Editors »
18 July 2008 »
In Features, Iraq, Society And Economy »
BAGHDAD, July 17 (Xinhua) — Nowadays at sunset, the thoroughfare of Khadraa district which bisects the Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad is always thronged with people.
The lull of violence here has encouraged people to appear in the street, which used to be one of hottest turf war battleground when Baghdad’s sectarian conflicts were rampant.
Life seems to have gone back to normal here, where people jostle on the sidewalk; families spend good hours wandering in front of shops and stalls showcasing various goods; old men gather in cafes, smoking water pipes, drinking tea and socializing, while teenage girls stand giggling and gossiping in ice-cream shops.
However, the calm, emerges after over five years into the Iraq war, stills seem too good to be real for many of the still traumatized Iraqis, who keep asking “Is it a real and sustainable peace?”
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Tags: American walls, Awakening Councils, Baghdad, Diyala, Features, Khadra, Ninawa (Governorate), xinhua reports
Editors »
16 June 2008 »
In Children, Human Rights, Iraq, Middle East, Society And Economy, War Crimes, Women and Children »
I take any job I can. We need the money. I sometimes start at six in the morning and do not get back home until eight or nine at night. I have worked as a labourer, selling chai, cleaning shoes. We come from Ramadi, and I used to go to school there. I would like to continue with my education, but I do not think that will be possible. I would also like to go back to Iraq, but we have nothing left there.
— Rashid, 14 years old refugee from Ramadi.
The plight of Iraqi refugees is now worse than ever, with millions struggling to survive in desperate conditions and with little hope of finding sanctuary.
While the crisis continues, the world community, especially Western countries, have not only failed to help but are also erecting fresh obstacles to prevent the dispossessed men, women and children from settling on their shores, says a new report by Amnesty International.
Many governments have attempted to justify their hardline stance by citing supposed improvements in the security situation in Iraq. But after a marked decline, the level of violence is rising again. The numbers killed each month fell from 1,800 in August 2007 to 541 in January 2008. However, in March and April alone, more than 2,000 people, mostly civilians, died during clashes between US and Iraqi government forces and the Shia militia Mehdi Army.
The Iraqi diaspora is now one of the largest in modern times, with more than two million people fleeing abroad. But the ferocious strife and the breakdown in law and order have led to another wave of about 2.7 million fleeing their homes but unable to escape the country. Many of these have moved to Baghdad, putting further strain on a shattered infrastructure and adding to the city’s sectarian tensions. The situation in terms of numbers and conditions for the displaced people has deteriorated dramatically in the past two years, Amnesty claims.
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Tags: Al Anbar (Governorate), Amnesty International, Baghdad, Child Exploitation, Child Poverty, Child Prostitution, Damascus, Death Squads, Deportations of refugees, Ethnic Cleansing, EU, Ghazaliyah, Hit, IDPs (Internal Refugees), Iraq, Jihad (District), Jordan, Khadra, Mahdi Army, Prostitution, Ramadi, Red Crescent/Red Cross, Refugees, Sweden, Syria, Women and Children
