Posts Tagged ‘Prostitution’
Iraqi refugee crisis grows as West turns its back
Written by Editors on June 16, 2008 – 12:22 amI 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.
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
Posted in Children, Human Rights, Iraq, Middle East, Society And Economy, War Crimes, Women and Children | 1 Comment »
IRAQ: Poverty Gets the Survivors
Written by Editors on April 26, 2008 – 9:39 pmDAMASCUS, Apr 26 (IPS) - More than a million Iraqis were lucky enough to flee into Syria. But in this relatively safe haven, there is no getting away from poverty.
Mohammad Saleem ran a successful supermarket in Baghdad. “I was leading a comfortable life with my family, despite the 13 years of UN sanctions,” Saleem told IPS in Damascus. “My four sons worked together to keep our supermarket running, and so we passed the dark sanctions period successfully. The big suffering started with the 2003 occupation that brought closed roads and reduced income for people.”
The day came when they were told by militias to leave within 24 hours, he said. “It is not possible for us to start over in Syria, and so my brother is selling our property piece by piece so that we can survive.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates there are 1.5 million Iraqis in Syria. But the economy of Syria itself is struggling under U.S. sanctions. Jobs for refugees on the black market bring no more than 100 dollars a month.
Tags: Damascus, IPS, IPS Reports, Militias, Poverty, Prostitution, Refugees, Sanctions, Syria, UNHCR, WHO, Widows
Posted in Human Rights, Iraq, Middle East, Society And Economy | No Comments »
سوريا: مسودة قانون جديد يستهدف تجار الجنس
Written by Nur Hussein Ghazali on March 20, 2008 – 4:28 pmفي عام 2003، أُجبِرت هبة (ليس اسمها الحقيقي)، التي كان عمرها حينئذ لا يتجاوز 11 عاماً، على الزواج من قريبها. وفي اليوم التالي تم نقلها من بغداد إلى الحدود مع سوريا وبيعت لتجار الجنس. وفي دمشق، أجبرت على الرقص في النوادي الليلية والمنازل الخاصة، وبعد أربع سنوات من ذلك، ألقت السلطات السورية القبض عليها بتهمة البغاء وكانت حاملاً آنذاك.
وعندما وجدتها المفوضية السامية للأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين، كانت هبة على وشك أن تُرحَّل إلى العراق. فتولت المفوضية في بداية هذا الشهر ترتيبات إعادة توطينها في كندا حيث وضعت مؤخراً مولوداً ذكراً اسمته زمان. وقالت عن اختيارها لهذا الاسم: “لقد أسميته كذلك نسبة إلى الزمان الذي لم أنعم به”.
ولا تعتبر هبة حالة فريدة من نوعها. فبالرغم من عدم وجود أرقام موثوقة حول الاتجار بالبشر، إلا أن المنظمات الإنسانية والناشطين في المجال يقولون أنه يتم تهريب والاتجار بمئات الأشخاص من مختلف أنحاء العالم إلى سوريا سنوياً من أجل العمل في البغاء والأعمال المنزلية أو حتى من أجل بيع الأعضاء. وقد ازدادت المشكلة تفاقماً بسبب تدفق أكثر من 1.5 مليون لاجئ عراقي على سوريا منذ عام 2003.
مسودة قانون جديد
Tags: Human Trafficking, IOM, Poverty, Prostitution, Syria, Women - trafficking in, Women's Rights
Posted in Features, Human Rights, Iraq, Middle East, Society And Economy, Women and Children | No Comments »