Findings and Analysis

Gender Roles and Responsibilities: Women, men, boys and girls have distinct gender roles and responsibilities in Iraq. Understanding gender norms is crucial to understand the impact of the crisis, of displacement, and how best to ensure equal access to assistance especially for case programming. Displacement has affected traditional gender roles and responsibilities for IDPs in Kirkuk.

While in Iraq women roles is generally confined to the familial space and reproductive work, men roles are mostly in the public space and playing the protector role. Water collection responsibility among males is 54% while it is 35% among females (KAP survey). In Kirkuk, overall decision-making usually lies with the male head of household. For most Iraqi women, decisions about accessing medical services or taking longer journeys usually require a man’s permission[i]. However, gender roles undergone major shift in Iraq; men are increasingly taking decisions in consultation with women (FGD 25/8/2019). Displaced women reported as continuedly having more decision-making power at household level, control over resources and allocation of resources as well as mobility. Widows and female-head households reported more decision-making power than other women.

However, while all women are restricted in their movement within the cap, Kurdish Muslim women are more restricted in movement specially to market unless female HH and in pair (Mobility Map Data). Also, worth noting that decision for mobility outside the camp or return to home is exclusively taken by husband and not always in consultation with wife (MSNA Data – Kirkuk City, Iraq, 2017).

Before the crisis, agriculture and livestock breeding were the main source of income for women. With the new living circumstance, trainings offered for women like nursing, hairdressing, sewing, knitting helped women to access new jobs market (Female FGD 25/8/2019). While both women and men have access to educational opportunities, women have more work opportunities compared to men, with more men reporting decline in job opportunities than before the crises (Male FGD 26/08/2017).

However, the impact is different for different women; the educated have more job opportunities than the uneducated. However, the conflict increased level of stress among displaced people, especially female widows (ibid). It was also observed that there is a shift in gender roles, while more women are taking on new jobs, some men are gradually sharing household responsibilities (ibid).

Women are also reported to have more access to courts and therefore is easier for them than before to seek divorces or claim inheritance in the curst (Male FGD 26/08/2017). While this is again for women, some men thing that this weakened family ties (ibid)

Capacity and Coping Mechanisms: Due to severely restricted economic resources and restricted mobility for newly displaced families arriving in camps, women, men, boys and girls are relying heavily on government and humanitarian support. Other types of coping mechanisms include selling of jewellery for women and using personal cash and other assets. However, whether families were able to bring such items depends on the context of their displacement. An assessment of Zelikan camp by REACH found that only 0-25% of families who left Abu Jabro’a were able to bring such assets with them due to the rapid nature of their displacement.

Displaced families residing outside of camps, with host communities or in collective shelters, will have more freedom of mobility however might not be easily reached by humanitarian assistance. There will be increasing strain on host communities (often these host communities are previously-displaced IDPs) to share resources with newly arriving IDPs.

Reducing food intake became a coping mechanism both women and men used as a coping mechanism to overcome shortage of food. Women also go for less expensive food or spend a whole day without food sometimes to cope with the situation and feed their children (MSNA Data – Kirkuk City, Iraq, 2017).

Protection: Women, men, girls and boys who have been displaced by the crisis have been exposed to protection risks en route including risks of exploitation, GBV and execution. Even after families have arrived in camps or collective shelters, protection risks can continue with depression, lack of economic resources and family separation leaving individuals exposed to exploitation.

In all, 8.5 million people are in need of access to health services, including 43% of women. Women, adolescent girls, pregnant woman lack access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services, while the number of reported Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases has increased.

Violence is common; 46% married women at least exposed to domestic violence, 46% of girls (10-14 yrs) exposed to violence (beaten or insulted) by a family member. Early marriage (5% got married below 15 years and 22% below 18 years). Also, female genital cutting in KRK is (44% of women) which much higher than nay where else in Iraq. Both girls and boys are exposed to trafficking. Honour killing also exist, mostly associated with rape.

Women and men have reported high levels of psychological trauma related to the conflict and to displacement. In addition, qualitative research highlighted child labour, physical violence against children and intimate partner violence. Social norms appear to discourage women from living without men, leaving female-headed households particularly at risk of violence (Gender Assessment, USAID Iraq, 2010) An estimated 9% of the country’s women are widows and older women have specific vulnerabilities especially if they are also female-headed households (New York Times (24/11/2011).

In total, 90% of respondents surveyed by CARE (2015) in Kirkuk mentioned there were no separate rooms for female and male IDPs in their accommodation. Compared to those IDPs’ and host families’ situation before the displacement occurred, this situation is very unusual and could contribute to exacerbate tensions and risks of GBV.

The community in KIK face different types of barriers to access GBV services, these include: security threats and risk relate to ongoing fighting, including terrorist attack. The population movement makes it hard for services provide to establish and sustain the services. The shortage in facilities and lack of female staff is a key barrier to women, since due to socio-cultural norms, women have more access to services, specially health when and if female staff in present at the facility. Lastly, the weak presence of local organizations working on GBV response add to the challenge pf provision of GBV services.

WASH: A 2015 multi-agency KAP survey (NRC, WV, Save the Children) found that water collection responsibility was found to be held mainly by males in 54% of households, including in Kirkuk. In total, over 85% of households reported the distance to the main water source as ‘less than 100 metre’ overall from their location, though 88% of households reported that water was inconsistently available and 64% reported feelings of insecurity when collecting water. The same survey found that, while latrine access was common, only 1% of surveyed households felt that the latrines were adapted for the needs of disabled, people elderly men and women, and/or pregnant women.

While both men and women identified cash assistance, female only toilets, family hygiene kids (including for infant and for women), washing and path facilities and water network repair as priories, women top priorities include provision of sufficient water, more water containers and addressing the garbage situation, which became a health hazard (MSNA Data – Kirkuk City, Iraq, 2017). Men also identified enough light both in the shelter in toilet as a key concern for them and their families (ibid).

Shelter: represent a major need for support area of response with 70% women and men respondent did not receive any form of support (MSNA Data – Kirkuk City, Iraq, 2017). The existing IDPs shelters are overcrowded, with no separate rooms for female and male, leading to many family members both male and female and polygamous families to share one room (ibid). Women indicated that this problem is of high concern to them, since the situation lead the family to share one room with sometimes with extended family members, neighbours and strangers (ibid).
While both women and men reported bad conditions of the shelter including bad protection from heat, cold and wind, women reported unhygienic environment inside the shelter as a big concern for them (ibidi). Problem with landlord was also highlighted as an area of concerns for all families, but particularly for female HH (ibid).
Cash assistant and improving the condition of the shelters is a priority for both women and men (ibid)