Amnesty: Iraq women with perceived Islamic State ties being denied aid News
Amnesty: Iraq women with perceived Islamic State ties being denied aid

Iraqi women and children are being denied access to humanitarian aid and are not allowed to return to their homes because of their alleged association with the Islamic State (IS), according to a report [text, PDF] published Tuesday by Amnesty International.

The displaced Iraqi women live in eight camps in two provinces north of Baghdad. Amnesty researchers based their findings in “The Condemned: Women and Children Isolated, Trapped, and Exploited in Iraq,” on 92 interviews that were conducted [press release] with women living in camps for internally displaced people.

In addition to being prohibited from receiving funds, health care and food by the Iraqi government, Amnesty claims women are continuously barred from receiving identity cards and other important documents necessary to work, move freely and send their children to school. In exchange for these basic needs, women in the camps have reportedly been sexually exploited by armed guards.

According to the report:

If the Iraqi authorities and the international community fail to address the collective punishment of families with perceived IS ties, their treatment could create the conditions for the next cycle of violence in Iraq. With the territorial battle with IS finally having reached its conclusion, there is no better time to put an end to the marginalization and mistreatment that has led to such a terrible legacy of suffering.

The human rights group argues that improvement of the conditions of Iraqi women with ties to IS is crucial for reconciliation and peace in Iraq.

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