TIME IS TICKING FOR MOSUL’S CHILDREN

Protecting the most vulnerable during the military offensive

Savethechildren.net

A LOOMING HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE

The Iraqi Government is expected to make its move to retake the city of Mosul, currently THE CRISIS IN NUMBERS held by the so-called Islamic State (IS), in October 2016. As Mosul is a strategic Currently: territory for both parties, the battle for its control is likely to be fierce and prolonged. In addition to the risk of mass civilian casualties,  10 million people, including 5 million the UN estimates the military offensive could children, are affected by conflict in Iraq. trigger the displacement of between 1.2 to 1.5  3.4 million people are already displaced – million people1 – potentially the largest and half are children. fastest single displacement of people ever  Iraq is also host to 250,000 Syrian refugees. recorded.2 The humanitarian impact – and response required – is likely to be enormous. As a result of the : Children will make up approximately half of those either trapped in Mosul or forced to  1 million more Iraqis are expected to be flee. Unless the right measures are displaced, possibly suddenly and en masse, urgently taken, the upcoming military and at least 700,000 may require shelter operation in Mosul and its aftermath and humanitarian assistance in the coming will have a heavy toll on children. The months. UN and humanitarian actors have given  By the end of 2016, the UN estimates 12– donors early warning of the scale of 13 million people will need humanitarian humanitarian crisis that is likely to unfold as a assistance in Iraq – with an estimated 6.5 result of the Mosul offensive. In July 2016, the million children in need. UN launched the Mosul Flash Appeal requesting the minimum amount of funding – US$284 million – needed to adequately prepare and respond. Donor governments have had months to commit funding that The likely scenario for Mosul’s would enable the humanitarian community to children put in place measures to mitigate the The purpose of this briefing is to highlight the potentially catastrophic fallout of the military extreme risks that children could be exposed operation on the civilian population. Yet the to as a result of the upcoming Mosul offensive, international donor community has failed to the life-threatening journeys they are likely to fully step up and the Mosul Flash Appeal is 3 face in their search for safety and the currently only 48% funded . challenging reality they may face once they It is highly unusual to have such a long are displaced. period of notice and lead-in time to a While it is hard to predict with certainty what humanitarian crisis, and there are no will happen to Mosul’s children during the excuses for being underprepared. If the offensive, we can make a fair estimation of the worst case scenario unfolds, the UN estimates likely situations children will face based on that over six times more funding (US$1.8 what occurred during and in the aftermath of billion) may be needed to respond to the other displacements caused by smaller but needs generated by the Mosul offensive. The similar military operations, such as , need to fully fund the current Mosul Flash , Makhmur, Shirqat and Qayyaara. Appeal has never been more urgent. We can also draw from the first-hand testimonies of people who have already left Mosul or were displaced from Fallujah, Shirquat or Hawija.

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Impossible choices children could be exposed to a range of new protections risks, including separation Mosul’s children have been living under IS rule from their families and abuse. for over two years, and are likely to have been exposed to extreme violence and mental  The UN must put in place a third distress, with limited access to food, water party monitoring mechanism to and healthcare. When the offensive starts, ensure screening procedures are it is likely the situation will only worsen fair, clear and transparent, and for children if no action is taken, and applied consistently. families will face an impossible decision:  Authorities conducting screening must  If they stay: the Mosul offensive is likely to protect the dignity of individuals, be brutal and decisive, with attacks carried and should not create protection out in densely populated civilian areas. Any risks for children and women. effort to limit people’s ability to move to Children should be allowed to remain safety could leave families caught in the with family during screening and it crossfire and at high risk of serious injury should be carried out in a child-sensitive and death. They could face significant manner. deprivation as food and water supply lines,  And at the end of this risky journey: for already restricted, are at risk of being children who escape, there is no guarantee completely cut off. that once they reach safety, they will be  Parties to the conflict must not use able to access adequate humanitarian explosive weapons in populated assistance. This is largely because the scale areas and must protect civilian of need is likely to overwhelm the services infrastructure such as schools and and supplies available but is also due to the hospitals. chronic lack of funding of the Mosul Flash Appeal, which has significantly impacted on  If they attempt to flee: children and their the ability of the UN and humanitarian families will face another set of risks if they agencies to adequately prepare in advance. try to flee – they may be caught by IS and Children’s emotional wellbeing is also likely ill-treated, tortured and killed; they may be to be deeply affected by two years of injured or killed by landmines or snipers; or exposure to extreme violence, which is they may perish if they fail to access likely to be compounded by the additional shelter, food and water in a timely manner. stress factors that will arise from their  Parties to the conflict must identify entrapment in Mosul or their displacement, and maintain safe routes for such as family separation, fear for their civilians to flee active areas of conflict. lives, and the harsh conditions they may experience in screening and displacement  Humanitarian actors should be able camps. to access displaced populations to provide humanitarian assistance.  The international donor community Humanitarian access to areas where must act now and fully fund the internally displaced people (IDPs) are Mosul Flash Appeal to ensure gathered should be expedited by the supplies and support are prepositioned authorities and must include areas in time to respond to the scale of needs where IDPs are being gathered before of people uprooted from Mosul in both transportation to screening facilities. If the immediate and medium term. an area hosting displaced people is  The humanitarian community not deemed safe for humanitarian must identify and minimise child actors, it is not safe for IDPs. protection risks and integrate mental  If they succeed in crossing the frontline: health and psychosocial support in the families may have to go through security first phase of the response. screenings run by armed forces where

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As outlined in this briefing, there are a A LOST GENERATION IN THE number of immediate measures the MAKING international community must take in order  Iraq was once a country where over 90% to avert the child protection crisis that we of children were going to school, but it predict is highly likely to occur. If donors, now has 3.5 million children out of parties to the conflict, the UN and school.4 And, as of September 2016, humanitarian partners fail to prepare and education received only 40% of required implement the scale of response required, as funding as part of the 2016 well as measures to ensure civilians’ safety Humanitarian Response Plan. and protection, the situation that will  unfold for children and their families is Almost 1 million girls in Iraq were likely to be catastrophic. married before the age of 15, and more than half a million children are estimated to be working, twice as many as in 1990.5  Save the Children’s consultation with displaced youth in Iraq6 shows they face isolation, insecurity, psychological distress, extended disruption of education, heighted protection risks, exploitative working conditions, desperation and hopelessness. PHOTO: OLIVIA WATSON/SAVE THE CHILDREN WATSON/SAVE OLIVIA PHOTO:

Children wait outside the Child Friendly Space in an IDP camp in Northern Iraq.

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INSIDE MOSUL – EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE AND LACKING SERVICES Over the past two years, Mosul’s imposed a curriculum that includes extremely children have been living under violent content in the areas they control.12 As extremist rule. a result, parents try their best to make sure As described in the UN Secretary General’s their children do not attend school so they recent report on children and armed conflict, are not exposed to this violence. Teachers children in Iraq have been killed and maimed, may also be targeted for refusing to teach this abducted, recruited and used by armed new content. For example, the UN reports groups, and made victims of sexual violence that a female teacher in Ninewa was tortured and exploitation by IS.7 Over the past two and killed for refusing to implement the new years, children are likely to have also curriculum.13 Children are also afraid to go to witnessed extreme violence, including against school buildings that are often clearly marked family members. Threats, extortion of assets as occupied or controlled by armed groups, and restrictions – in particular against women making them more likely to be targeted by and girls – all contribute to the distress airstrikes. children and their families experience while “Life in our village was difficult, there were many living in areas held by armed groups. As a restrictions, and they watched my uncle and his consequence, children are likely to be house. I didn’t like it – I had to wear black clothes suffering from acute psychological distress, if and cover my face. We didn’t go to school. My not toxic stress, which could have an parents didn’t want me to go to school because irrevocable impact on their lives and their there was a flag on the building and they thought futures. it would be targeted. So it’s been three years since In addition to threats to their I went to school now. I like the Save the Children protection, Mosul’s children have also centre here, but I want to go back to a real school missed out on quality education for the so much. I miss school a lot.” Ghalia*, 10, past two years. Testimonies from recently displaced from a village near Mosul, now in displaced children show armed groups have Northeast Syria

MOSUL’S CHILDREN AND TOXIC STRESS Save the Children is concerned that children who are trapped inside Mosul or have a harrowing escape will be at high risk of toxic stress, which can have an irreversible impact on their brains and development. Toxic stress occurs when a child experiences strong, frequent or prolonged adversity, such as extreme violence and conflict.8 The impact of toxic stress on children can be minimised if a supportive adult or caregiver is present to help them cope and normalise. However, if a supportive adult or caregiver is not present – which is likely to be the case for many of Mosul’s children if they get separated from or lose their parents, or whose parents may be psychologically impacted as a consequence of the offensive – the stress response they experience may be extreme and long-lasting.9 In the worst case scenario, it could disrupt the development of children’s brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the risk for stress- related disease and cognitive impairment, well into their adult years.10 More research is needed to identify an adequate long-term integrated programmatic response to address toxic stress in conflict situations, and cater to the needs of different age groups of boys and girls affected by conflict. Innovative approaches exist to reduce stress and restore a sense of normality in children’s lives. Save the Children’s approach to psychosocial support in emergencies – including in our Mosul response – is to set up mobile or static spaces where we implement recreational and non-formal educational activities intended to promote resilience in children and adolescents by improving self-confidence, building life skills such as problem-solving, critical reflection and teamwork, emotional self-regulation, and strengthen social relations. We also integrate psychosocial support as part of other interventions, through education and community-based programming.11

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Mosul’s children are also at risk of “There were no jobs, and even if you had a job becoming malnourished and are likely sometimes you would not be allowed to work. My to lack access to essential services as a father sold his car because our neighbour had a result of the offensive. Children’s health car, and IS came and killed him and took his car and nutrition are already under threat after to use it. Food had become very expensive and we over two years living under IS rule. A recent used the money to buy food.” Mahmoud*, 14, assessment14 of areas currently held by armed recently displaced from Mosul groups and cut off from the rest of Iraq, including Mosul, show that the cost of food This situation could worsen as a result of the and essential goods has significantly Mosul offensive and in particular if military increased, leaving children and families food forces impose a siege. We saw this play out insecure and vulnerable to malnutrition. most recently in Fallujah. After a few months Access to healthcare and medication is also a of siege, Fallujah’s markets had exhausted major concern. Hospitals have been looted food supplies and the price of food and fuel and are lacking staff because many have had skyrocketed, increasing between 10 and already fled. As a result, the youngest children 15 times in cost.16 According to data gathered have not been vaccinated and families have by Save the Children, the price of a single can been using negative coping mechanisms to of infant milk formula rose to US$50 at times address their children’s health needs, such as during the siege, leaving thousands of children taking expired medicine. Due to poorly without sustenance; 56 infants reportedly died maintained public services and facilities, lack as a result. Only 4 of 30 healthcare centres of clean water and sanitation is a concern and were functioning and 24 babies died during assessments have shown that the poorest delivery over this time. families are drinking untreated water from rivers and other natural water sources, exposing children to water-borne illnesses.15

PHOTO: OLIVIA WATSON/SAVE THE CHILDREN WATSON/SAVE OLIVIA PHOTO:

Rawan*, 4, and her family come from a town in Iraq that was taken by IS in 2014. They have been in constant fear the past two years, until they fled and arrived at a camp in Northern Iraq.

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SEEKING SAFETY – STILL AT EXTREME RISK

“Sometimes we knew that IS was nearby because Previous experiences from military operations we could hear gunfire and the sounds of fighting. in Anbar (such as Ramadi and Fallujah) show Every time the noises came closer we all lay flat that IS is likely to prevent the evacuation of on the ground, hidden. We were all very afraid, civilians from Mosul when the offensive hiding and then running when we thought the IS begins.17 In such cases, families have two men were distracted. It was raining heavily that options: stay and risk being killed and injured day and sometimes we had to stay flat on the by the use of explosive weapons in populated ground for more than an hour in the rain before areas; or flee and risk being killed by we could move again … When we began moving landmines, captured by IS or shot by armed in the morning at 7am the Peshmerga didn’t actors. attack us because their helicopter saw that we If escape routes are not identified and were children, but IS shot at us with heavy maintained to allow civilians to safely weapons as we raced towards the frontline. evacuate during the offensive, families may Thankfully no one was hurt, but we all injured our face even greater difficulties to leave than legs and ankles trying to run so fast. ” they did before the start of the assault. Ahmed*, 12, recently displaced from Mosul During the first weeks of the Fallujah offensive, civilians were initially trapped and Before the offensive – taking when families with children tried to escape huge risks to escape some were caught in crossfire. Others triggered explosive devices or drowned when Children and families inside Mosul are likely to attempting to cross the Euphrates in search of face extreme risks if they try to leave Mosul. safety18. When safe routes out of Fallujah Since taking control of the city in 2014, IS eventually opened, tens of thousands of militants have put checkpoints and explosives civilians were able to cross the frontline. along all main exit routes to prevent people from leaving. According to testimonies of Any effort by armed forces to limit recently displaced people from Mosul, if displacement from Mosul – as acknowledged children and families are caught in their by the co-chairs of the UNGA high-level event 19 attempt to escape Mosul they are likely to be on Iraq – could also have a devastating severely punished and detained, if not killed. impact on civilians. For example, during the offensive on Qayyarah, armed forces urged For those that manage to escape, the routes 40,000 civilians to stay in their homes,20 they take are likely to be extremely unsafe. leaving families at risk of shelling and As data collected by Save the Children shows, explosive devices, and exposed to when children and families tried to flee the environmental hazards, such as smoke from city of Hawija over the past six months, a oil wells set on fire by IS. The situation is likely number of children died after triggering to be even more challenging in Mosul as the explosive devices. In one shocking case, city has a much bigger civilian population. The women and their children were captured and risk that civilian infrastructure will be classified burnt alive. Even if children and their families as a legitimate military target and attacked is manage to run this gauntlet, their journeys to also high, as IS is reportedly using a variety of safety are long and perilous and we have buildings in Mosul, including people’s homes, received reports of families dying of starvation to store weapons. en route to safety. “Often men with ISIS would take a family house During the offensive – a terrible and use it to store weapons, use it as a military base. If it was attacked then the whole dilemma neighbourhood was destroyed. There was a base While it is difficult to know how the Mosul near our house and we were afraid it would be offensive will unfold, an escalation in conflict is attacked.” likely to put children at extreme risk if no Abed*, father of two, recently displaced from precautions are taken to keep them safe. Mosul

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HALTED ON THEIR WAY TO SAFETY AND ASSISTANCE Children and families who have fled Due to the current lack of access to screening Mosul, will have to go through a security facilities for humanitarian actors, it is difficult screening process by the Iraqi Government to assess the impact of the screening process to ascertain whether they are a security risk on displaced people in Iraq and there is no before they can move onto displacement mechanism in place to monitor whether the camps or shelters. The Iraqi Government has screening conducted is respecting a legitimate right to put in place measures to international and national standards. ensure members from armed groups do not During recent displacements from Anbar and infiltrate movements of civilians, but in the Northern Iraq, women and children were aftermath of previous military operations systematically separated from men and Iraq’s security screening procedures have adolescent boys over the age of 12 during often been implemented inconsistently and screening. Gender segregation, with men and may not have respected humanitarian and boys held in one location and women and human rights standards. For example, children in another, creates a number of screening facilities vary in form and location – protection risks, particularly for women and from ad hoc checkpoints to reception centres children. During the first few weeks of the in abandoned buildings – and displaced Fallujah offensive for instance, there were families have found themselves going through concerns22 about prolonged security screening several screening centres, sometimes being and the detention conditions of an estimated held in unsafe locations that are close to the 21 8,200 individuals, including 1,200 minors – frontline. some as young as 13 years old. Security screening procedures not only If there is no male caregiver to accompany delay families’ access to safety, they them, boys aged 12 and older are at risk of also often act as a barrier to receiving separation from their families, making them lifesaving assistance such as shelter, water, vulnerable when held in crowded food and medicine. This is because authorities environments with adults and during may experience difficulties in screening large interrogations if screening authorities are not waves of displaced people in a timely manner, trained on child sensitive practices and like we expect to see during the Mosul interrogation of minors. When separated offensive. As a result, families on the move from male family members, women and girls may find themselves in limbo and stranded for can be more vulnerable to sexual and gender- days or weeks in screening centres located in based violence and, after living for two years areas that humanitarian actors cannot access in an environment where violence against or where they can only deliver limited women and girls committed by armed groups emergency relief. Children and infants are a was prevalent,23 being left alone with armed particularly vulnerable population in screening actors can cause them significant distress. centres, and are likely to suffer from malnutrition, dehydration and lack of With the escalation of the military operations medicine. They may also contract preventable in Northern Iraq, we have seen more and diseases if they have not been vaccinated and more children arriving at reception centres do not have access to clean water. Families unaccompanied or separated from family. As without relatives in nearby urban areas or family tracing and reunification services are who lack identification (IS often confiscates often unavailable in screening facilities, it is IDs) are at higher risk of staying long-term at likely that children will remain alone and screening facilities that do not have the unaccompanied for the rest of their journey. infrastructure or conditions to sufficiently accommodate them.

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SAFE…BUT LACK OF ADEQUATE SHELTER AND ASSISTANCE Once children and their families leave security 5,000 people. There are 9,000 people screening facilities, it may not necessarily stranded in Debaga stadium, which serves as follow that they will immediately access a transit facility, and protection risks for safety, shelter and humanitarian assistance. women and children are increasing due to the While the UN and humanitarian partners overcrowded conditions. Many camps are have developed a preparedness plan to meet also located away from areas expected to the needs of people displaced from Mosul, lack receive the largest numbers of people of funding means the bulk of the supplies displaced from Mosul. required have not been prepositioned, nor UNHCR is planning to build six new camps to have enough shelters been constructed. absorb the majority of people displaced from OLIVIA WATSON/SAVE THE CHILDREN THE WATSON/SAVE OLIVIA Mosul. In addition to lack of funding, land availability is also a key barrier to camp construction. Many private landowners are unwilling to lease land while other areas are unsuitable because of their topography, proximity to fighting, risk of unexploded ordinance or landmines or alleged potential to inflame ethnic, sectarian, religious or tribal

tensions. There is also a risk that camps will not meet SPHERE standards25 as there is not enough Sabreen*, 3, displaced from Mosul, lives with her time to prepare temporary living sites for family in an IDP camp in Northern Iraq 700,000 people. As of September 2016, there was only shelter to accommodate 150,000

IDPs. This is because humanitarian actors The Shelter Cluster sought US$110 million in were originally planning for only 300,000 IDPs extra funding to help it prepare camp sites (30%) from Mosul to settle in camps and and pre-position essential stocks and supplies, 700,000 IDPs (70%) to move to host including construction materials, repair kits, communities. This original plan reflected the plastic sheeting, tents and household supplies. current displacement trends in Iraq – where Despite the request for additional funding only 14% of the displaced population lives in being made over three months ago, the camps.26 However, after difficulties in reaching Shelter Cluster’s call has not been answered an agreement with authorities on where to and the sector is 0% funded for the Mosul locate IDPs in host communities, humanitarian response.24 actors had to revise their plan and move from a 30% to a 70% camp-based response. As The UN estimates that 700,000 displaced accommodating the majority of IDPs in camp people are likely to require shelter assistance settings was not originally planned for, as a result of the Mosul offensive but without adequate funding was not requested under the funding, it is unclear how they will be Mosul Flash Appeal. Without enough funding accommodated. While there are a number of and sufficient time to prepare for the majority displacement camps in Iraq, most are close to of IDPs to settle in camp settings, the full capacity with many families already living humanitarian community simply will not be in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. able to cope. The humanitarian community is already struggling to respond to the arrival of 33,000 people in Debaga camp over the past six months – a camp which originally hosted

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PHOTO: OLIVIA WATSON OLIVIA PHOTO: / SAVE THE SAVE CHILDREN

Displaced children in Northern Iraq, watch a fire spreading in a field adjacent to the camp. The land here is so dry in the summer that fires are a major risk to the displaced population.

As a consequence of these challenges, children every effort is being made to ensure enough and their families may have to shelter in ready-to-eat food rations, safe water and informal settlements such as abandoned medicine are prepositioned to rapidly assist buildings (including schools), sleep in the open displaced people as they arrive in safe areas, or share tents with other families. In these there is likely to be a chronic lack of supplies types of situations, they will be vulnerable to due to limited funding. For example, as of 5 extreme weather conditions – especially as October 2016, the food and health sectors winter approaches – and other dangers such are only 50% and 23% funded respectively as fire hazards and attacks from wild animals, while water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) including stray dogs and venomous snakes. and key coordination sectors (such as logistics With more than 150,000 people already and the rapid response mechanism, which will displaced along the Mosul corridor between ensure supplies are distributed to affected March and September 2016, some displaced people within 72 hours) are 0% funded. This families are also increasingly incentivised by will be a dire situation for children and authorities to return to their homes – in areas families to face, especially as they are likely to recently retaken from IS, which may still be have already faced significant deprivations unsafe or lack – to make space for new during their two years living in IS-held Mosul arrivals.27 and on their long journeys to safety. Without adequate funding for childhood vaccines or If children and families do manage to find WASH facilities, the potential for disease shelter in formal camps or settlements, there outbreaks is high and young children from is a risk these shelters will become Mosul, who may have not been immunised overcrowded in the coming months, stretching during the past two years, will be at acute available services and increasing the likelihood risk. of unsanitary living conditions and protection risks for women and children. We see this Humanitarian actors may also struggle to scenario playing out in Debaga and Garmawa respond to the scale of people who require camps. For instance, the Debaga camp site humanitarian assistance in a short time frame. was initially intended to house only 5,000 As we saw after the Fallujah crisis, displaced people but has now grown to humanitarian actors were completely several sites housing more than 34,000 overwhelmed by the sudden influx of 85,000 people. displaced people and struggled to meet the needs of families who had experienced five In addition to lack of shelter, displaced months of siege. Without funding and children and families may also face challenges prepositioning, we may see a scenario similar in accessing adequate humanitarian aid. While 9

to Fallujah unfold – but ten times worse areas, in addition to sustenance and shelter. because of the size of the affected population The Protection Cluster has included the likely to present. provision of emergency psychosocial support services in their preparedness plan but, again, Considering children from Mosul are likely to the protection sector for the Mosul response also be suffering acute psychological distress, is 0% funded. they will require immediate and intensive psychosocial support once they reach safe

SAVE THE CHILDREN’S PLANNED RESPONSE FOR MOSUL Save the Children has been working in Iraq since 1991, with a brief interruption from 2007 to 2008 due to security reasons. Since the outbreak of renewed violence in early 2014, we have been responding to mass displacement in northern and eastern Iraq, with offices in Erbil, Kirkuk, Dohuk, Kalar and . We are also operating in Salah Adin through partners and are responding to displacement in north-eastern Syria both for conflict-affected Syrians, and Iraqis fleeing the conflict in Northern Iraq. To address acute and chronic needs, we aim to provide assistance to 200,000 people displaced by the Mosul offensive through the following activities:

During the emergency:

 Save the Children will integrate protection services including identifying the most vulnerable children and families, preventing separation, providing alternative care for unaccompanied children and reunifying children with their families. We will set up tents so children can access safe areas, and our mobile teams will assess what kind of psychosocial support each child needs, make referrals to child psychologists, and provide recreational activities.  We will provide families with access to safe and clean water, emergency hygiene and sanitation, temporary shelter support, food rations and potentially cash for families. We will also screen children for acute malnutrition and other health conditions and refer them to adequate services.  We will set up tent schools which can be easily put up, taken down and moved, and each learning space will also receive teaching and learning materials, such as a “School in a Box”.

During protracted displacement:

 Save the Children will strengthen community and national child protection systems, provide psychosocial support, promote social cohesion among the displaced and host communities, conduct programming to build the resilience of children, teach life skills and build the capacity of local staff for specialised programming such as case management.  We will respond to ongoing water, sanitation and hygiene needs, and increase accessibility to clean water to prevent outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases. We will continue to provide emergency food assistance, basic household items and support families’ access to livelihoods. We will continue to screen children for health problems and malnutrition, and refer them to adequate services.  We will identify and train teachers among the displaced community on how to deliver emergency education. We will provide Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP) and catch up classes, and integrate psychosocial support in education programming.

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RECOMMENDATIONS Time is ticking. The international protracted screening on children’s wellbeing and community must act now to ensure protection. children are protected during the Mosul  Any interrogations of children should be offensive and that, with their families, they conducted by investigative authorities that are trained in child sensitive and child rights can access safety and assistance, with approaches, ensuring children can exercise the dignity and full respect of their human right to be accompanied by a caregiver and to rights. have access to legal representation during the interrogation. Failing to respond to the needs of the affected population in a principled way could have devastating  Security screening procedures for any child consequences on children’s lives and futures, as well as alleged to have committed crimes should respect Iraq’s future peace and stability. We urge parties to the existing international principles and national the conflict, the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan juvenile justice standards that say that security Regional Government, governorate authorities, forces are obliged to hand over any child donors, Iraq’s Humanitarian Country Team and arrested under security charges to the Juvenile humanitarian response partners to take the following Investigation Unit within 24 hours, and that no action: child under the age of 9 (11 in the Kurdistan Parties to the conflict Region of Iraq) should be arrested for any reason.  Respect their obligations under international  Ensure humanitarian actors are able to law and take all feasible precautions to access displaced populations to provide protect children and their families – not humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian access making use of explosive weapons in populated to areas where IDPs are gathered should be areas and protecting civilian infrastructure, in expedited by the authorities and must include areas particular schools and hospitals, from the impact of where IDPs are being screened, detained, or held hostilities. before transfer. If an area hosting IDPs is not  Enable families inside Mosul to escape active deemed safe for humanitarian actors, it is not safe areas of conflict. All parties must ensure that safe for IDPs. routes are identified, decontaminated, maintained  Ensure that IDPs are only returned to and safely communicated to allow civilians to flee recently retaken villages or towns once those sites of conflict and access safe places of refuge. areas have been deemed safe for civilian return. Any returns must be done in accordance National and local authorities in Iraq with international standards and be safe, informed,  Ensure that screening procedures respect voluntary, and done in a manner that maintains the international and national standards; are fair, dignity of those returning. clear and transparent and applied consistently; protect the dignity of individuals, and do not create Donors protection risks for children and women.  Fully fund the Mosul Flash appeal and the  Ensure the screening of minors is carried out 2016 Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan. Funds in a child sensitive manner and that they are pledged at the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq allowed to remain with family during and the UNGA high level event for the screening. To ensure children are protected Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq must be disbursed as during screening: soon as possible.  Screening procedures must preserve family unity  Prioritise child-focused aid as part of the first as much as possible. phase of the response. As well as funding food, water, shelter and medical care, donors must  Special provisions should be made to expedite support the delivery of childhood vaccines, the security screening of children and special therapeutic food and nutrients for children, attention should be paid to the impact of 11

alternative care for unaccompanied children, family Humanitarian actors, including INGOs and tracing and reunification services, mobile education UN agencies and child protection services including appropriate mental health and psychosocial support.  Put in place a UN third party protection monitoring mechanism at screening facilities to  Support flexibility in funding to enable the ensure international and national standards are response to adapt to the needs of an respected. unpredictable crisis. Donors should allow humanitarian partners to change programming and  Revise the current planning for the Mosul reallocate funding to tailor the delivery of response to ensure that it is based on the humanitarian assistance to a rapidly-evolving needs of the affected population and ensure the context. delivery of aid is line with humanitarian principles.  Ensure humanitarian activities take a conflict-sensitive approach and do not fuel the conflict or cause further harm, and prioritise the protection of civilians.  Improve coordination between agencies and sectors, promote collaboration between humanitarian actors and with government authorities, and empower INGOs, national partners and civil society in strategic decision-making when preparing and responding to the emergency.  Identify child protection concerns through Rapid Protection Assessments (RPAs) conducted at different stages of the crisis, addressing issues raised in the RPAs throughout the response

PHOTO: OLIVIA WATSON OLIVIA PHOTO:

/ THE SAVE CHILDREN

Children in a displacement camp in Northern Iraq. Many children in the camp are arriving having left everything behind when they fled, and many have experienced significant distress. 12

ENDNOTES

23 OHCHR, Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq 1 May – 31 October 2015. 1 OCHA, July 2016. Mosul Flash appeal http://ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/UNAMIReport1May31O 2 ctober2015.pdf If the Mosul offensive displaces 1.2 million people in less than two 24 months, it could potentially be a faster displacement than the one OCHA Financial Tracking Service (https://fts.unocha.org/), accessed on 26th September 2016. triggered by the IS assault on Mosul in 2014, displacing 1.2million 25 people within 3 months, and fastest displacement ever recorded The Sphere Project, Minimum standards in shelter, settlement (see: IDMC, May 2015. Global Overview 2015: People internally and non-food items. See: http://www.spherehandbook.org/en/1- shelter-and-settlement/ displaced by conflict and violence http://www.internal- 26 displacement.org/publications/2015/global-overview-2015-people- IOM, September 2016. Displacement Tracking Matrix internally-displaced-by-conflict-and-violence) DTM Round 54 See: 3 OCHA Financial Tracking Service (https://fts.unocha.org/), http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Round54_Repor th t_English_2016_September_15_IOM_DTM.pdf accessed on 26 September 2016. 27 th 4 UNICEF, July 2016. Violence destroys childhood in Iraq. UNHCR, 4 October 2016. Iraq: Flash Update. 5 Ibid 6 Save the Children, March 2016. Uncertain Futures: the impact of displacement on Syrian refugee and Iraqi internally displaced youth in Iraq. See: https://www.savethechildren.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/135 209/Uncertain-Futures-low-res.pdf 7 Report of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict, June 2015 and May 2016 8 Marshall, P. J., Reeb, B. C., Fox, N. A., Nelson, C. A., & Zeanah, C. H. (2008). Effects of early intervention on EEG power and coherence in previously institutionalized children in Romania. Development and psychopathology, 20(03), 861-880 9 Lupien, S. J., de Leon, M. J., de Santi, S., Convit, A., Tarshish, C., Nair, N. P. V., … & Meaney, M. J. (1998). Cortisol levels during human aging predict hippocampal atrophy and memory deficits. Nature Neuroscience, 1(1), 69-73.; and Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., & Heim, C. (2009). Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10, 434-445. 10 Nelson, C. A. (2000). Neural plasticity and human development: The role of early experience in sculpting memory systems. Developmental Science, 3(2), 115-136. 11 Save the Children. 2016. Childhood In The Shadow Of War https://www.raddabarnen.se/Documents/vad-vi- gor/Barn%20p%C3%A5%20flykt/childhood-in-the-shadow-of- war.pdf 12 Save the Children. August 2016. Educating Iraq's Future Generations. https://www.savethechildren.org.au/about-us/media- and-publications/latest-news/years/educating-iraqs-future- generations 13 Report of The Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict, May 2016 14 REACH assessment on hard to reach areas, July 2016 15 Ibid 16 UNHCR, 1st September 2016. Iraq: Flash Update. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/wfp282924.pdf 17 IRC, NRC, July 2016. In search for safety. See: https://www.rescue.org/report/search-safety 18 NRC, June 2016. Nuriya's grandchildren drowned trying to flee besieged Fallujah. https://www.nrc.no/news/2016/juni/nuriya- witnessed-her-grand-children-drown-fallujah/ 19 High-level event on the Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq - Co-chairs * after a name indicates that the name has been joint statement: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo- changed to protect identity. site/files/unga_iraq_event_co-chairs_joint_statement_0.pdf 20 UNHCR, 1st September 2016. Iraq: Flash Update. Cover: Amira* and her sister are displaced in a 21 IRC, NRC, July 2016. In search for safety. slum like village near Kirkuk, Central Iraq. They 22 UNICEF Iraq Briefing Note Iraq, Anbar Governorate – Update left their home with little more than the clothes 24 June 2016. See: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Ira on their back. (Photo: Joshua Baker/Save the q%20- Children) %20Anbar%20Briefing%20Note%20June%2024%2C%202016.pdf

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