CHILD PROTECTION RAPID ASSESSMENT Al Qayyarah Subdistrict DECEMBER 2018

I. BACKGROUND

is the main town of Qayyarah subdistrict, one of the 5 (اﻟــــﻘـﯿـﺎرة :Location. Al Qayyarah (Arabic subdistricts in which the District of Mosul is divided. It lies 60 km south of the city of Mosul, in southern region of Nineveh Governorate, on the west bank of the Tigris river.

1 Population. With its population of approximately 23,000 people (around 4,000 households), Qayyarah is the second largest community in the Governorate, after the main metropolitan area of Mosul. A fourth of the population is concentrated in Qayyarah’s city center, while the remain- ing three quarters inhabits the surrounding villages. Livelihoods. Besides the oil industry, Al Qayyarah population’s main source of income was agriculture before the conflict and farmers grew various crops including wheat and watermelons. Impact of the conflict. The town and its sub-district fell under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in June 2014. In the summer of 2016, Coalition Forces heavily bombed the villages surrounding the center of Qayyarah to recapture the city. In August 2016, Qayyarah was fully recaptured by Iraqi forces, in what the PM Haider al-Abadi described as "a key step in the fight against ISIL". In fact, controlling Qayyarah was of strategic importance for the offensive to retake the main city of Mosul and the northern parts of the occupied districts. Damage to private and public buildings. During their advance, ISIL fighters burned and looted a number of government, police and army centres, levelling them to the ground using high ex- plosives. As they took possession of the city, they headquartered in all the large public spaces available such as the train station, the football stadium and the neighbouring Qayyarah Sec- ondary School. These locations were used for gatherings of militants, training sessions and pub- lic executions of citizens. For this reason, they were targeted by heavy airstrikes from Iraqi and Coalition Forces for months, along with a high number of private buildings, and thus completely destroyed and levelled to the ground. Damage to productive infrastructure and loss of incomes. Before leaving the town, ISIL burned down all the oil refineries and networks (Al Qayyarah was a main hub for the Iraqi oil industry) leaving them behind in flames, causing toxic smokes and deprivation. Lack of security, law and order and widespread displacement. The conflict had a devastating impact on people. The conflict did not only destroy homes, buildings, infrastructures and liveli- hood sources, depriving people of properties, services, facilities and incomes, but also created an overall lack of security, law and order and a very high rate of displacement. The process of re- construction that followed was slow and people have not gotten back to rebuilding their lives and a sense of normalcy as yet. Impact on the education sector. The impact of the conflict on the education sector was devas- tating. First of all, most school buildings were damaged and deprived of WASH facilities. This fact alone already put out of schools thousands of children in the district or made their attendance very difficult or unsafe. Existing schools are hosting two-three times the number of children their spaces would allow with overcrowded classes and schools working double shifts becoming the normalcy.

2 School furniture, stationery, educational and recreational materials are still lacking. Most schools lack funds to pay for their own teachers’ salaries and teachers are volunteering their time in the hope that the Department of Education will one day hire and pay them fully. Many children are still denied access to school because of many reasons such as lack of security, lack of funds to pay for the school uniform, books and materials, child labour or presence of landmines on the way to school, while children with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), other permanent or temporary disability or trauma caused by the conflict are unable to receive adequate care and are unable to attend classes for this reason.

II. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSESSMENT

Mainstreaming protection concerns across the country programme is a distinctive feature of COOPI’s modus operandi. This is true in Iraq too and particularly in the education in emergency (EiE) sector, in which COOPI has been investing since the beginning of its operations in the country. To operationalise the adoption of an integrated approach between education and protec- tion, in December 2018 COOPI conducted a Protection Rapid Assessment in Qayyarah. The overall purpose of the assessment was to identify immediate protection risks and gaps for children and their families so as to inform further programming in the EiE sector in the area of Qayyarah, an area where COOPI is collaborating with 10 schools already.

III. METHODOLOGY

Research tools. COOPI protection staff in collaboration with the staff of local partner Afkar un- dertook the assessment using three main research tools. First, they held Focus Groups Discus- sions (FGDs) with parents (groups were separated by gender to ensure freer expression). Then they held interviews with key informants (KII) such as teachers and headmasters in order to cap- ture in depth insights from the most knowledgeable community representatives and triangulate the information provided by parents. Finally, they mapped children’s activities involving the in- teraction with groups of children describing their daily activities and indicating possible areas of protection concern for themselves and their families. The three tools were translated and adapted from the Child Protection Assessment and the COOPI Rapid Assessment Toolkits. Team preparation. COOPI protection team prepared the questionnaires in Arabic, tested them in one of the target schools before using them at full scale. The COOPI Global Protection Advisor trained the local protection team before hand; these in turn trained the local partner’s staff to en- sure the most appropriate language and standards were applied throughout the interactions with

3 the interviewed. All enumerators, discussion facilitators and note takers were made aware of the appropriate referral pathways in case individual cases were brought to the their attention during their field work. Selection criteria. The criteria for selection of the schools involved previous or current COOPI´ s presence in the area and population density of the communities they are serving. Informed consent. All caregivers and parents provided informed consent statements as to the assessment, its process and purpose and the assessment team’s interaction with their children who also provided verbal assent to their participation. Assessment participants. In total the team interviewed: 67 children including 7 boys and 10 girls aged between 6 and 12 years; 9 boys and 27 girls aged between 12 and 14 years and 14 boys who were above 14 years old; 83 parents (37 mothers and 46 fathers) and 28 teachers (11 women and 17 men). Number of schools involved. The assessment covered 5 schools of Al Qayyarah subdistrict ) including 31% of their teachers and 2% of their students. Limitations. The limitations of the methodology relate to the use of the purposive sampling method as not all schools could be covered. Nonetheless the assessment findings provide inter- esting insights on how to integrate tailored child protection measures in current EiE program- ming.

IV. MAIN FINDINGS

The section below highlights the main findings of the assessment organised in four subsections describing: a) main protection concerns, b) specific sources of stress, c) areas and spaces that are specially unsafe and d) current coping mechanisms and traditional protection systems.

a) Main protection concerns Several were the specific protection issues highlighted by parents pointing out clearly to the long term consequences of the conflict and displacement on their families.

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(i) Post traumatic stress disorder. More than half of the par- Children changed behaviour after ents stated that their families were strongly affected by the ISIS, they have bad dreams and conflict and children showed signs of post traumatic stress cannot forget the displacement” disorder (PTSD). Anxiety and psychosocial distress in general Parent during a FGD were observed by all parents, with children having nightmares at night and crying a lot during the day. (ii) Lack of security and the economic crisis. Over a third considered that the lack of security was the main factor that prevented them from offering a safe environment to their children, while another third considered the economic crisis responsible for it. (iii) Escalation of aggressive behaviour. Parents “Students sometimes have violent reac- pointed to the worrying escalation of violence within tions and behaviours because they are their own community and among children themselves very stressed and the classroom are over- as their main areas of concern. A fourth declared that crowded, more than 70 students in one children recur to an aggressive behaviour to solve con- class!” frontations and a third noticed an increase of tension Teacher during a KII among children. (iv) Violence as main interaction mean. Some parents declared that children repeated the same behavioural patterns observed in their communities, patterns which they witnessed during the conflict. Violence has thus become the main communication language children use to interact with their peers and this behaviour seems to concern boys more than girls. Indeed, boys seems to be the most disrespectful and aggressive toward each other. Teachers confirmed this finding. Half of them declared violence among students to be one of the main issues they face in their daily work. Schools do not always represent a safe environment as a result as children are aggressive with each other and a fourth of the parents declared that their child suffers from isolation and does not feel integrated at school and in the community because of it. (v) Girls’ protection. This pattern of aggressive behaviour is amplified when it comes to gender dynamics and relations between boys and girls. Girls suffer from isolation especially when they enter puberty. Their public space shrinks progressively and they have limited social interactions with their peers and community members. Half of the students said that girls are not allowed to go around the town by themselves; they are allowed only "Girls usually are subjected to risk of with their families. sexual violence which forces them not to go out” Teachers and some parents reported issues of sexual vio- lence with reluctance, considering the stigma associated Teacher during KII with it. In some schools, older male students committed

5 sexual violence against younger students, but the school and the community avoid discussing and addressing the issue. (vi) Child labour. During FGDs, parents reported cases of child labour. Such cases affect or- phans who live with members of the extended family with limited economic opportunities and no regular source of income.

b) Specific sources of stress (i) Loss of family. Loss of close family members and relatives was mentioned as one of the main stressors for two thirds of the girls and half of the boys. Two thirds of the girls complained that they cannot access school or any education opportuni- ties because of the lack of security or economic rea- “Children with disabilities, girls and or- sons and this further exacerbates their sense of isola- phans suffer more than others because tion and post conflict distress. Many report the lack of they are really in need of care and sup- port” a family system of protection and limited opportunities to develop and thrive. This is particularly true for or- Parent during a FGD phans, especially orphaned girls according to two thirds of the parents. (ii) Limited opportunities to develop and thrive. A fifth of respondents noticed that children are affected by the extremely limited opportunities they have to develop and thrive in their cur- rent and prospective future lives. Going to school seems the only chance they have to participate in the community life and knowing this is affecting the psychosocial wellbeing of all. (iii) Lost sense of identity. A third declared to be particularly worried about their lack of identity cards and other documentation which seems contributing to the overall sense of paucity as to the opportunities for a better life and a sense of loss of their own identity. This was considered equal- ly true for girls and boys. (iv) Environmental security risks. 36% of the Interviewed teachers pointed out the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) in the school area while a sixth of the parents pointed out the pre- sence of people in uniform and of the armed forces, which are perceived as a threat to and not a source of security. Half of the parents declared that children living with disabilities are particu- larly vulnerable and need special attention to have equal and safe access to opportunities inclu- ding education opportunities.

6 c) Unsafe spaces Domestic violence and corporal punishment. Over two thirds of the teachers declared that do- mestic violence and corporal punishment at home are still common, leaving children without trustful and caring caregivers. A third of the teachers said that home is not a safe place for chil- dren, while over a fourth said the same about the school and the market, the latter perceived as especially dangerous for girls. “The street”. In terms of location, about half of the interviewed (children, teachers and parents) believe that “the street” is the least safe place for children and on “the street” is where children gather and spend their free time the most. However, there is an important gender differentiation in this regard. Boys spend a lot of their time on the street and outdoors playing and gathering among them- selves1. Girls, on the other hand, are often at home, even those who do not have parents living with them. About half of the students and teachers and nearly all parents (80%) underlined the need for more recreational and sports activities at school, preventing children from spending their free time on the street or at the market - places that are considered dangerous and unsafe for them. Other unsafe areas. Over a third of the students does not feel safe in areas with damaged build- ings, debris and remnants of war (UXOs) and nearly half doesn’t feel safe in the city centre of Qayyarah.

d) Coping mechanisms and traditional protection systems The role of families and community leaders. While the community might be not always inclu- sive and families are often sources of protection risks and distress, still most of the interviewed recognise the fundamental role played by community leaders and families in the provision of care and protection for children. In case of emergency and for children experiencing abuse or any form of ne- “If a student shows psychological dis- tress, the parents take him to the Imam, glect, community and religious leaders are recognised as not to the psychologist, because other- trustful adults to resort to. Over a fourth of the respon- wise the community thinks the student is dents would take a case of sexual abuse to the attention mad”. of the family of origin and the community leader. Only Teacher during a KII less than a sixth of them would take the child first to a specialised service provider such as hospital.

1 No specific centre or association is mentioned as to the presence of structured services and organised activities in the area. 7 The role of religious leaders. Religious leaders are also involved in cases of neglect and abuse, including sexual violence. It is interesting that in case of distress and psychosocial problems, only a tenth would involve teachers.

V. RECOMMENDATIONS

(i) Build teachers’ capacities in managing anger and aggressive behaviour among children Schools are still considered unsafe places for children mainly due to unmanaged aggressiveness and anger among children. It is recommended to support teachers in taking a major role in this, in line with COOPI’s Education in Emergency Policy and international best practice. EiE inter- ventions should provide teachers with the required tools, skills, and knowledge through specific training on anger management and psychosocial support . (ii) Organise a system for social protection to assist vulnerable children Home seems to be far from a caring and safe environment for many children, especially for those who do not live with their parents but with members of their extended families. It is recommend- ed to strengthen the social protection system and support home visits from social and outreach workers in order to identify children at risk as well as support parents and family members in their education role. Classes and training for parents and family members on positive parenting skills are also recommended. This should be done in partnership and coordination with social services in order to strengthen their role in the community and for sustainability reasons. (iii) Map and strengthen referral pathways for GBV survivors An immediate mapping of specialised services offering care for both female and male GBV sur- vivors should be organised and a referral system should be established in collaboration with the GBV – Sub cluster and the target communities. This should be coupled by information and awareness sessions on the multiple consequences of sexual violence and the need of timely ac- cess to comprehensive, specialised care for survivors. (iv) Organise non-formal education and extra curricula activities Extra curricula activities should be organised and promoted in schools’ premises after school hours in collaboration with teachers if possible. This should include structured educational activi- ties, including vocational training, life skills and competencies, mine risk awareness as well as free play time. This will provide children and youth with a space where they can further develop their skills and enjoy their free time in a safe, constructive manner.

8 (v) Create safe spaces for adolescent girls EiE programming needs to incorporate the creation of safe spaces for adolescent girls making use of curricula already piloted by the GBV Sub-Cluster and other international organisations in Iraq on engaging girls. It is of paramount importance that girls have also access to opportunities and spaces where they can feel safe, learn and gather together beyond their bedrooms at home and break free from the isolation they are living in especially as puberty arrives. Besides en- abling their access to formal education, it is of paramount importance that girls have access to lifesaving information on sexual and reproductive health and GBV services.

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