Movimiento por la Paz

Since the outbreak of war in Iraq in 2003, millions of Iraqis have left their country, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. These include Jordan, which, according to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), currently takes in approximately 750,000 Iraqi refugees. A large group, therefore, that has made the Hashemite kingdom the first recipient of the world of Iraqi refugees in proportion to its population (iraqis represent one-seventh of the total).

The massive influx of Iraqi citizens in Jordan has had a major impact on this country, resulting in highly complex situations that threaten to destabilize the country. Among these situations, one of the most worrying is the delicate situation of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

Indeed, as manifested in the initial conclusions of a survey on the issue which is being made by the Jordanian Women's Union in collaboration with the Movement for Peace-MPDL-and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), numerous barriers are present into the daily lives of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

For example, in Jordan, refugee status for Iraqis is not recognized, which, added to the fact that Iraqis can enter Jordan without a visa (for a initial regular stay of six months), has pushed a lot of Iraqis to live in the irregularity.

Thus, fear of Iraqis to be deported is evident, as shown by the fact that 95% of respondents haven’t had any contact with any Jordanian institution, and many people do not leave their houses because of this fear.

Moreover, government policies on immigration deliberately impede the integration of Iraqis in the Jordanian society. This includes the prohibition for Iraqis to develop a lot of professional activities, what leads to discrimination and abuse in the workplace, as recognized 76.2% of the participants in the survey.

Restricted access to education, health and housing also shows a clearly discriminatory policy towards the Iraqi refugee population. In addition, the majority of respondents (70,3%) Jordanian became unreceptive to Iraqis during the last years as consequences of the rise of products s triple as it was before, and the bombing of three large hotels in Amman. This has led in recent months to an increase in discrimination and aggression towards the Iraqi people.

This context is even more complex when referring to the status of women. Immersed in a situation of greater vulnerability because their female condition, Iraqi refugees do not have any psychological or social support mechanism to meet their needs. In this regard, NGOs represent in many cases the only recourse accessible or affordable for these women.

The situation of the Iraqi refugee population in Jordan is therefore worrying. In this sense, it is necessary that both the international community and the Jordanian government take necessary measures to protect, integrate and empower Iraqi citizens in Jordanian society. The political, economic and social situation in Iraq does not allow to conceive a short-term solution to the refugee problem in this country. Therefore, initiatives and policies should provide medium and long term policies to defende and promote human rights of the Iraqi collective in Jordan. Any other action only could perpetuate the status quo and keep alive a humanitarian problem that can only further destabilize a region extremely troubled.