of the detainee population, for example, requires that various ministries (health, justice, etc.) coordinate their efforts, which may be enhanced by the advice and information the ICRC can provide. The measures taken to promote better health among detainees are important not only for the individuals concerned but also for the entire country’s health system, which cannot stop at the prison gates. </p> <p>Nor can basic guarantees of due process and the rule of law stop at prison gates: people deprived of their freedom must not be deprived of their rights. And the gates must open in a timely manner for those who have served their sentences. </p> <p>Another important thing we do to improve living conditions for detainees is to build and repair water systems and other facilities. On the basis of assessments carried out with the Iraqi authorities in 12 places of detention since the beginning of the year, we will launch new projects in detention facilities located in several governorates. </p> <p><b>What are the main concerns and rationales prompting ICRC visits to Iraqi places of detention?</b> </p> <p>We know from experience that detainees are among the most vulnerable people in conflict situations, simply because attending to their needs is not considered a priority. </p> <p>The treatment they receive and the conditions in which they are held result from a complex range of factors, the most important of which is applicable law. It is essential that laws be adhered to at all stages of detention – by those who have direct control over detainees, but also by the entire system. </p> <p>During its visits, the ICRC also addresses basic issues of due process. For instance, if it appears that detainees do not have systematic access to a defence lawyer, the ICRC will raise the issue in its recommendations. </p> <p><b>How do the authorities react to the ICRC’s recommendations?</b> </p> <p>The reactions vary greatly from person to person and from area to area. The role of the ICRC is not yet understood by all. While some may view the ICRC’s activities as interference, others realize that they benefit from ICRC visits, which can, for example, ease tensions inside a prison. </p> <p>Some ICRC recommendations take time to be implemented. The ICRC is patient, however, and committed to a long-term humanitarian effort in Iraq. We are encouraged that some prison directors do implement ICRC recommendations whenever they can. The rapid turnover of prison officials makes it difficult, however, to build trust and develop a long-lasting working relationship between them and ICRC delegates.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-interview-280610" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: helping detainees and their families</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-10499"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/14/red-cross-iraq-water-formerly-a-blessing-increasingly-a-problem/#respond" title="Comment on Red Cross: Iraq : water formerly a blessing, increasingly a problem">No Comments</a></span> Posted on May 14th, 2010 by Diya al din</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/14/red-cross-iraq-water-formerly-a-blessing-increasingly-a-problem/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Red Cross: Iraq : water formerly a blessing, increasingly a problem">Red Cross: Iraq : water formerly a blessing, increasingly a problem</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture-production/" rel="tag">agriculture production</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-rahma-idp-camp/" rel="tag">al Rahma IDP camp</a>, <a 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Detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/orthotics/" rel="tag">orthotics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/population-growth/" rel="tag">population growth</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/primary-health-care/" rel="tag">primary health care</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-rights/" rel="tag">Prisoners' Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons/" rel="tag">prisons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prosthetics/" rel="tag">prosthetics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/qalat-salih-hospital/" rel="tag">Qala't Salih Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/qalawa-quarter-camp/" rel="tag">Qalawa Quarter camp</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rabia/" rel="tag">Rabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rainfall/" rel="tag">rainfall</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rate-of-flow/" rel="tag">rate of flow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rice/" rel="tag">rice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rivers-and-lakes/" rel="tag">rivers and lakes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah/" rel="tag">Salah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah-al-din/" rel="tag">Salah al-Din</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salinity/" rel="tag">salinity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salinity-excessive/" rel="tag">Salinity - excessive</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salt-content-of-the-water/" rel="tag">salt content of the water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/samawa/" rel="tag">samawa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation/" rel="tag">sanitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation-facilities/" rel="tag">sanitation facilities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sewage/" rel="tag">sewage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sewage-treatment-plants/" rel="tag">sewage treatment plants</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/social-welfare/" rel="tag">social welfare</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tal-kaif/" rel="tag">Tal Kaif</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tasfirat/" rel="tag">Tasfirat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris/" rel="tag">Tigris</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tripartite-commission/" rel="tag">Tripartite Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/underground-aquifers/" rel="tag">underground aquifers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/waste-water/" rel="tag">waste water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-borne-disease/" rel="tag">Water Borne Disease</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-contamination/" rel="tag">Water Contamination</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" rel="tag">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-levels/" rel="tag">water levels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply-systems/" rel="tag">water supply systems</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment/" rel="tag">water treatment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment-plants/" rel="tag">water treatment plants</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wheat/" rel="tag">wheat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-poverty-of/" rel="tag">women - poverty of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Millions of people in Iraq cannot get clean water or water in sufficient quantity. The ICRC is doing its best to improve access to safe water. This is an update on ICRC activities carried out in Iraq in March and April.</p> <p>The Tigris and the Euphrates, which supply the bulk of Iraq’s water, are slowly dwindling and in some areas can no longer be used as a reliable source of drinking water. Across the country, the shrinking of the rivers is having serious consequences on the functioning of water treatment plants. It also affects underground aquifers, where the salt content of the water is increasing. This water is often unfit for human consumption or even for agricultural use. </p> <p>The volatile security situation in some areas and the rising price of fuel have put additional strain on already scarce services, as have population growth and displacement. In many places, the strain is further compounded by a lack of qualified engineers and staff able to maintain and repair water and sanitation facilities. Many farming communities were hard hit by the drought that struck northern Iraq in 2008. Average rainfall over the past 10 years has been far lower than in previous decades. In the north, water supply systems fed by springs and shallows aquifers have been depleted and often have less water available to meet demand. Although rainfall has been better in many places during 2009 and 2010, low water-levels continue to affect agriculture production, meaning Iraq needs to import more rice and wheat. With less water of sufficient quality generally available, management of the existing resources is key. </p> <p>Because large suburban residential areas have sometimes developed without adequate infrastructure, and certain sewage treatment plants are bypassed, wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers and lakes. Ditches and ponds filled with foul-smelling polluted water blight many neighbourhoods. The United Nations recently estimated that around 83% of sewage is being let into rivers and waterways. </p> <p>Water treatment and distribution facilities are also disrupted by persistent power shortages. Iraq is currently producing around 6,000 megawatts of electricity a day, while demand is estimated at 10,000 megawatts. Health, water and sewage facilities and other infrastructure in many parts of the country still rely on back-up generators to meet their need for electric power. </p> <p>Water distribution systems that are old or badly maintained are further weakened by illegal connections and substandard plumbing within households. Leakages cause large amounts of wasted water and frequent contamination. According to the United Nations, nearly half of Iraqis in rural areas are without safe drinking water. The Iraqi government estimates that 24% of Iraqis in the country as a whole, or nearly one in four, do not have access to safe water. </p> <p>"Reliable access to enough water of sufficient quality remains a major challenge for large parts of the population", said Julien Le Sourd, the ICRC’s water and habitat coordinator in Iraq. "The ICRC is doing its utmost to improve this by repairing and upgrading water supply and sewage systems. We do this in partnership with the authorities and we are also providing training for maintenance staff working in water treatment plants." </p> <p>In March and April, ICRC water engineers:</p> <ul> <li>completed work at the Ashty water station, in Erbil governorate, which provides safe drinking water for around 10,000 people living in nearby villages; </li> <li>built an emergency unit in the 50-bed Qala’t Salih Hospital in Missan governorate; </li> <li>upgraded the storage capacity for drinking water and for water used in the cooling system in Medical City Hospital, Baghdad. The hospital can accommodate 1,400 patients and treats around 10,000 outpatients per day; </li> <li>renovated a primary health-care centre serving around 400 patients in Sadr City, Baghdad; </li> <li>connected the school of al Rahma camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Najaf City, which has 1,000 pupils and teachers, to the municipal water and electricity supply networks; </li> <li>supplied and installed a new mortuary refrigerator with a capacity of 12 corpses in Beiji General Hospital, in Salah Al Din governorate; </li> <li>delivered water by truck to 4,500 displaced people in Sadr City and to 340 in Husseinia and Ma’amil, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and Fatma al Zahra Hospital, all in Baghdad governorate, and to 360 in Qalawa Quarter camp in Sulaimaniya; </li> <li>installed equipment used to fill water bags for distribution during emergencies at Al Wathba water treatment plant in Baghdad; </li> <li>repaired the Hindiyah water treatment plant in Karbala, which supplies water to around 125,000 people; </li> <li>installed a large-capacity pump in al Fadhliya water treatment plant, Thi Qar governorate, providing drinking water for 82,000 people. </li> <li>assessed, in cooperation with Iraqi Correctional Services engineers, 11 detention facilities under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, evaluating needs and recommending improvements for the delivery of essential services (water, electricity, sewage). </li> </ul> <p><b>Bringing aid to vulnerable people</b> </p> <p>The ICRC maintained its support for people facing special difficulty earning a living and supporting their families, such as women heading households, people with disabilities and displaced people: </p> <ul> <li>more than 2,300 displaced families headed by women in Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Ninawa governorates were given monthly food parcels and hygiene items; </li> <li>around 2,100 people displaced in March from Mosul to Hamdanya and Tilkaif were given food parcels and rice; </li> <li>61 disabled people in Erbil, Dohuk and Ninawa governorates were given micro-economic aid enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. A total of 459 disabled people have now received such aid in a programme that started in 2008. </li> </ul> <p><b>Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres</b> </p> <p>Iraqi health facilities still benefit from ICRC support. To help disabled people reintegrate into the community, the ICRC provides limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services. In March and April: </p> <ul> <li>six hospitals and three primary health-care centres received medical supplies and equipment; </li> <li>25 doctors and 28 nurses successfully took part in a training course on strengthening emergency services given at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf and at Sulaimaniya Emergency Hospital; </li> <li>two people from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research involved in the teaching of prosthetics and orthotics went to the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics in the United Kingdom under ICRC sponsorship for advanced training. </li> </ul> <p><b>Visiting detainees</b> </p> <p>ICRC delegates continued to visit detainees in order to monitor the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive. In all cases, the ICRC shares its findings and recommendations in confidence with the detaining authorities. In March and April, the ICRC visited detainees held: </p> <ul> <li>in Counter-Terrorism Directorate and Tasfirat Najaf, in Najaf governorate; </li> <li>in Mina and Samawa prisons, Basra governorate; </li> <li>in Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Kirkuk governorate; </li> <li>in US custody, in Remembrance II, Baghdad governorate; </li> <li>in four prisons and one police station in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates. </li> </ul> <p>Around 1,550 detainees held in Hilla I & II Correctional Facilities were given mattresses and recreational items such as ping-pong tables, soccer balls and volleyballs. </p> <p>The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between detainees and their families. In March, it arranged for six Iraqi families to enter Kuwait and visit their relatives detained there since 1991. In addition, around 10,500 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad during the month of March. </p> <p>During March and April, the ICRC responded to more than 3,600 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives. It also issued 220 certificates to former detainees making them eligible to receive social welfare benefits. </p> <p>At the request of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the ICRC issued 73 travel documents for Palestinian refugees in Iraq to enable them to resettle abroad. </p> <p><b>Clarifying what happened to missing people</b> </p> <p>The ICRC supports the authorities in their efforts to clarify what happened to those who went missing in connection with the Iran-Iraq War and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It also helps train forensic professionals in the identification and management of mortal remains and regularly supplies equipment. In the past two months: </p> <ul> <li>the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, handling cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 64th session in Kuwait, which was chaired by the ICRC and attended by representatives from Iraq, Kuwait and the 1990-1991 Coalition (the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia). Nine samples of human remains were handed over by the Iraqi to the Kuwaiti delegation for DNA analysis in an effort to determine if they belonged to missing Kuwaiti nationals. The sub-committee will hold a special meeting on forensics in Kuwait in May; </li> <li>mortal remains of Iraqi soldiers were repatriated from Kuwait under ICRC auspices. </li> </ul> <p><b>Promoting international humanitarian law</b> </p> <p>In line with its mandate, the ICRC promotes compliance with international humanitarian law and reminds parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians. In March and April, the ICRC organized a series of seminars and presentations on international humanitarian law for various audiences all over Iraq.</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9488"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/31/red-cross-iraq-coping-with-violence-and-striving-to-earn-a-living/#respond" title="Comment on Red Cross Iraq: coping with violence and striving to earn a living">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 31st, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/31/red-cross-iraq-coping-with-violence-and-striving-to-earn-a-living/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Red Cross Iraq: coping with violence and striving to earn a living">Red Cross Iraq: coping with violence and striving to earn a living</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/acts-of-violence/" rel="tag">acts of violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agricultural-machinery/" rel="tag">agricultural machinery</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agricultural-production/" rel="tag">agricultural production</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture-decline-of/" rel="tag">Agriculture decline of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-khateeb/" rel="tag">Al Khateeb</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-sadr/" rel="tag">al sadr</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-zubair-basrah-mixed-area/" rel="tag">al-Zubair (Basrah mixed area)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amarah/" rel="tag">Amarah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amil/" rel="tag">Amil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" rel="tag">Anbar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assayesh/" rel="tag">Assayesh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad-teaching-hospital/" rel="tag">Baghdad Teaching Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/camp-taji/" rel="tag">Camp Taji</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chamchamal/" rel="tag">Chamchamal</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cheap-imports/" rel="tag">cheap imports</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dijail/" rel="tag">Dijail</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/disabled-people/" rel="tag">disabled people</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/displacement/" rel="tag">displacement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/disrepair/" rel="tag">disrepair</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diwaniya/" rel="tag">Diwaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" rel="tag">Diyala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dohuk/" rel="tag">Dohuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drought/" rel="tag">drought</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/electricity-supply/" rel="tag">electricity supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erbil/" rel="tag">Erbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/farmers/" rel="tag">farmers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fertiliser/" rel="tag">fertiliser</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fodder/" rel="tag">Fodder</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-handouts/" rel="tag">food handouts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-parcels/" rel="tag">Food parcels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fort-suse/" rel="tag">Fort Suse</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gulf-war/" rel="tag">Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/habbaniya/" rel="tag">Habbaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hamdanya/" rel="tag">Hamdanya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hilla/" rel="tag">Hilla</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hospitals/" rel="tag">Hospitals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/husseinia/" rel="tag">Husseinia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene/" rel="tag">hygiene</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene-kits/" rel="tag">hygiene kits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icrc/" rel="tag">ICRC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/idps-internal-refugees/" rel="tag">IDPs (Internal Refugees)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-committee-of-the-red-cross/" rel="tag">international committee of the red cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran-iraq-war/" rel="tag">Iran-Iraq War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iri/" rel="tag">IRI</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mahmodiya/" rel="tag">Mahmodiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/medical-supplies/" rel="tag">medical supplies</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/migration/" rel="tag">migration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/missing-persons/" rel="tag">missing persons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nasiriya/" rel="tag">Nasiriya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/neighbouring-countries/" rel="tag">neighbouring countries</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa/" rel="tag">Ninawa</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rice/" rel="tag">rice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah/" rel="tag">Salah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah-al-din/" rel="tag">Salah al-Din</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation/" rel="tag">sanitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sewage/" rel="tag">sewage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/social-welfare/" rel="tag">social welfare</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/taji/" rel="tag">Taji</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tasfirat/" rel="tag">Tasfirat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tasfirat-kirkuk/" rel="tag">Tasfirat Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tripartite-commission/" rel="tag">Tripartite Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment/" rel="tag">water treatment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" rel="tag">Women and Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>The beginning of 2010 was marred by acts of violence that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, mainly in Baghdad, the central governorates and Najaf. In Mosul, families fled violence and sought refuge in safer areas. Although recent violence-related displacement has been sporadic, there remain some 2.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Iraq who had to leave their homes over recent years in search of safety. </p> <p>Many Iraqis, especially those worst affected by the effects of the conflict and the ongoing violence, such as displaced, elderly and disabled people and women heading households, continued to struggle to feed their families. Their inability to buy enough of the essential goods they require remains a major concern. </p> <p>Agriculture, formerly an important part of the economy, has been declining for the past decade. Individuals who have lost agricultural machinery to damage, age or disrepair often cannot replace it owing to a lack of financial wherewithal. In addition, the water supply has been hard hit by a failure to properly maintain pumping stations and irrigation and distribution canals, by the unreliable electricity supply and by higher fuel costs. The massive increase in the price of seed and fertilizer, and cheap imports from neighbouring countries, also play a role in making farming difficult, if not impossible, in many parts of Iraq. Many farmers try to survive by cultivating smaller patches of land, but as they are forced to use low-quality supplies the result is often poor harvests. Others have migrated to cities in search of other ways of earning a living. </p> <p>The situation was exacerbated by the 2008 drought – the worst in the past 10 years – which had an especially severe impact on rain-fed agriculture in central, west-central and some northern parts of the country. In some areas, agricultural production was wiped out. After years of poor rainfalls, pastures were reduced and prices of fodder soared. According to an ICRC survey, breeders were forced to cut down their herds by more than 60 per cent in some parts of the country, which had a drastic effect on their livelihoods. "Before, we used to move to neighbouring districts. Now, everywhere is dry and we lost our crops and animals. How can we go on?," said one local farmer in Ninawa governorate. </p> <p>For households that have lost their main wage earner, the economic situation is especially hard to endure. Most people who went missing in connection with recent wars or the ongoing violence, and most people behind bars, are adult males – usually breadwinners. The women and children they left behind often became isolated and therefore extremely vulnerable, despite the strong cultural solidarity among Iraqis. </p> <p>The ICRC is helping the Iraqis who are worst off to cope with their hardships, and Iraqi communities to support themselves unaided. It is distributing seed and fertilizer, and fodder for livestock. In addition, it is vaccinating cattle and cleaning and improving irrigation canals. In 2009 alone, some 195,000 people benefited. </p> <p>In January and February 2010, according to the ICRC’s own independent assessment carried out by the organization’s staff all over Iraq, more than 20,000 people benefited from its humanitarian assistance:</p> <ul> <li>almost 15,500 displaced people (families headed by women) in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Ninawa governorates were given monthly food parcels and hygiene items; </li> <li>around 5,400 people recently displaced from Mosul to Hamdanya and Tilkaif received emergency food parcels, rice and ready-to-eat meals; </li> <li>over 1,900 farmers in Diyala governorate received 491.5 metric tonnes of urea fertilizer to help them improve their harvest and make their farming sustainable; </li> <li>43 disabled people in Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaimaniya and Ninewa governorates benefited from micro-economic aid enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. </li> </ul> <p>The ICRC also endeavoured to respond to other needs of the Iraqi population in January and February. </p> <h3>Providing clean water and sanitation</h3> <p>Access to clean water remains inadequate in several parts of the country. Only 45 per cent of the population, on average, have clean drinking water and 20 per cent proper sewage disposal. ICRC water engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitation facilities all over Iraq, especially in areas where violence remains a concern, to enhance access for civilians to clean water and to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. </p> <ul> <li>Baghdad governorate: Samadiya water compact unit for about 20,000 people, Al Mahmodiya General Hospital serving some 400,000 people living in the area, Ibn Al Khateeb Infectious Diseases Hospital, Medico Legal Institute, Tabat al Kurd water boosting station for over 3,500 people and Al Mada’in water treatment plant for 470,000 people (including displaced people) plus three hospitals and eight primary health-care centres. </li> <li>Anbar governorate: Heet water treatment plant for 45,000 residents and 250 displaced people, Habbaniya water treatment plant for 30,000 residents and 1,500 displaced people, and Al Qaim Hospital providing health care for around 350,000 area inhabitants. </li> <li>Salah Al Din governorate: al Dor clinic and Dijail compact unit supplying water to almost 25,000 people. </li> </ul> <p>Other water-related works were carried out that will benefit nearly 100,000 people in Missan, Diwaniya and Diyala governorates, and in Ninawa governorate where 3,000 inmates held at Badoosh prison will be among those benefiting. </p> <p>Water was delivered by truck to: </p> <ul> <li>4,500 displaced people in Sadr City and 340 in Husseinia and Ma’amil, and in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad governorate; </li> <li>Qalawa Quarter camp in Sulaimaniya, hosting around 360 displaced people. Two damaged tanks of 5,000 litres each have been replaced. </li> </ul> <h3>Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres</h3> <p>Health-care services are still inadequate. In some areas, it is difficult to reach health facilities because of the prevailing lack of security. Iraqi health facilities still benefit from ICRC support. Limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services are provided by the ICRC to help disabled people reintegrate into the community. In January and February: </p> <ul> <li>12 hospitals and three primary health-care centres received medical supplies and equipment; </li> <li>34 doctors and nurses successfully took part in a training course on strengthening emergency services given in Sulaimaniya Emergency Hospital and in Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf; </li> <li>26 managers working in the field of primary health care in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Erbil and Diyala governorates participated in a forum, held in Erbil, on improving the quality of health care services in rural primary health-care centres; </li> <li>two physiotherapists from Najaf, two from Hilla, one from Sulaimaniya and one from Erbil attended a three-week training course in Erbil, where the ICRC runs a physical rehabilitation centre. </li> </ul> <h3>Visiting detainees</h3> <p>Visiting detainees remains a top priority for the ICRC in Iraq. In January and February, ICRC delegates visited detainees held: </p> <ul> <li>in Fort Suse Federal Prison, Sulaimaniya governorate; in Nasiriya Prison, Thi-Qar governorate; in Mina and Maaqal prisons, Basra governorate; </li> <li>in Tasfirat Kirkuk, Emergency Police Station and Juvenile Police Centre; in Assayesh KDP Station, Kirkuk governorate; </li> <li>in Brigade 54, 6th Division, Baghdad governorate; </li> <li>in six prisons and two police stations in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates; </li> <li>in Camp Taji (US custody), Baghdad governorate. This was the last visit to the detention facility prior to its handover to Iraqi authorities. </li> </ul> <p>Around 5,200 detainees held in Fort Suse, Chamchamal, Khademiya, Adhala and Amarah prisons received blankets, mattresses and clothes to help them cope with the cold winter season. In Chamchamal Federal Prison, 34 disabled detainees were given crutches as part of a follow-up carried out by ICRC health delegates of health care in the prison. </p> <p>More than 7,800 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in January and February. In addition, 626 detention certificates were issued to former detainees or internees to make them eligible for social welfare benefits. </p> <h3>Clarifying what happened to missing people</h3> <p>The ICRC supports the authorities in their efforts to clarify what happened to those who went missing in connection with the Iran-Iraq War and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It also helps train forensic professionals in the identification and management of mortal remains and regularly supplies equipment. In January and February: </p> <ul> <li>the mortal remains of nine Iranian soldiers were repatriated from Iraq under ICRC auspices; </li> <li>the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, handling cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 63rd session in Kuwait, which was chaired by the ICRC and attended by representatives from Iraq, Kuwait and the 1990-1991 Coalition (the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia); </li> <li>two days of training by an ICRC forensic specialist were provided for staff of Al Zubair centre to help them better manage the files of thousands of missing persons. </li> </ul> <h3>Promoting international humanitarian law</h3> <p>Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within the civil society. In this framework, a series of presentations were organized for various audiences, which included military personnel, prison staff, students and professors </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-update-300309" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: coping with violence and striving to earn a living</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9462"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/31/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-for-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime/#respond" title="Comment on Destroying Educational Institutions or Using Them for Military Purposes Is a War Crime">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 31st, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/31/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-for-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Destroying Educational Institutions or Using Them for Military Purposes Is a War Crime">Destroying Educational Institutions or Using Them for Military Purposes Is a War Crime</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/war-crimes/" title="View all posts in War Crimes" rel="category tag">War Crimes</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-ghraib/" rel="tag">Abu Ghraib</a>, <a 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rel="tag">bombing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" rel="tag">Bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/briefings/" rel="tag">Briefings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cia/" rel="tag">CIA</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/crimes-against-humanity/" rel="tag">Crimes against humanity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cultural-genocide/" rel="tag">Cultural Genocide</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/death-squads/" rel="tag">Death Squads</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/education/" rel="tag">Education</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/education-institutions/" rel="tag">education institutions</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/educational-system/" rel="tag">educational system</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fallujah/" rel="tag">Fallujah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/guides/" rel="tag">Guides</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islam/" rel="tag">Islam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/looting/" rel="tag">Looting</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-university/" rel="tag">Mosul University</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/museums/" rel="tag">Museums</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mustansiriya-university/" rel="tag">Mustansiriya University</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/occupation/" rel="tag">occupation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/occupation-of-iraq/" rel="tag">occupation of iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resistance/" rel="tag">Resistance</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tikrit/" rel="tag">Tikrit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unesco/" rel="tag">UNESCO</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unesco-report/" rel="tag">unesco report</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/war-crimes/" rel="tag">War Crimes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p> </p> <p>"The Education system in Iraq, prior to 1991, was one of the best in the region; with over 100% Gross Enrollment Rate for primary schooling and high levels of literacy, both of men and women. The Higher Education, especially the scientific and technological institutions, were of an international standard, staffed by high quality personnel." (UNESCO Fact Sheet, March 28, 2003)[1].</p> <p>As a result of the ongoing US Occupation of Iraq, today Iraq is more illiterate than it was five or 25 years ago because the US administration and the US forces occupying Iraq began to root and destroy every aspect of Iraq’s education.</p> <p>The Iraqi educational system was the target of US military action because education is the backbone of any society. Without an efficient education system, no society can function, wrote Ghali Hassan in May 2005.[2] Facts have proven him right. This is also one of the conclusions of the book "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq."[3]</p> <p><strong>Random Facts</strong></p> <p>A recent UNESCO report, "Education Under Attack 2010 – Iraq," dated 10 February 2010, concluded, "Although overall security in Iraq had improved, the situation faced by schools, students, teachers and academics remained dangerous."[4] The destruction of Iraq’s education is ongoing.</p> <p>Let’s present a few random facts that give an idea of the scale of the destruction of Iraq’s education sector under occupation:</p> <blockquote><ul> <li>The director[5] of the United Nations University International Leadership Institute published a report[6] on April 27, 2005, detailing that since the start of the war of 2003 some 84 percent of Iraq’s higher education institutions have been burnt, looted or destroyed[7]. </li> <li>Like most higher education institutions across Iraq, Baghdad University escaped almost unscathed from the bombing. In the subsequent looting and burning, 20 of the capital’s colleges were destroyed. No institution escaped: the faculty of education in Waziriyya was raided daily for two weeks; the veterinary college in Abu Ghraib lost all its equipment; two buildings in the faculty of fine arts stand smoke-blackened against the skyline. In every college, in every classroom, you could write "education" in the dust on the tables.[8] </li> <li>Ongoing violence has destroyed school buildings, and about a quarter of all Iraq’s primary schools need major rehabilitation. Since March 2003, more than 700 primary schools have been bombed, 200 have been burnt and over 3,000 looted. </li> <li>Between March 2003 and October 2008, 31,598 violent attacks against educational institutions were reported in Iraq, according to the Ministry of Education (MoE).[9] </li> <li>Since 2007, bombings at Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad have killed or maimed more than 335 students and staff members, according to a October 19, 2009, New York Times article, and a 12-foot-high blast wall has been built around the campus.[10] </li> <li>"Education under Attack (2007) reported that 296 people serving as education staff were killed in 2005; and 180 teachers were killed between February and November 2006.[11] </li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>These are just a few examples to highlight the level of cultural genocide in Iraq. The list is endless, the real number of casualties much higher. More information can be found in the book "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq" and in the BRussells Tribunal archives on Iraqi education under occupation, perhaps the most comprehensive database on the Internet about the assassination of Iraqi academics and the destruction of Iraq’s education.[12] Our campaign to protect Iraqi academics[13] is still ongoing, because the tragedy continues. The UNESCO report "Education Under Attack 2010 – Iraq" is very clear: "Attacks on education targets continued throughout 2007 and 2008 at a lower rate – but one that would cause serious concern in any other country." Why didn’t it cause serious concern? Is it because it’s of US design?</p> <p>The petition we issued, also containing a call for action, is still valid today and can still be signed: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.petitiononline.com/Iraqacad/petition.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.petitiononline.com/Iraqacad/petition.html</a>. An excerpt:</p> <blockquote><p>1. We appeal to organisations which work to enforce or defend international humanitarian law to put these crimes on the agenda.</p> </blockquote> <blockquote><p>2. We request that an independent international investigation be launched immediately to probe these extrajudicial killings. This investigation should also examine the issue of responsibility to clearly identify who is accountable for this state of affairs. We appeal to the special rapporteur on summary executions at UNHCHR in Geneva.</p> <p>We urge that educators mobilise colleagues and concerned citizens to take up the cause of the salvation of Iraq’s intellectual wealth, by organising seminars, teach-ins and forums on the plight of Iraq’s academics.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Occupying Schools</strong></p> <p>When writing "Killing the Intellectual Class" for the book "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq," I added a short story about occupation of schools by the MNF-I (Multinational Force-Iraq, the official name of the American-led foreign forces):</p> <blockquote><p>"it certainly is our policy to not establish military headquarters or other operations in protected areas under the Geneva Convention," said Lt. Col. Gary Keck, a spokesman for the Department of Defense in Washington, when a journalist asked why the US army occupied a girls’ and boys’ school of a town in northern Iraq.[14]</p> </blockquote> <p>At a UN press briefings in Amman on April 30, 2003, the question was asked:" Do you know of any other schools that are still occupied and would you ask them of making a point to stay away from the schools, so they can be rehabilitated?"</p> <p>S. Ingram answered, "I am not aware of any other places that this situation holds. I remember the incident you referred to, there was a school in the north and some contacts were necessary to persuade the US troops there to leave the premises, which they subsequently did. I am not aware of any other places were schools are being occupied."[15]</p> <p>"I am not aware" – a pack of lies. Because occupying schools is exactly what the US Army did (and still does) on a regular basis. I heard and read numerous eyewitness accounts about Iraqi protests after US forces occupied schools and educational institutions.</p> <p>The origins of armed resistance in Fallujah f.i. can be traced almost precisely to April 28, 2003, when US troops, who had arrived in the city five days earlier, massacred 17 apparently unarmed protesters. The April 28 protest had demanded an end to Fallujah’s occupation and, more specifically, that US troops vacate the al Qaid primary school, where classes had been scheduled to resume on April 29.[16]</p> <p>And it continued. On February 29, 2008, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMSI) published a press release condemning the American occupation forces for the seizure of an Islamic Secondary School in Baghdad.</p> <p>On May 1, 2008, the Iraqi News Agency "Voices of Iraq," reported, "The US military withdrew from a building of the education department in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, which they used it as a barrack last month."[17]</p> <p>This was basically all the hard information I had found about the occupation of educational institutions by the occupation forces and I thought the evidence was a little thin to make a decent case, so I decided not to use it for the book.</p> <p>But, now, I read in the UNESCO report 2010: "MNF-I, the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police units occupied more than 70 school buildings for military purposes in the Diyala governorate alone."[18]</p> <p>This is only in one province. There’s no information at my disposal about the other regions, but we can almost certainly conclude that occupying schools by occupation forces was/is a general phenomenon throughout Iraq. Where else would you station a one million strong army and security forces?</p> <p>On April 11, 2003, a number of Iraqi scientists and university professors sent an SOS email complaining American occupation forces were threatening their lives.<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime58159#19">[19]</a> The appeal message said that looting and robberies were taking place under the watchful eye of the occupation soldiers.</p> <p>The occupation soldiers, the email added, were transporting mobs to the scientific institutions, such as Mosul University and different educational institutions, to destroy scientific research centers and confiscate all papers and documents to nip in the bud any Iraqi scientific renaissance.<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime58159#20">[20]</a></p> <p>John Agresto, in charge of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in 2003-2004, initially believed that the looting of Iraq’s universities was a positive act in that it would allow such institutions to begin again with a clean slate, with the newest equipment as well as a brand new curriculum.[21]</p> <p>The Hague IV Conventions<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime58159#22">[22] </a>on Laws and Customs of War on Land, 1917, make explicit, in Article 56, that educational institutions are to be regarded as private property, and, thus, must not be pillaged or destroyed, that occupying forces in war are bound to protect such property and that proceedings should follow their intentional damage, seizure or destruction. Article 55 reinforces this duty relative to all public buildings and capital. Further, an occupying power is obliged, according to Articles 43 and 46, to protect life and take all steps in its power to re-establish and ensure "public order and safety."</p> <p>In addition, The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict[23] (ratified by the Republic of Iraq in 1967) creates a clear obligation to protect museums, libraries, archives, and other sites of cultural property. Paragraph 1 of Article 4 notes: "The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect cultural property situated within their own territory as well as within the territory of other High Contracting Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings or of the appliances in use for its protection for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict; and by refraining from any act of hostility, directed against such property."</p> <p>Using schools and universities for military purposes; destroying educational institutions and assisting in looting; criminal neglect when educational staff is being harassed and assassinated; dismantling the Iraqi education system; and active involvement in training, funding and arming murderous militia’s … War crime upon war crime upon war crime.</p> <p>When will there be justice for Iraq? When will there be a serious investigation into these crimes by official international human rights bodies? And who will charge the successive Anglo-American administrations for war crimes and crimes against humanity?</p> <p><a name="1">[1] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://portal.unesco.org/es/ev.php-URL_ID=11216&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://portal.unesco.org/es/ev.php-URL_ID=11216&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html</a></p> <p><a name="2">[2] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAS505B.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAS505B.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&CID=BRUSSELLS" name="3">[3] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&CID=BRUSSELLS" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&CID=BRUSSELLS</a></p> <p><a name="4">[4]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html</a></p> <p><a name="5">[5]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.la.unu.edu/about_staff_reddy.asp" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.la.unu.edu/about_staff_reddy.asp</a></p> <p><a name="6">[6]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.unu.edu/news/ili/Iraq.doc" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.unu.edu/news/ili/Iraq.doc</a></p> <p><a name="7">[7] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academicspetition.htm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academicspetition.htm</a></p> <p><a name="8">[8] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/academicsArticles.htm#weed-out" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.brusselstribunal.org/academicsArticles.htm#weed-out</a></p> <p><a name="9">[9]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html</a></p> <p><a name="10">[10] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/2009-10/March/Iraq-professor-409.cfm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/2009-10/March/Iraq-professor-409.cfm</a></p> <p><a name="11">[11]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html</a></p> <p><a name="12">[12]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/AcademicsResources.htm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.brusselstribunal.org/AcademicsResources.htm</a></p> <p><a name="13">[13]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academics.htm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academics.htm</a></p> <p><a name="14">[14] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0404/p07s01-woiq.html" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0404/p07s01-woiq.html</a></p> <p><a name="15">[15]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/iraq/infocusnews.asp?NewsID=509&sID=9" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/iraq/infocusnews.asp?NewsID=509&sID=9</a></p> <p><a name="16">[16] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2183.cfm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2183.cfm</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/17/iraq.rorymccarthy" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/17/iraq.rorymccarthy</a></p> <p><a name="17">[17]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-01-05-2008&article=30525" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-01-05-2008&article=30525</a></p> <p><a name="18">[18] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2003-04/12/article02.shtml" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b7aa9df5.html</a></p> <p><a name="19">[19] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2003-04/12/article02.shtml" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2003-04/12/article02.shtml</a></p> <p><a name="20">[20]</a> Dirk Adriaensens in "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq," p. 119. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&</a></p> <p><a name="21">[21] </a>Nabil al-Tikriti in "Cultural Cleansing in Iraq," p. 98. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745328126&</a></p> <p><a name="22">[22] </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/lawofwar/hague04.htm" class="external" target="_blank">http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/lawofwar/hague04.htm</a></p> <p><a name="23">[23]</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13637&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html ">http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13637&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html </a></p> <p><a title="t r u t h o u t | Destroying Educational Institutions or Using Them for Military Purposes Is a War Crime" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.truthout.org/destroying-educational-institutions-or-using-them-military-purposes-is-a-war-crime58159" class="external" target="_blank">t r u t h o u t | Destroying Educational Institutions or Using Them for Military Purposes Is a War Crime</a></p> <p>Source: Dirk Adriaensens <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/" class="external" target="_blank">People vs Total War Incorporated</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academics230310.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Destroying Educational Institutions or Using them for Military Purposes is a War Crime</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7805"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/03/obama-with-blood-on-his-hands/#respond" title="Comment on Obama with Blood on His Hands">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/03/obama-with-blood-on-his-hands/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Obama with Blood on His Hands">Obama with Blood on His Hands</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/war-crimes/" title="View all posts in War Crimes" rel="category tag">War Crimes</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/american-air-attacks-on-civilian-areas/" rel="tag">American air attacks on civilian areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/american-attacks-on-civilians/" rel="tag">American attacks on civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/american-sniper-attacks-on-civilians/" rel="tag">American sniper attacks on civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/american-war-crimes/" rel="tag">American War Crimes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilian-casualties/" rel="tag">Civilian casualties</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east-online/" rel="tag">Middle East Online</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/occupation/" rel="tag">occupation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/people-on-war-red-cross-report/" rel="tag">People on War - Red Cross Report</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reparations/" rel="tag">reparations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/torture/" rel="tag">Torture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/war-crimes/" rel="tag">War Crimes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"> <p>US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have operated under standing orders to ‘call for fire’ (an air-strike) whenever resistance fighters take cover in a house or apartment building, even when large numbers of civilians may also be inside the building, notes <b>Nicolas J S Davies</b>. </p> <p><em>Editor’s Note:</em>  The "People on War" project on rules to limit violence in warfare launched by the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" class="external" target="_blank">ICRC</a> in August 1999 the results were compiled into the "The People on War report: ICRC worldwide consultation on the rules of war" The ICRC’s web page dedicated to the report can be found <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/p0758" target="_blank" class="external">at this link</a> and can be <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/p0758/$File/ICRC_002_0758.PDF" target="_blank" class="external">downloaded directly as a PDF by following this link</a>. </p> </p></div> <p>President Barack Obama carefully avoided describing his decision to dispatch 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan as an "escalation," but that is what he announced. </p> <p>So what will his decision to pour more troops, weapons and tons of ammunition into this already war-ravaged country really mean, for Americans and for the people of Afghanistan? </p> <p>On Sept. 4, German forces in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan called in a US air strike on two fuel tankers that had been captured by "anti-coalition forces" (ACF). </p> <p>German officials knew that there was a crowd of civilians around the tankers helping themselves to a windfall of free fuel, but they called in the air strike anyway. This was a clear violation of the laws of war, which prohibit attacking civilians even when there are believed to be combatants amongst them. </p> <p>In the aftermath of the attack, it was found that 142 people had been killed, and that the great majority of them were civilians. </p> <p>General Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the Chief of Staff of the German Army, and Franz Josef Jung, who was the Defense Minister at the time, were both forced to resign, and Peter Wichert, the junior civilian official who approved the air strike, was suspended. </p> <p>An obvious question must occur to Americans reading this tragic story. We know that thousands of US air strikes have killed tens or even hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why has no US general or defense secretary resigned over any of those incidents? </p> <p>In other ways, the stories in the press have followed the same pattern. They begin with denials and assertions that only combatants were targeted and killed. Then there are investigations, and eventually US officials admit that they killed large numbers of civilians, although the figure acknowledged is always less than that cited in reports by UN or local officials. </p> <p>But nobody is court martialed, and nobody resigns. We’ve all seen this story repeated dozens of times since 2001. </p> <p><b>Air Strikes </b></p> <p>In reality, US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have operated under standing orders to "call for fire" (an air-strike) whenever resistance fighters take cover in a house or apartment building, even when large numbers of civilians may also be inside the building. </p> <p>The overriding priorities have always been to avoid risking American lives in dangerous house searches and to kill "insurgents." </p> <p>Human rights reports by the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) have documented many such incidents in which civilians have been killed, as well as extensive discussions between UN and US officials about them. </p> <p>For instance, in its human rights report for the 2nd quarter of 2007, UNAMI insisted that American air strikes in densely populated civilian areas were violations of international law. </p> <p>The section of the report headed "MNF (multi-national force) military operations and the killing of civilians" included this footnote: </p> <p>"Customary international humanitarian law demands that, as much as possible, military objectives must not be located within areas densely populated by civilians. The presence of individual combatants among a great number of civilians does not alter the civilian character of an area." </p> <p>The report demanded, "that all credible allegations of unlawful killings by MNF forces be thoroughly, promptly and impartially investigated, and appropriate action taken against military personnel found to have used excessive or indiscriminate force… The initiation of investigation into such incidents, as well as their findings, should be made public." </p> <p>On further examination, the contrast between American and international responses to the killing of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan has roots that extend well beyond these immediate incidents and the officials involved. </p> <p>American attitudes to protecting civilians in wartime and other requirements of international humanitarian law differ sharply from those of people in other countries. </p> <p>This dichotomy raises questions of collective responsibility for war crimes that implicate American civil society as a whole, from our media and educational systems to our fundamental view of ourselves as a civilized people. </p> <p>And it has made occupation by American forces especially dangerous and deadly for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. </p> <p><b>Public Attitudes</b></p> <p>The People on War report by the International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) illustrates the dichotomy very well. </p> <p>To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions in 1999, the ICRC conducted a survey of 17,000 people in 17 countries to see how well people understood the restrictions that the Geneva Conventions place on military forces in order to protect civilians, combatants and prisoners in wartime. </p> <p>The 17 countries surveyed included 12 that had recently experienced war on their own soil, four permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Switzerland, where the ICRC is based. </p> <p>The report noted that war has changed over the past century. Whereas about 86 percent of the people killed in the First World War were actual combatants, 90 percent of those killed in contemporary wars are civilians. </p> <p>The report concluded that, in the modern world, "war is war on civilians." It went on: </p> <p>"The more these conflicts have degenerated into wars on civilians, the more people have reacted by reaffirming the norms, traditions, conventions and rules that seek to create a barrier between those who carry arms into battle and the civilian population. </p> <p>“In the face of unending violence, these populations have not abandoned their principles nor forsaken their traditions. Large majorities in every war-torn country reject attacks on civilians in general and a wide range of actions that by design or default could harm the innocent. </p> <p>“The experience has heightened consciousness of what is right and wrong in war. People in battle zones across the globe are looking to forces in civil society, their own state institutions, and international organizations to assert themselves and impose limits that will protect civilians." </p> <p><b>Protecting Civilians</b></p> <p>People in the United States, Great Britain, Russia, France and Switzerland were asked about the importance of protecting civilians in time of war. </p> <p>They were asked to choose between a firm statement that combatants "must attack only other combatants and leave civilians alone" and a weaker one that "combatants should avoid civilians as much as possible." </p> <p>In Great Britain (72 percent), Russia (77 percent), France (76 percent) and Switzerland (77 percent), about three quarters of those surveyed chose the absolute prohibition on attacking civilians, which in fact accords with international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention, while 17 percent in Russia and France, 16 percent in Switzerland and 26 percent in Britain chose the weaker one. </p> <p>In the United States, however, a different pattern emerged. Only 52 percent agreed that combatants "must leave civilians alone," while 42 percent chose the weaker option, roughly twice as many as in the other countries. </p> <p>The report said, "Across a wide range of questions, in fact, American attitudes towards attacks on civilians were much more lax." </p> <p>A similar discrepancy emerged in response to questions about torture and the treatment of prisoners of war. More than one in three Americans thought that torture could be justified, compared with 19 percent in Britain and 10 percent in France. </p> <p>The survey also asked questions about the Geneva Conventions themselves. Respondents were asked whether they believed that the Conventions can help prevent wars from getting worse or whether they "make no real difference." </p> <p>Only a minority (28 percent) of people in the 12 countries that had experienced war thought the conventions "make no real difference," along with 33 percent of Russians and 45 percent in France. </p> <p>But a majority of British (55 percent) and Americans (57 percent) agreed with the statement that the Conventions "make no real difference." </p> <p>Why are "American attitudes towards attacks on civilians more lax" than the attitudes of people in other countries? </p> <p>This is a form of American exceptionalism, but Americans have generally believed that they are exceptional in their commitment to justice and human rights, not in their disregard for them. </p> <p><b>Breakdown of Norms</b></p> <p>When the victims of war in the People on War survey were asked to explain the breakdown in civilized norms that led to combatants killing civilians, they chose the will to win at any cost and disrespect for the laws of war as the two principal factors. </p> <p>Another reasonable explanation they offered placed greater responsibility with political and military leaders, and seems relevant to the case of the United States: </p> <p>"Many people think the limits are breached because ordinary people have been ordered to harass, dislodge or even attack civilian populations, sometimes uncomfortably at odds with their own beliefs and prevailing norms. </p> <p>“Political and military leaders, it is believed, have chosen to pursue the battle in ways that endanger civilians, but people are prepared to believe that the leaders have a plan or a good reason for their course of action. At the very least, they are ready to follow their orders, because as ordinary people they have little choice." </p> <p>But these general explanations don’t account for the discrepancy in the case of the United States. There must be specific factors in the US educational and doctrinal system that result in either a lower regard for the lives of people in other countries or a disrespect for the laws of war or both. </p> <p>Without further research, it is hard to be specific, but several factors that make the United States exceptional spring to mind. </p> <p>One factor could be that Americans have not experienced war on their own soil since the American Civil War. Americans may therefore find it harder to empathize with the predicament of civilians in war-zones. </p> <p>Or perhaps Americans have been gradually conditioned over time by deferential political and media responses to the killing of civilians by US forces to regard it as regrettable but acceptable. </p> <p>Or American leaders may have made a more or less conscious choice not to educate people about the laws of war for fear that that might weaken the United States’ ability to commit military forces to combat or limit the ways in which they could be used. </p> <p>But in that case we would still have to explain the difference between American leaders and their counterparts in other countries. </p> <p><b>Crossing Lines</b></p> <p>The history of US wars, covert operations and proxy wars that have killed millions of people all over the world, must also be relevant. Covert forms of violence in particular, by their very nature, violate both laws and moral codes. </p> <p>When the United States has already crossed legal and moral lines on such a scale since it signed the conventions in 1949, perhaps it is unrealistic to expect the public to respect rules that its government so flagrantly disrespects. </p> <p>Some combination of these factors (isolation from the reality of war; the more deferential attitude of US media; a deliberate lack of education in this area; and the corrosive effect of the government’s own actions) may account for the unique results in the American portion of the People on War survey. </p> <p>Whatever accounts for our country’s disrespect for the laws of war, we cannot deny our collective responsibility for its consequences. While international law holds individuals responsible for war crimes, it also holds countries that commit war crimes collectively responsible for compensating their victims. </p> <p>Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is a group of Americans who are uniquely qualified to assess the collective responsibility of the United States for the death and destruction inflicted on the people of Iraq. </p> <p>IVAW has three principal demands. In addition to calling for the immediate withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, and for adequate medical treatment and benefits for veterans, IVAW insists that the United States should pay reparations to Iraq. </p> <p>Reparations are the traditional means of assessing collective responsibility for aggression and other war crimes committed by one country against another. </p> <p>Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, a UN Compensation Commission ordered Iraq to pay $52.5 billion in reparations to the government of Kuwait and its people. </p> <p>A just imposition of US reparations to Iraq would help to compensate some of the victims and rebuild some of Iraq’s devastated infrastructure. And it could have an important added benefit. It might just teach us to take international law more seriously in the future. </p> <p><b>Soldiers and the Rules</b></p> <p>People on War also surveyed members of the armed forces in each country, and found little difference between the attitudes of military personnel and civilians. </p> <p>This seems to confirm the premise of the study that it is the general attitudes of civilian populations that countries send to war with their soldiers. </p> <p>The general lack of education in the United States could be overcome by intensive emphasis and education on the laws of war within its armed forces. </p> <p>So it is unfortunate that the United States armed forces do not have such a program. Each soldier receives only a one-hour lecture on the laws of war during basic training and a refresher prior to deployment to a theater of war. </p> <p>An officer I spoke to in the Centcom press office and other soldiers I’ve talked to remembered their JAG lecture covering the treatment of prisoners but couldn’t remember what was said about the 4th Geneva Convention, which defines the responsibilities of occupying forces toward civilians. </p> <p>This of course stands in stark contrast with the provisions of the Convention itself. Article 144 of the Convention requires that, "Any civilian, military, police or other authorities, who in time of war assume responsibilities in respect of protected persons, must possess the text of the Convention and be specially instructed as to its provisions". </p> <p>Once in theater, military training and discipline is designed to produce unquestioning obedience to orders, but even the basic accountability of a military chain of command has been subverted throughout US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. </p> <p>The National Guard unit from my neighborhood in Miami found themselves guarding Iraqi prisoners at Al-Assad air-base, preparing them for interrogation with techniques of sleep deprivation and death threats. </p> <p>But the only orders their officers gave them were to do whatever they were told by "spooks," known by code-names like "Scooter" and "Bear." They had no idea who was really issuing their orders or from what military or civilian agency they originated. </p> <p>Accountability for the crimes they were committing was not just absent – it was carefully and deliberately forestalled. </p> <p><b>Killing Civilians</b></p> <p>But the most far-reaching breakdown of the laws of war is the failure to make the fundamental distinction between civilians and combatants. This is especially difficult for soldiers in hostile occupied territory where any civilian can become a resistance fighter. </p> <p>But the laws of war are clear that the distinction must be made on an individual basis and that collective punishment of groups or communities of people because of the actions of a few of them is prohibited. </p> <p>In Afghanistan and Iraq, without proper training or strict discipline, US forces have often come to treat all adult males and teenage boys as "insurgents." </p> <p>At a court martial for murder at Camp Pendleton in California on July 14, 2007, a Marine Corporal testified for the defense that he did not see the cold-blooded killing of an innocent civilian as a summary execution. </p> <p>"I see it as killing the enemy", he told the court, adding that, "Marines consider all Iraqi men part of the insurgency." </p> <p>When this attitude extends to senior officers, it inevitably permeates the forces under their command. </p> <p>Following the cold-blooded murders of three civilians on an island in Lake Tharthar in northern Iraq, a court martial heard that the colonel in command of the brigade had given the order at the outset of the operation to "kill all military-age males." </p> <p>When the troops did not immediately kill two of the men, a sergeant at company headquarters asked over the radio why they had not killed them as they’d been ordered to do. They then told the men to run away and shot them in the back. </p> <p>The colonel was allowed to testify in secret at the court martial of his troops and he was not charged with a crime. </p> <p>Iraqi towns besieged by US forces were sealed off with barbed wire and earthen berms and denied food, water, electricity and medicine, a classic case of collective punishment. </p> <p>Any resistance to these medieval siege techniques became a pretext for air strikes and artillery fire into the besieged towns. </p> <p><b>The Assault on Fallujah</b></p> <p>In the case of Fallujah, an all-out aerial and ground assault was launched on a city where UN officials estimated that 50,000 civilians remained trapped. </p> <p>US forces had set up checkpoints around the city to prevent men and boys between the ages of 15 and 55 from fleeing the kill-zone before the assault began. </p> <p>But, unlike the civilians, the Iraqi Resistance was able to evade the US cordon, and it redeployed about half of its forces to Mosul and elsewhere before the attack. </p> <p>This forced US commanders to withdraw the two Stryker battalions manning the cordon around Fallujah four days into the battle as resistance erupted in Mosul. That maneuver, in turn, permitted most of the estimated 1,000 Resistance fighters remaining in Fallujah to escape. </p> <p>US Marines and air forces killed an estimated 4,000 civilians in Fallujah. </p> <p>In a flagrant violation of the 1st Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, US Marines are trained to "dead-check" wounded resistance fighters. </p> <p>"They teach us to do dead-checking when we’re clearing rooms," a marine told Evan Wright of the Village Voice. "You put two bullets into the guy’s chest and one in the brain. But when you enter a room where guys are wounded you might not know if they’re alive or dead. So they teach you to dead-check them by pressing them in the eye with your boot, because generally a person, even if he’s faking being dead, will flinch if you poke him there. If he moves, you put a bullet in the brain." </p> <p><b>‘Amoral’ Behavior</b></p> <p>Many present-day Americans have accepted the pseudo-realist proposition that foreign policy is "amoral" and that our country’s war crimes are just part of a long and inevitable history of murderous and extra-legal behavior. </p> <p>This indoctrination may partially explain the results of the People on War survey. But it is not historically accurate. </p> <p>The United States emerged onto the world scene at the end of the 19th century with a genuinely new vision of international affairs. American diplomats and international lawyers led the "legalist" movement to construct a legal framework for international politics. </p> <p>With American leadership, diplomats and international lawyers from the major powers negotiated mechanisms to peacefully resolve disputes; to establish international courts; to codify customary international law into explicit international treaties; and to regulate the conduct of war so as to limit some of its most horrific consequences. </p> <p>They achieved limited but real progress, leading to the Hague peace conferences (1899 & 1907), the League of Nations, the Permanent Court of International Justice (1922), the Kellogg Briand Pact (1928) to "renounce war as an instrument of national policy," and eventually to the United Nations Charter (1945) and the Geneva Conventions (1949). </p> <p>The UN Charter brought together many elements of the earlier treaties and institutions in a comprehensive system dedicated to peace as the predominant value and goal in international affairs. </p> <p>The civilized norms established through this process did not originally extend to US or European colonies, and the United States historically regarded the sovereignty of small countries in Central America and the Caribbean as subservient to its own interests. </p> <p>However, with the end of the colonial era, the legal framework of international law was extended to apply to people everywhere on the basis of universally recognized rights. </p> <p>The UN Charter, which originally offered protection from foreign aggression to the people of only 51 member countries, now extends to 192 countries. </p> <p>America’s commitment to the framework of international law that its former leaders and diplomats worked so hard to construct has gradually been eroded by a dangerous belief that its own military power can replace the rules and institutions of international law as the ultimate arbiter of international affairs. </p> <p><b>Since the Cold War</b></p> <p>This erosion has accelerated since the end of the Cold War. In 1997, the Quadrennial Defense Review published by the US Department of Defense violated the United Nations Charter by explicitly threatening unilateral military action to gain access to economic and strategic resources in other countries: </p> <p>"When the interests at stake are vital…we should do whatever it takes to defend them, including, when necessary, the unilateral use of military power. US vital national interests include, but are not limited to… preventing the emergence of a hostile regional coalition … (and) ensuring uninhibited access to key markets, energy supplies and strategic resources." </p> <p>Different countries’ "vital national interests" frequently come into conflict with each other, so that justifying military action based on "defending vital interests" simply resurrects the central historical problem of international relations. </p> <p>This is the very problem that the legalist approach to international relations was designed to resolve. </p> <p>As the senior British legal adviser told his government during the Suez crisis, "The plea of vital interest, which has been one of the main justifications for wars in the past, is indeed the very one which the UN Charter was intended to exclude." </p> <p>But it is only in this decade that the desire of American leaders to replace the rule of international law with the rule of US military power has been seriously tested in the real world, and the results have been catastrophic. </p> <p>Instead of responding to terrorism by applying and strengthening the rule of international law, the United States trapped itself in a downward spiral in which its weakening economic position, its opportunistic and illegal applications of military force and the growing confidence of all who seek to break free of its control are reinforcing each other to exacerbate the underlying crisis in its political economy. </p> <p>The opportunities that the Obama administration has missed to break this downward spiral during its first year in office may come to haunt the United States for the remainder of its history. </p> <p>The decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan stands as a critical mistake, and reveals that US leaders remain largely oblivious to their own folly. Despite all the evidence of recent history, they remain incapable of judging how other people and countries will react to American violence. </p> <p>If we doubt that the corporate-backed US regime is ultimately susceptible to overwhelming public pressure, we only have to look at other countries. It was public pressure on US allies that stranded the United States as a lonely occupier in Iraq. </p> <p>The Netherlands is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan in 2010, followed by Canada in 2011. With enough public and international pressure, President Obama and his corporate backers will abandon a war that they can never win and that, like Iraq, is progressively undermining Brand USA. </p> <p>If President Obama finds it politically impossible to withdraw, his successor will do so, but how many people must die for his doomed ambitions and the dictates of our plutocratic political system? </p> <p><b>Nicolas J S Davies</b> is the author of <i>Blood on our hands: the American invasion and destruction of Iraq</i>, due out in March. He is a writer and activist in Miami, where he coordinates the Miami chapter of Progressive Democrats of America (www.pdamerica.org). </p> <p>Source: <a title="Obama with Blood on His Hands" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=36035" class="external" target="_blank">Obama with Blood on His Hands</a>  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/" class="external" target="_blank">Middle East Online</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7331"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/09/15/indiscriminate-attacks-take-heavy-toll-on-civilians-international-committee-of-red-cross-activities-in-irak-august-2009/#comments" title="Comment on Indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians – International Committee of Red Cross activities in Irak: August 2009">2 Comments</a></span> Posted on September 15th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/09/15/indiscriminate-attacks-take-heavy-toll-on-civilians-international-committee-of-red-cross-activities-in-irak-august-2009/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians – International Committee of Red Cross activities in Irak: August 2009">Indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians – International Committee of Red Cross activities in Irak: August 2009</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/children/" title="View all posts in Children" rel="category tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/camp-bucca/" rel="tag">Camp Bucca</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/camp-taji/" rel="tag">Camp Taji</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilian-casualties/" rel="tag">Civilian casualties</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dahuk-dohuk-governorate/" rel="tag">Dahuk (Dohuk) (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" rel="tag">Diyala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dohuk-emergency-hospital/" rel="tag">Dohuk Emergency Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/du/" rel="tag">DU</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erbil/" rel="tag">Erbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-handouts/" rel="tag">food handouts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-parcels/" rel="tag">Food parcels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fort-suse-prison/" rel="tag">Fort Suse Prison</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hamdaniya/" rel="tag">Hamdaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hit/" rel="tag">Hit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene-kits/" rel="tag">hygiene kits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icrc/" rel="tag">ICRC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/idps-internal-refugees/" rel="tag">IDPs (Internal Refugees)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/imam-ali-hospital/" rel="tag">Imam Ali Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/infrastructure/" rel="tag">infrastructure</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran-iraq-war/" rel="tag">Iran-Iraq War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran-iraq-war-body-recovery/" rel="tag">Iran-Iraq War - body recovery</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jakob-kellenberger/" rel="tag">Jakob Kellenberger</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/juan-pedro-schaerer/" rel="tag">Juan-Pedro Schaerer</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khalis/" rel="tag">Khalis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khanaqin/" rel="tag">Khanaqin</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khanaqin-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Khanaqin General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/law-respect-for/" rel="tag">Law - Respect for</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mandali/" rel="tag">Mandali</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mandali-primary-health-care-centre/" rel="tag">Mandali primary health-care centre</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/najaf/" rel="tag">Najaf</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" rel="tag">Ninawa (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/orthotics/" rel="tag">orthotics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga/" rel="tag">Peshmerga</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prison-visits/" rel="tag">prison visits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-families/" rel="tag">Prisoners' families</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons/" rel="tag">prisons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prosthetics/" rel="tag">prosthetics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ramadi/" rel="tag">Ramadi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescent/" rel="tag">Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/remembrance-ii-american-prison-camp/" rel="tag">Remembrance II American prison camp</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rice/" rel="tag">rice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rusafa/" rel="tag">Rusafa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rusafa-prison/" rel="tag">Rusafa prison</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city-hospital/" rel="tag">Sadr City (Hospital)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah-ad-din-governorate/" rel="tag">Salah ad Din (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah-al-din/" rel="tag">Salah al-Din</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/shock/" rel="tag">shock</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaymaniyah/" rel="tag">Sulaymaniyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/suleimaniya/" rel="tag">Suleimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/taji/" rel="tag">Taji</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tikrit/" rel="tag">Tikrit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tobji-juveniles-prison/" rel="tag">Tobji Juveniles Prison</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tripartite-commission/" rel="tag">Tripartite Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ur/" rel="tag">Ur</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vaccination/" rel="tag">vaccination</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vaccination-campaigns/" rel="tag">Vaccination campaigns</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treatment/" rel="tag">water treatment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wednesday-bombing/" rel="tag">Wednesday bombing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-poverty-of/" rel="tag">women - poverty of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" rel="tag">Women and Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-detainees/" rel="tag">women detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/yarmouk-hospital/" rel="tag">Yarmouk Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84/" rel="tag">الموصل</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>In response to massive blasts that shook the country in August, resulting in hundreds of casualties in Baghdad and elsewhere, the ICRC rushed emergency supplies to medical facilities. This is an update on these and other ICRC activities carried out in Iraq in August 2009.</p> <h3>Overview</h3> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"> <p>Help the victims of war: make a donation to the ICRC today</p> <p>"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) relies on everyone’s commitment to the humanitarian cause and its underlying values. The strongest possible support from individuals, companies and foundations is essential if we are to meet the challenges we are currently facing. Your support to ICRC is more than just a donation – it is a true act of humanity. Thank you". <b>Jakob Kellenberger, President of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a></b></p> <p><a title="Donate to the International Committee of the Red Cross" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/forms/webforms.nsf/F_DON?OpenForm&ParentUNID=F560E328F1874210C12570DD003BAFBE" target="_blank" class="external">Yes! I want to make a difference by donating online now</a></p> </p></div> <p>Over the month of August, hundreds of people paid the price for indiscriminate attacks in many parts of the country. Baghdadis were shocked by a wave of massive blasts that rocked the capital, leaving behind hundreds of civilian casualties in addition to major property losses. </p> <p>"The level of insecurity in Iraq remains high and should not be accepted as somehow ‘normal’ or unavoidable," said Juan-Pedro Schaerer, head of the ICRC delegation for Iraq. In the governorates of Baghdad, Ninewa and Diyala, many Iraqis live in constant fear for their lives whenever they leave their houses, as anyone could be hit simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. </p> <p>To help medical facilities cope with the influx of wounded people, around nine tonnes of surgical materials and other medical supplies were delivered to Baghdad Teaching Hospital in Baghdad governorate, to Mosul General Hospital, Hamdaniya General Hospital and Bartilla primary health-care centre in Ninewa governorate, and to Dohuk Emergency Hospital in Dohuk governorate.</p> <h3>Helping families obtain information about their relatives missing since the 1990-1991 Gulf War</h3> <p>Hundreds of thousands of families in Iraq are longing to obtain news of those who vanished in the armed conflicts of recent decades. The authorities concerned must do everything in their power, in accordance with international humanitarian law, to clarify what happened to those who went missing in armed conflicts and to provide the families with any information they obtain. </p> <p>The Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, investigating cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 61st session in August in Kuwait. The meeting was chaired by the ICRC and attended by the Commission’s members: Iraq, Kuwait and the Coalition (France, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States). The members reiterated their commitment to take every possible measure to fulfil their obligations and provide information that could explain what happened to those who went missing. In particular, they took steps that are likely to lead to the exhumation of sites that have been identified in Iraq and Kuwait. </p> <h3>Visiting detainees and helping them to maintain contact with their families</h3> <p>The ICRC regularly visits detention facilities to monitor treatment and conditions of detention. In August, ICRC delegates visited detainees:</p> <ul> <li>in US custody in Taji and Remembrance II, both in Baghdad Governorate; </li> <li>held in Tobji Juvenile Detention Facility (Baghdad Governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in Khalis Police Station (Diyala Governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Interior, and in Fort Suse Federal Prison (Suleimaniya governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Justice; </li> <li>in 10 prisons in Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya governorates under the authority of the Ministry of Social Affairs and various security forces in northern Iraq, including Assayesh. </li> </ul> <p>The ICRC helps the detainees and their families to keep in touch by exchanging Red Cross messages, which are collected and distributed in cooperation with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, and by providing financial support enabling families to travel to Basra, in the southern part of the country, to visit relatives detained in Camp Bucca. In August, more than 300 detainees were visited by their relatives and almost 4,750 Red Cross messages were exchanged within Iraq and with other countries. </p> <p>Also in August, the ICRC helped eight foreign detainees released from Rusafa Prison in Baghdad to contact their respective embassies or the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to arrange for their return to their home countries. The ICRC directly facilitated the repatriations of a Bangladeshi, a Sudanese and a Palestinian, all of whom wanted to return home. </p> <h3>Support for limb-fitting centres</h3> <p>In addition to medical assistance provided for health facilities, the ICRC also supports 11 limb-fitting and rehabilitation centres run by the Iraqi Ministry of Health by providing equipment and training. In August, the ICRC awarded three-year scholarships to two Iraqis for training in prosthetics and orthotics, raising the number of scholarships granted to seven.</p> <h3>Delivering aid to displaced and otherwise vulnerable people</h3> <p>In August, the ICRC gave food parcels, rice bags, hygiene kits and towels sufficient for two months to about 15,600 internally displaced people (IDPs) – mainly families headed by women – in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah Al Din, Dohuk and Erbil governorates. </p> <p>The ICRC also provides support for income-generating and livelihood projects that enable communities to regain economic self-sufficiency. For example, more than 2,000 workers are supporting their families on the income they receive repairing and cleaning irrigation canals in Diyala, Erbil and Kirkuk governorates under a cash-for-work programme. </p> <p>In Kirkuk governorate, the ICRC vaccinated more than 21,700 sheep and 5,850 goats against pox. These animals provide an income for some 1,000 people.</p> <h3>Providing clean water</h3> <p>ICRC water engineers continued to repair and otherwise improve water infrastructure. In August, the ICRC:</p> <ul> <li>completed repair work on Al Wathba water treatment plant in Baghdad, serving around 100,000 people; </li> <li>installed a new submersible pump on the Korez bore well in Khanaqin town and connected it to the water network, thereby increasing the water supply for 660 residents; </li> <li>cleaned and sterilized the storage tanks and repaired the operating theatre at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf, which has 400 beds and serves around 546,000 inhabitants of Najaf city and nearby villages; </li> <li>finished building Al Resalah primary health-care centre, which can treat around 50 people per day and serves around 25,000 people in Wassit governorate; </li> <li>repaired two incinerators at Basra General Hospital, which has 600 beds; </li> <li>increased the pumping capacity, re-operated the filters and replaced the chemical treatment units and electromechanical works in New Tikrit Stage II water treatment plant in Salah Al-Din governorate, which provides water for around 80,000 people; </li> <li>finished building an emergency unit for al Hashimiyah Hospital, which has more than 100 beds, in Babil governorate; </li> <li>repaired the water treatment plant in Mandali, Diyala governorate, improving the quality of water provided for around 20,000 people, and covered the X-ray room in Mandali’s primary health-care centre with lead protection sheets, in addition to carrying out electrical work there. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Water was delivered by truck to:</strong> <ul> <li>4,500 displaced people, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and eight primary health-care centres in Sadr City, Al Kindi General Hospital, Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, and Al Rashad Psychiatry Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad. </li> </ul> <h3>Promoting international humanitarian law</h3> <p>Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within civil society. Within this framework, a series of presentations was organized for various audiences all over Iraq. </p> <p>Iraq is the ICRC’s second biggest operation worldwide, with more than 90 expatriates and around 530 national staff in Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Erbil, Suleimaniya, Dohuk, Ramadi and Khanaqin responding to the urgent needs of civilians adversely affected by the conflict.</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a title="Iraq: indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians - ICRC activities in August 2009 - Operational update posted 15 -September -2009" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/iraq-update-150909" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians – ICRC activities in August 2009 – Operational update posted 15 -September -2009</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7157"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/08/13/international-committe-of-red-cross-iraq-civilians-without-protection/#respond" title="Comment on International Committe of Red Cross : Iraq: civilians without protection">No Comments</a></span> Posted on August 13th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/08/13/international-committe-of-red-cross-iraq-civilians-without-protection/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to International Committe of Red Cross : Iraq: civilians without protection">International Committe of Red Cross : Iraq: civilians without protection</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/akre/" rel="tag">akre</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-hamdaniya-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Al Hamdaniya General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-jumhoury-teaching-hospital/" rel="tag">Al Jumhoury Teaching Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-jumhury-teaching-hospital-mosul/" rel="tag">Al Jumhury Teaching Hospital (Mosul)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-karkh/" rel="tag">al Karkh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-karkh-juvenile-detention-facility/" rel="tag">Al Karkh Juvenile Detention Facility</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-kindi/" rel="tag">Al Kindi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-mosul-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Al Mosul General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-mouafaqiya/" rel="tag">Al Mouafaqiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-rahma-najaf/" rel="tag">Al Rahma (Najaf)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-rashad/" rel="tag">al Rashad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-salam-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Al Salam General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-rashad-psychiatry-teaching-hospital/" rel="tag">Al-Rashad Psychiatry Teaching Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/aqra/" rel="tag">Aqra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/armed-conflict/" rel="tag">armed conflict</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baasheka/" rel="tag">Ba'asheka</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad-hospitals/" rel="tag">Baghdad Hospitals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bazwaya/" rel="tag">Bazwaya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bazwaya-primary-health-care-centre/" rel="tag">Bazwaya primary health-care centre</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" rel="tag">Bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/camp-bucca/" rel="tag">Camp Bucca</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dahuk-dohuk-governorate/" rel="tag">Dahuk (Dohuk) (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" rel="tag">Diyala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dohuk-emergency-hospital/" rel="tag">Dohuk Emergency Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drought/" rel="tag">drought</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erbil/" rel="tag">Erbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/euphrates-river/" rel="tag">Euphrates river,</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icrc/" rel="tag">ICRC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/idps-internal-refugees/" rel="tag">IDPs (Internal Refugees)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/imam-ali-hospital/" rel="tag">Imam Ali Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/infrastructure/" rel="tag">infrastructure</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kadhimya-maximum-security-prison/" rel="tag">Kadhimya Maximum Security Prison</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/karkh/" rel="tag">Karkh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khanaqin/" rel="tag">Khanaqin</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khanaqin-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Khanaqin General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mula-omar-village/" rel="tag">Mula Omar Village</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/najaf/" rel="tag">Najaf</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" rel="tag">Ninawa (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninewa/" rel="tag">Ninewa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons/" rel="tag">prisons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons-in-iraq/" rel="tag">prisons in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/qalawa-quarter-idp-camp/" rel="tag">Qalawa Quarter IDP camp</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rashad-mental-hospital/" rel="tag">Rashad Mental Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescent/" rel="tag">Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rescue-work/" rel="tag">Rescue Work</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rusafa/" rel="tag">Rusafa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rusafa-prison/" rel="tag">Rusafa prison</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city-hospital/" rel="tag">Sadr City (Hospital)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/samarra/" rel="tag">Samarra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/series/" rel="tag">Series</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/suleimaniya/" rel="tag">Suleimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/talafar-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Talafar General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-river/" rel="tag">Tigris River</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ur/" rel="tag">Ur</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-level/" rel="tag">water level</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-levels/" rel="tag">water levels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-storage/" rel="tag">Water storage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/who/" rel="tag">WHO</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/womens-health/" rel="tag">Women's health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/yarmouk-hospital/" rel="tag">Yarmouk Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84/" rel="tag">الموصل</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote><div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"> <p>The ICRC delegation in Iraq seize the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions to stress that the basic rules of the law of armed conflict remain as important as ever and that Iraqi civilians must be spared the effects of hostilities. Through the testimonies presented in this newsletter Iraqi men and women explain how recent events have affected them and their families. </p> <p><strong>Download and read in full:</strong> <img alt="Iraq: civilians without protection" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844im_/http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/icrceng.nsf/img/12-icon-icon_pdf/$File/icon_pdf.gif?OpenElement" border="0"/>  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-newsletter-120809/$File/Newsletter IQS violence agst civilians.pdf">Newsletter – civilians without protection </a></p> </p></div> <p>There is a common perception that the armed conflict in Iraq is largely over. However, widespread violence and a lack of respect for human life continue to affect the Iraqi people. Despite the decrease in the number of deaths and injuries this year compared with 2006 and 2007, violence remains a feature of everyday life. Now the concern is that people in Iraq and elsewhere may come to accept this high level of insecurity as somehow "normal" and unavoidable.</p> <p>Currently, about 500 people are killed on average every month and 2,000 wounded in mass explosions and indiscriminate attacks occurring mainly in Baghdad, Ninewa and Diyala governorates. Civilians are the primary victims of these incidents, which create a general sense of insecurity as anyone could be hit simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Women fear for themselves and their families every time they leave their homes to go to the market or accompany their children to school. Businesses are regularly destroyed or severely damaged in indiscriminate attacks, often leaving many families without their only source of income.</p> <p>International humanitarian law is designed to limit the effects of armed conflict and to protect those who are not or no longer participating in the fighting – an aim central to the four international treaties known as the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, which were adopted exactly 60 years ago today. This anniversary is an occasion to remember that a distinction must always be drawn between combatants and those taking no part in hostilities. <br/>Through the testimonies presented here Iraqi men and women explain how recent events have affected them and their families. These harrowing stories show that the current security situation and the resulting humanitarian needs still leave many Iraqi men and women uncertain about their future.</p> <p>We would like to seize the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions to stress that the basic rules of the law of armed conflict remain as important as ever and that Iraqi civilians must be spared the effects of hostilities. If that were to happen, there would be much less suffering.</p> <ul> <li>Update of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a> activities in Iraq for July 2009 in boxed section below: </li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Source: International Committe of Red Cross (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a>) Field Newsletter <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-newsletter-120809" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: civilians without protection</a></p> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 15px auto; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 95%; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"> <blockquote> <h3>13-08-2009  Operational update Iraq: helping the victims of bombings</h3> <p>The ICRC responded to urgent needs arising from indiscriminate attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians in July, and carried out other humanitarian activities for detainees and the civilian population. This is an update on ICRC activities in Iraq in July 2009. </p> <h4>Overview </h4> <p>Violence against civilians again made headlines during the month of July. A series of severe bombings took place, mainly in Baghdad and the central part of Iraq. The ICRC remains concerned about indiscriminate attacks against civilians. </p> <p>The organization responded to these attacks by assisting the hospitals that treated most of the injured. Around 12 tonnes of medical materials were delivered to Al Hamdaniya General Hospital, Al Jumhoury Teaching Hospital, Al Salam General Hospital, Talafar General Hospital and Al Mosul General Hospital (Ninewa governorate), Dohuk Emergency Hospital (Dohuk governorate) and Khanaqin General Hospital (Diyala Governorate). </p> <p>Working with Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the ICRC also distributed hygiene kits and kitchen sets to 900 people affected by the explosion that hit the Shorija quarter of Kirkuk. </p> <h4>Visiting detainees and helping them to maintain contact with their families </h4> <p>The ICRC regularly visits detention facilities to monitor treatment and conditions of detention. In July, ICRC delegates visited detainees: </p> <ul> <li>in Harithiya Prison (Baghdad governorate) under the joint authority of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence, in Rusafa Prison and Kadhimya Maximum Security Prison (both in Baghdad governorate) and in Fort Suse (Suleimaniya governorate), all under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, as well as in Al Karkh Juvenile Detention Facility (Baghdad governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; </li> <li>in five prisons in Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya governorates. </li> </ul> <p>Many families braved the harsh summer heat and sand storms that hit the country to make the long journey to Camp Bucca, where nearly 1,250 detainees received visits from their relatives in July. The visits were made possible thanks to financial support the families are receiving from the ICRC. </p> <p>Families and their detained relatives also used Red Cross messages, collected and distributed by the ICRC and the Iraqi Red Crescent, to stay in touch. In July, more than 17,500 Red Cross messages were exchanged within Iraq and with relatives in other countries. </p> <h4>Providing clean water </h4> <p>The water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers decreased dramatically, setting off alarm bells and leading to water shortages. The drought that has affected the country in recent years has also had a severe impact on the population. The ICRC continues to support improvements to water infrastructure to ensure better access to safe water. In July, it: </p> <ul> <li>upgraded the water storage capacity of Al Rashad Psychiatric Hospital in Sadr City, Baghdad, which has 1,300 beds; </li> <li>cleaned the water storage tanks and carried out repair work to improve the electricity supply and the operating theatre at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital, which has 426 beds; </li> <li>repaired the water supply of Al Jumhury Teaching Hospital in Mosul, which has 850 beds; </li> <li>completed a drought response project providing water to around 5,000 people in five villages who saw their water source disappear as a result of the drought in Aqra district, in Dohuk governorate; </li> <li>repaired and expanded the Bazwaya primary health-care centre in Ba’asheka sub-district, in Ninewa governorate. The project doubled the capacity of the centre, which can receive now an average of 100 patients per day. The centre serves the 14,000 inhabitants of the villages of Bazwaya and Al Mouafaqiya, and is the nearest health-care facility for around 3,000 internally displaced families living in the Five Forts camp; </li> <li>repaired two incinerators in Basra General Hospital, which has a capacity of 600 beds; </li> <li>improved the quality of the water supplied by the Samara Water Treatment Plant, in Salah Eddin governorate; </li> <li>completed the Senik Quarter water supply project in Mala Omar village, in Erbil governorate, as well as a project in Khanaqin town to repair three wells supplying water to 6,600 people; </li> <li>provided a new caravan, with a women’s consultation section, a pharmacy and two toilets, for the health-care centre in Al Rahma settlement, in Najaf governorate. Around 24,000 people benefit from the services of this centre. </li> </ul> <p>Water was delivered by truck to: <ul> <li>Qalawa Quarter camp in Suleimaniya, hosting around 360 internally displaced people; </li> <li>4,500 displaced people and eight primary health-care centres in Sadr City, Al Kindi General Hospital, Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and Al Rashad Psychiatry Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad. </li> </ul> <h4>Promoting international humanitarian law </h4> <p>A series of presentations was organized for various audiences as part of the ICRC’s activities to promote international humanitarian law and raise awareness of the organization’s mandate and activities in Iraq.</p> </blockquote> <p>Source: 13-08-2009  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a> Operational update:  Iraq : <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-update-120809" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: helping the victims of bombings</a></p> </p></div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/page/2/">« Previous Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514025844/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/hezbollah-says-latest-bombings-in-iraq-thwart-mission-to-build-state/">Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build 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