Internally displaced persons in Iraq are at heightened risk of gender-based violence due to several factors, including the breakdown of family and community structures, lack of access to basic services and assistance, economic hardship, sectarian tensions, and unequal power relations. Many families, particularly women and children with family members with perceived affiliation to extremists, continue to face challenges such as collective punishment and difficulty in obtaining civil documentation, making them more vulnerable to negative coping strategies and exposing them to further gender-based violence risks. These families are denied access to needs-based assistance and public services including civil documentation. The economic impact of COVID-19 has put an increased financial strain on communities, particularly in segments of the population that lack access to sustained livelihoods. Movement restrictions and financial strain, coupled with gender norms and unequal power relations, led to increased violence, with displaced populations among the most vulnerable.
Gender based violence information system (GBVIMS) data (as of Q3 2020) notes that the top three types of incidents reported were psychological or emotional abuse, forced marriage, and denial of resources. Additionally, according to the National Protection Cluster's protection assessment, the main protection risks impacting IDP women and girls, as reported by key informants, were psychological trauma, stress, anxiety, lack of specialized services for women, and lack of safe space or privacy.
To prevent and mitigate gender-based violence risks and provide survivor-centered response services, UNHCR will scale-up its support to national protection systems, including continuing the partnership with the Directorate of Combating Violence Against Women (DCVAW) and integrating the provision of on-the-job coaching for their staff to improve case management services. UNHCR will also work to increase the capacity of GBV service providers, particularly local organizations, supporting them in the implementation of inter-agency SOPs and GBVIMS, and enhancing referral mechanisms. UNHCR will work with community-based structures, including community outreach volunteers, to support survivors of gender-based violence and progressively strengthen community-based protection. To respond to IDPs' feedback in the centre and south regarding the need to establish centres where gender-based violence survivors can access multi-sectorial response services, UNHCR will continue to work through multi-purpose community centres, particularly in overlooked areas. Nonetheless, safe spaces for gender-based violence survivors and LGBTI persons of concern are minimal, and there are often a number of legal obstacles that hinder access. UNHCR plans to engage with MoLSA in 2021 to discuss the strengthening of referral pathways for survivors and support persons in need of safe shelter.
UNHCR will continue playing an active role in inter-agency coordination structures, including by supporting the implementation of GBVIMS to facilitate evidence-based gender-based violence programming and mainstreaming action plans through UNHCR-led clusters. This will also include active participation in the gender-based violence sub-cluster and its strategic advisory group (SAG), and in the monitoring and reporting arrangement (MARA) working group and co-chairing the Iraq PSEA Network. Moreover, UNHCR will engage with UNFPA and other relevant actors on advocacy for legal reforms, on the need to implement measures in line with international law to prevent and address collective punishment of families, and on the need to combat PSEA and strengthen the rule of law.