ENTRY POINT MONITORING OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ: JULY – AUGUST 2014
IRAQ A ZRAQ CAMP: SHELTER ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2014 A ZRAQ CAMP: SHELTER ASSESSMENT
ESSMENT REPORT ENTRYSEPTEMBER POINT M 201ONITORING4 OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ: JULY – AUGUST 2014
AZRAQ CAMP: SHELTER ASSESSMENT Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary ...... 2 List of Acronyms ...... 3 Geographical Classifications ...... 3 List of Figures, Maps and Tables ...... 3 Introduction ...... 5 Methodology ...... 6 Key Informant ...... 6 Household ...... 6 Data Analysis and Limitations ...... 6 Key Findings ...... 7 Area of Origin ...... 7 Entry points ...... 8 Means of transport ...... 8 Prior entry points used ...... 9 Family contacts / sponsors ...... 10 Documentation provided ...... 11 Family Size ...... 12 Intentions ...... 13 Planned alternative if unable to enter the KRI ...... 13 Accommodation ...... 14 Planned/targeted location ...... 16 Forms of support ...... 17 Availability of support ...... 17 Sustainability of support ...... 19 Conclusion ...... 21
About REACH Initiative REACH was created in 2010 to facilitate the development of information tools and products that enhance the capacity of aid actors to make evidence-based decisions in emergency, recovery and development contexts. All REACH activities are conducted in support to and within the framework of inter-agency aid coordination mechanisms. For more information, you can write to our Iraq office: [email protected] or to our global team in Geneva [email protected]. Visit our website at www.reach-intiative.org and follow us @REACH_info.
1 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
SUMMARY In June 2014, conflict erupted in parts of central and northern Iraq, resulting in a massive influx of over 500,000 people into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Many of these people have travelled directly to the KRI, which is perceived as offering greater security than other regions in Iraq. The magnitude of displacement that has taken place from areas affected by the conflict - primarily the governorates of Ninewa, Anbar and Salah Al Din - has posed a significant challenge for the humanitarian response. The regular movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) towards the KRI and within the region has made it difficult to keep track of the needs required in each area.
In response to this information gap, REACH Initiative has undertaken daily monitoring of key, accessible entry points to the KRI since the 21st of June 2014. In order to understand the needs and intentions of IDPs arriving in the KRI, REACH Initiative has collected information about their area of origin, household demographics, planned movement within the KRI, intended accommodation arrangements and availability of economic resources.
Therefore, the purpose of this report is two-fold: on the one hand, to analyse trends across the nine weeks of data collection; on the other hand, to provide indicative findings at governorate-level. Therefore, the analysis also serves to identify, in its key findings, issues and geographical areas for ongoing assessment.
Analysis of the data from the beginning of July to the end of August has enabled the identification of certain patterns that should create a more effective response through informing humanitarian programming. Initially, the majority of assessed IDP households wanting to enter the KRI were from Ninewa Governorate - where much of the violence took place in June and July. However, as violence and fear spreads across the country, entry points have seen increasing traffic from areas such as Anbar and Salah Al Din.
Since mid-August the provision of residency permits has been replaced with tourist or open-ended passes. This prevents access to employment, which will affect a household’s ability to afford adequate accommodation and continue to cover their basic needs. Gradually, assessed IDPs’ intention to rent has been replaced with more low-cost arrangements, such as open air spaces and collective shelters (ie. parks and mosques), particularly in Duhok and Erbil. This has severe implications for access to basic services and, in the absence of regular external assistance, the ability to cope during winter. IDP households displaced during a significant wave of movement from their area of origin are less likely to have sufficient means to meet their basic needs for more than a week, having fled their homes with little notice. Those who were displaced one or two weeks later may have had more time to plan for their departure, accumulate capital or find other means of support on arrival.
Significant variations were noted among the three governorates IDPs were willing to reach in the KRI – Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah - which should be taken into careful consideration by the different actors operating in these areas. Generally speaking, those assessed wanting to enter Erbil and Sulaymaniyah planned to go to the central cities, whereas assessed arrivals at the Duhok Governorate entry points were more or less equally divided between Sheikhan District, Duhok City and Semel District. If prevented from entering the KRI, the majority of assessed IDPs wanting to enter Duhok Governorate said they would go to a camp (which is likely to be affected by the presence of Garmawa Camp in Sheikhan District). IDP households assessed at Sulaymaniyah Governorate entry points reported intent to return to their area of origin (of which a majority were from Anbar and Salah Al Din governorates) if denied access to the KRI. More than half of the assessed IDPs wanting to enter Sulaymaniyah reported not having any economic resources to support their family; this was reported by a quarter of assessed IDPs at Duhok Governorate entry points and by less than 5% of those assessed wanting to enter Erbil.
2 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
LIST OF ACRONYMS
AOG Armed Opposition Group AoO Area of Origin IDP Internally Displaced Person KRI Kurdistan Region of Iraq
GEOGRAPHICAL CLASSIFICATIONS Governorate The highest administrative boundary below the national level. District Governorates are divided into districts.
LIST OF FIGURES, MAPS AND TABLES Figure 1: Governorate of origin of IDPs - July to August 2014 ...... 7 Figure 2: Area of origin of IDPs wanting to enter Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...... 8 Figure 3: Mode of transport as reported by IDPs – by governorate ...... 8 Figure 4: Transport means as reported by IDPs – July to August 2014 ...... 9 Figure 5: Proportion of IDP households reporting to have attempted to enter the KRI through a different entry point – July to August 2014 ...... 9 Figure 6: Proportion of IDP households reporting to have attempted to enter the KRI through a different entry point – by governorate and time ...... 10 Figure 7: Proportion of IDP households with a family contact or sponsor in the KRI – July to August 2014 ...... 11 Figure 8: Types of official documentation provided at entry points – July to August 2014 ...... 12 Figure 9: Types of official documentation provided at entry points in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates - July to August 2014...... 12 Figure 10: Average number of children per household - July to August 2014...... 13 Figure 11: Substitute plans reported by IDPs if rejected from current entry point – by governorate ...... 14 Figure 12: Proportion of IDPs reporting alternative plans if unable to enter the KRI...... 14 Figure 13: Accommodation arrangements intended by IDPs - by governorate ...... 15 Figure 14: Intended accommodation arrangements as reported by IDPs - July to August 2014 ...... 15 Figure 15: Proportion of IDPs with a targeted location ...... 16 Figure 16: Top three intended destinations - by governorate ...... 17 Figure 17: Forms of support – by governorate ...... 17 Figure 18: Forms of support - July to August 2014 ...... 18 Figure 19: Forms of support used in Duhok Governorate - July to August 2014 ...... 18 Figure 20: Forms of support used in Erbil Governorate - July to August 2014 ...... 19 Figure 21: Forms of support used in Sulaymaniyah Governorate – July to August 2014 ...... 19 Figure 22: Sustainability of support - by governorate...... 20 Figure 23: Sustainability of support - July to August 2014 ...... 20
3 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Table 1: Number of samples per month ...... 6 Table 2: Number of samples per governorate ...... 6
Map 1: Assessed entry points ...... 5
4 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
INTRODUCTION
Confrontations that occurred in Mosul City (belonging to Ninewa Governate) and surrounding areas at the start of June 2014 produced an immediate and sizeable wave of IDPs, primarily towards the neighbouring borders of Erbil and Duhok governorates in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Influxes have continued since then, and the magnitudes are a direct reflection of events occurring in Ninewa Governorate and other areas affected by the ongoing conflict - such as Anbar, Salah Al Din and Diyala -, from where many internally displaced persons (IDPs) have also sought refuge in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
The rapid displacement of more than 500,000 people since the start of June 2014 has posed a serious challenge for the humanitarian response. Locating IDPs and providing immediate, life-saving assistance has been hampered by difficulties in tracking their movement from their area of origin and within the KRI. In many locations needs vary on a daily basis as IDPs come and go, posing enormous difficulties for the delivery of effective services by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and humanitarian actors.
In response to this information gap, REACH Initiative has been monitoring key entry points used to enter the KRI on a daily basis to understand the movement and intentions of IDPs. On arriving in the KRI, information was gathered from the IDPs about demographics, means of transport, documentation provided, and availability of economic resources. Therefore, the purpose of this report is two-fold: on the one hand, to analyse trends across the nine weeks of data collection; on the other hand, to provide indicative findings at governorate-level. Therefore, the analysis also serves to identify, in its key findings, issues and geographical areas for ongoing assessment.
The analysis is composed of data collected at each entry point into the governorates of Duhok, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah during July and August 2014 and complements weekly factsheets.1 Findings from the first round of entry point monitoring can be found in Vulnerability, Needs and Intentions of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq - July 2014 (REACH, July 2014).2 The assessment was conducted between 03 July 2014 and 31 August 2014, covering a total of 2,128 families (18,309 individuals) attempting to cross 20 different entry points into the KRI.
Map 1: Assessed entry points
1 These and all other REACH products are available on the Humanitarian Response Portal: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/fr/operations/iraq. 2 Available on the Humanitarian Response Portal here: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/fr/operations/iraq/document/irq-reach-vulnerability-needs- intentions-idps-northern-iraq.
5 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
METHODOLOGY Data was collected on a daily basis at all accessible key entry points into the KRI, with REACH teams spending on average two hours at each entry point. In order to get a comprehensive overview of the IDPs’ movements and intentions, interviews were conducted with key informants and household heads.
KEY INFORMANT For the key informant data, REACH teams interviewed an Entry Point Manager or subsequent authority each day. These interviews provided information concerning the number of new arrivals that had crossed in the past 24 hours, qualitative information on the principal areas of origin of IDPs, types of entry passes provided, and peak traffic hours. This information has been used to complement the quantitative findings of household-level surveys.
HOUSEHOLD For household surveys, the REACH team interviewed 2,128 head of households. Convenience sampling was used at the entry points, interviewing households whilst in the transit area between the initial check and being granted entry, and also after being granted entry to the KRI. The questionnaires were closed-ended and took approximately one minute to complete. Due to varying degrees of accessibility at certain entry points which has affected the total sample size collected at each entry point, findings are meant to be indicative at governorate level.
DATA ANALYSIS AND LIMITATIONS At times, data collection was prevented due to security concerns and the Eid holiday (which took place during the fourth week of July). As a result, sample size per governorate varies each month, however, findings at the governorate level should still be indicative of how the IDP situation has varied over time, when analysed weekly.
Assessing households in the transit area of the entry point had the advantage of being able to assess a household’s intentions, should they be refused entry. However, this method was disadvantaged by the fact that entry had not yet been granted so respondents may have felt pressure to participate or that their responses might affect their chance of gaining entry to the KRI. To mitigate this, enumerators received training on interview and community engagement skills. In accordance with weekly feedback on the interview process, additional questions were added to the questionnaire following the onset of data collection. As a result, the information available at different periods during the nine weeks of data collection varies slightly, with some information not being available for all weeks.
Table 1: Number of samples per month Month Sample size (number of families) July 965 August 1163 Total 2,128 Table 2: Number of samples per governorate Governorate Sample size (number of families) Duhok 286 Erbil 751 Sulaymaniyah 1,091 Total 2,128
It should be noted that of the total sample collected, those who had not arrived at the entry point as a result of the conflict were not included in the analysis (a total of 38 instances).
6 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
KEY FINDINGS
This section discusses the assessment’s findings, which on occasion are disaggregated by week and governorate to give a chronological and geographical analysis for each area. The first sub-section presents the collected information about IDP’s area of origin. The second one has a specific focus on entry points, compiling information about respondents’ means of transports, the prior entry points they used, the family contacts/ sponsors they could rely on, the documentation they were provided with, and their household size. The third sub-section relates to IDPs’ intentions: planned movement within the KRI, intended accommodation arrangements and location. Finally, the last sub-section discusses the availability and sustainability of IDP’s economic resources.
AREA OF ORIGIN
The majority of displacement into the KRI during July and August 2014 took place from Ninewa Governorate (57% of all assessed IDPs originated from there). A large proportion of assessed IDPs crossing the Ninewa entry points did so during August. Crossings here dropped continuously from the start of July until the end of the month and increased again in the first week of August following mass displacement from Sinjar District and towns to the north and east of Mosul City. The proportion of assessed IDP households coming from Anbar and Salah Al Din governorates increased in the third and fourth week of August respectively before decreasing again one week later. Figure 1: Governorate of origin of IDPs - July to August 2014
100% 90% Anbar 80% Babylon % of IDP 70% households Baghdad 60% 50% Diyala 40% Kirkuk 30% 20% Ninewa 10% Salah al-Din 0% July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1August 2August 3August 4August 5
Month / Week number
Assessed IDPs wanting to enter Duhok and Erbil were primarily from Ninewa governorate (100% and 99%, respectively). The proportion of assessed IDPs at the Duhok and Erbil entry points originating from Ninewa stayed relatively constant until the first week of August when there was a 20% decrease due to a wave of IDPs that came from Anbar, which lasted for three weeks (See Figure 1). By contrast, IDP households assessed at entry points into Sulaymaniyah arrived from a wider range of governorates: 36% were from Anbar Governorate, 25% from Salah Al Din Governorate, and 18% from Ninewa Governorate.3 The proportion of assessed IDPs from Anbar Governorate, the most common area of origin, gradually increased across both months reaching its peak during the third week of August (See Figure 2).
3 Annex1, Area of Origin of IDPs Interviewed at Entry Points July – August 2-2014.
7 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
The largest proportion of assessed IDPs from Ninewa arrived during the first week of August. Increased security risks in the eastern parts of Ninewa bordering Erbil Governorate in the first week of August may explain why more assessed IDPs sought to enter Sulaymaniyah rather than Erbil in this week.
Figure 2: Area of origin of IDPs wanting to enter Sulaymaniyah Governorate
60% Anbar 50% Babylon
40% Baghdad % of IDP households 30% Diyala
20% Kirkuk
Ninewa 10%
Salah al-Din 0% July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
ENTRY POINTS
Means of transport
Overall, the three most common means of transport used by assessed IDPs were private car (54%), taxi (29%) and hired minibus (11%). When disaggregating by governorate, it appears that entry points in Duhok were the only place where assessed IDP households reported having arrived by foot (2%) - from the districts of Mosul and Sinjar.
Figure 3: Mode of transport as reported by IDPs – by governorate
8 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Over time, an inverse trend between the use of private cars and taxis at most entry points can be seen (See Figure 4). This trend is likely to be due to rises in the cost of fuel, particularly in the fourth week of August, lowering the cost of taxis in comparison to private transport. In Duhok entry points, the most common transport alternative to private cars was reported as minibuses in the third week of August, and then buses in the fourth week of August.
Figure 4: Transport means as reported by IDPs – July to August 2014
70%
60%
50% % of IDP Bus households 40% By foot 30% Minibus 20% Other
10% Private car Taxi 0% July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
Prior entry points used
A minority of assessed IDP households (4%) had attempted to cross at another entry point prior to the one where they were assessed. Among these respondents, the most common points of entry in each governorate were: Al Qosh in Duhok (50%), Khazir in Erbil (44%), and Banamaqin in Sulaymaniyah (59%). Mandan was also a common entry point used to enter Erbil (33%).
There was a sudden increase in the proportion of IDP households reporting to have tried entering the KRI through another entry point in the second week of August (See Figure 5 below). This could be a reflection of heightened security at certain entry points following the wave of displacement due to armed opposition group (AOG) advances in the first week of August.
Figure 5: Proportion of IDP households reporting to have attempted to enter the KRI through a different entry point – July to August 2014
% of IDP 10% households 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
9 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
In particular, this trend was noticeable among assessed IDP households who had attempted to enter Erbil Governorate, due to heightened security measures throughout July and the eventual closure of Khazir entry point in mid-August. (See Figure 6 below). The finding that no assessed IDP households reported having tried alternative entry points in Erbil after the fourth week of August is possibly due to Khazir’s permanent closure and IDP households either entering through Sheikh Abdul Qadir or going elsewhere. In Duhok and Sulaymaniyah, the proportion of IDPs reporting rejection at entry points after August 2014 was few to none. (See Figure 6 below).
Figure 6: Proportion of IDP households reporting to have attempted to enter the KRI through a different entry point – by governorate and time
Duhok Governorate Erbil Governorate Sulaymaniyah Governorate
40% 35% 30% % of IDP 25% households 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% July 4 August August August August July 4 August August August August July 4 August August August August August 2 3 4 5 1 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Month / Week number
Family contacts / sponsors Overall, a majority of assessed IDP households (63%) did not have a family contact or sponsor in the KRI, which can be a pre-requisite for entering the KRI, especially when security is heightened. The exception to this trend was Duhok Governorate, where 76% of assessed IDP families wanting to enter had a family contact or sponsor.
Interestingly, assessed IDP families from the governorates of Basra (100%) and Kirkuk (67%) were more likely to have a family contact or sponsor in the KRI than those from other areas. No assessed IDP families from Najaf, Thi-Qar or Wassit governorates (all located in the south of Iraq), reported having a family contact or sponsor in the KRI.
The proportion of assessed IDP households with a family contact or sponsor in the KRI soared at the end of August 2014 at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah entry points, whereas no IDPs reported a family contact or sponsor at Duhok entry points after the second week of August (See Figure 7). This is a significant decrease compared to the second week of July when all assessed IDP households reported having a family contact or sponsor in the KRI.
10 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 7: Proportion of IDP households with a family contact or sponsor in the KRI – July to August 2014
Duhok Governorate Erbil Governorate Sulaymaniyah Governorate Duhok Governorate Erbil Governorate
100% 90% % of IDP 80% 70% households 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Month / Week number
Documentation provided
More than half (55%) of assessed IDP households had not been provided with official documentation recognising their permission to cross the entry point. In particular, 95% of assessed IDP households entering Erbil Governorate reported not having the official documentation that permitted entry. However, this could be a misrepresentation due to the fact that REACH teams interviewed IDPs at various positions at the entry point, including those who had not yet entered the KRI and therefore had not yet received documentation.
Among those who had received official entry documents to the KRI, and had thus presumably already been admitted to the region, the majority of those assessed (67%) reported that they had a residency permit. Another common type of permit was a ‘leave to remain’ pass which is open-ended but has certain restrictions (including being denied the permission to work). This was reported by 24% of IDP households, primarily in Sulaymaniyah (99%) and Erbil (1%). It may be that the humanitarian community can expect IDP households to settle in the KRI for at least the medium and possibly long-term, which will necessitate programmes supporting both IDP households and the ability of local communities to host them.
9% of assessed households received a tourist pass, of varying duration. 37% were case-specific letters, the rest were standard tourist passes. All assessed IDPs entering Duhok Governorate with a tourist permit received a ten-day pass. In Erbil, the only types reported were one-day and ten-day passes, whereas in Sulaymaniyah there was greater variation, with case-specific letters being the most common (39%).
In the third week of August, residency permits appeared to be generally replaced by open-ended permits (‘leave to remain’), and tourist visas (See Figure 8). This might suggest a shift away from permits (that encourage full residency in the KRI) towards more temporary permits (that are flexible in terms of time spent in the KRI but limit other rights such as employment and the ability to purchase accommodation). The number of work permits provided to assessed IDP households remained below 1% throughout both months.
11 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 8: Types of official documentation provided at entry points – July to August 2014
100% 90% 80% 70% % of IDP 60% households Leave to remain 50% Residency 40% 30% Tourist 20% 10% 0% July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number At governorate level, the type of permits varied greatly, with Duhok Governorate offering the fewest options and Sulaymaniyah the widest range of permits (See Figure 9 below). Sulaymaniyah was apparently the only governorate to distribute work permits, which it gave to roughly 1% of assessed IDP households during the fourth week of July and second week of August. In comparison to the general trend, residency permits continued to be the most commonly reported among assessed IDPs entering Duhok. In Erbil however, it seems that residency permits and ‘leave to remain’ permits started to be replaced by tourist passes in August. Figure 9: Types of official documentation provided at entry points in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates - July to August 2014. Erbil Governorate Sulaymaniyah Governorate Duhok Governorate
% of IDP households
July 4 August 1 August 3 August 5 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Leave to remain Leave to remain Residency Residency
Tourist Tourist
Month / Week number Month / Week number
Family Size Overall, the average household size in the assessment was 8.6, but it varied among the different areas of origin, with households arriving from Kerbala and Thi-Qar apparently being the largest and those from Wassit and Kirkuk being the smallest. A majority of assessed IDP households were travelling as a single family (67%). Few were travelling as four or more families together.
12 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
The number of individuals travelling can have implications for the type of transport at their disposal, the cost, as well as comfort. Furthermore, should all households decide to stay together past the entry point, they will need to seek larger rented accommodations or more hotel rooms at a greater cost. Alternatively, if they are unable to cover the cost of rent or a hotel, they are likely to resort to settling in inadequate shelter conditions (such as unfinished buildings or open air spaces).
The average household size of assessed IDP households has varied between the weeks of July and August, with a slight decrease noted in the last three weeks of August. This could be due to the relatives of the majority these IDPs having left already.
On average, assessed households were composed of 3.9 children, comprising almost half of the household demographic. Moreover, a majority of assessed households reported having four or more children (75%).
Unsurprisingly, the average number of children per household has followed a similar trend to the total number of people per household (See Figure 10). In both cases, a peak was experienced in the first week of August, which resulted from a rise in displacement from areas to the north and northeast of Mosul City and Sinjar mountain. Figure 10 suggests that in the weeks following mass displacement (therefore, the last three weeks of August), the proportion of children per household declined.
Figure 10: Average number of children per household - July to August 2014
5.0 % of IDP households 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
INTENTIONS Planned alternative if unable to enter the KRI
For many IDPs the KRI is a relatively safe area where they can stay until they decide they are able to return to their area of origin. Consequently, it is not surprising that many reported that they would continue to try entering through the same entry point if they were initially prohibited (35%). In the case of entry into the KRI not being permitted, a large proportion (36%) said they did not know where they would go, 14% said they would return to their area of origin and 9% said they would go to a camp.
The greatest proportion of assessed IDPs reporting that they would move to a camp if unable to cross the entry point were among arrivals in Duhok (34%). This is likely to be affected by the presence of Garmawa Transit Site in Al Shekhan District. (See Figure 11).
The greatest proportion of assessed IDPs citing that they would return to their area of origin was among arrivals at Sulaymaniyah entry points (24%) (See Figure 11). Among these, assessed IDPs were primarily from the districts of Falluja (9%) and Ramadi (11%), both in Anbar Governorate, and from Tikrit in Salah Al Din (12%).
13 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 11: Substitute plans reported by IDPs if rejected from current entry point – by governorate
Over time, the overall proportion of assessed IDP households reporting that they would return to their area of origin if unable to enter the KRI increased throughout the months of July and August (See Figures 12), with arrivals at Sulaymaniyah most commonly citing this option. Those reporting that they would retry the same entry point, go to a camp or were undecided, decreased over time. The first week of August shows a peak in the proportion reporting that they would try another entry point: this is likely to result from heightened security restrictions following both mass displacement from Sinjar and fighting in the northern and eastern parts of Ninewa Governorate.
Figure 12: Proportion of IDPs reporting alternative plans if unable to enter the KRI.
70% Do not know 60% Return to area 50% of origin Go to a camp % of IDP 40% households 30% Other
20% Retry same entry point 10% Try another entry point 0% July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
Accommodation Overall, almost half of the assessed IDP households (48%) intended to stay in a rented apartment or house, 26% were not sure where they would stay, and 11% planned to stay with family. Only 8% intended to stay in a hotel, while staying in collective shelters (such as parks/mosques) or in the open air were each cited by 3% of the respondents. Figure 13 disaggregates these intentions by governorate.
14 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 13: Accommodation arrangements intended by IDPs - by governorate
We can assume that the preference of assessed IDP households for rented accommodation is likely to be an issue especially for larger households, since finding adequate accommodation is likely to be costly and beyond the financial means of many IDPs in the long-term. This issue is compounded by the work restrictions that seem to be placed on IDPs within the KRI. The resulting economic constraints can limit households’ access to basic needs such as food and water, with larger households experiencing the most economic strain.
Figure 14 below illustrates this. In the third week of August there was a decline in the proportion of assessed IDP households intending to rent accommodation. This was matched by a slight increase in households intending to stay in a hotel and those who did not know. This might suggest that there is increasing uncertainty concerning economic resources. We might also be able to assume that IDP households displaced in August have not decided how long they will be in the KRI for, or where they will settle. It is possible that parks, mosques, other public spaces, and buildings such as schools will continue to provide alternative accommodation arrangements for those unable to afford rent. This could disrupt public services, such as the school year and religious activities, which could have negative effects for relations between IDPs and the hosting communities. Figure 14: Intended accommodation arrangements as reported by IDPs - July to August 2014
90% Do not know 80% 70% Hotel
% of IDP 60% Open air households 50% Other 40% 30% Park / Mosque 20% Rented 10% accommodation Stay with family 0% July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1August 2August 3August 4August 5
Month / Week number
It was interesting to examine such changes over time at a governorate level. In Sulaymaniyah, rented accommodation remained the intended choice among a majority of assessed IDP households in both July and August, which might suggest a certain socio-economic class of IDP households coming to Sulaymaniyah.
15 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
On the contrary, assessed IDP households wanting to enter Erbil in August were more likely to seek cheaper accommodation arrangements such as parks/mosques and staying with family, or were uncertain about the type of accommodation they would be able to find. A similar trend was noted among assessed IDPs wanting to enter Duhok in August 2014, with low-cost arrangements being the most commonly reported.
Planned/targeted location
With many IDP households having fled their homes at a very short notice, it is not surprising that a majority of assessed households did not know where they would stay once they had entered the KRI (66%). There was a significant variation at governorate level, with a majority at the Duhok entry points citing that they did have a planned destination (75%), while this was reported by only half of those assessed wanting to enter Erbil (49%) and 12% at the Sulaymaniyah entry points.
Across the two months of July and August, the proportion of assessed IDP households reporting that they had a particular destination in mind once they are able to enter the KRI was 34% (of all records). This has continuously decreased over time (See Figure 15). We can assume this is either a result of IDP households not knowing whether they will be able to enter the KRI - as some of those assessed had not yet passed the entry point -, or the fact that a majority of assessed households preferred to rent and were not certain what they would be able to afford. Figure 15: Proportion of IDPs with a targeted location
70% 60% % of IDP 50% households 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
In all three governorates, a majority of assessed IDP households were intending to stay in that governorate (see Figure 16). Whereas assessed IDP households wanting to enter Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were primarily intending to head towards central cities, the first destination among those assessed at the Duhok entry points was Sheikhan District - which may be explained by the district’s low population density.
16 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 16: Top three intended destinations - by governorate
Duhok Governorate Erbil Governorate Sulaymaniyah Governorate
Sulaymaniyah Sheikhan Erbil City City
Duhok City Kirkuk Chamchamal
0% 20% 0% 50% 0% 50% % of IDP households FORMS OF SUPPORT
Availability of support
More than half of assessed IDP households were relying on their own savings to support their family (57%); this was reported by an overwhelming proportion of assessed IDP households interviewed at Erbil Governorate entry points (96%) and 68% of those seeking to enter Duhok Governorate. Other commonly reported economic sources were support from friends and family (16%) and relying on charitable donations (14%). In both cases, the proportion of assessed IDP households reporting this type of economic source was much higher at Duhok and Erbil entry points than in Sulaymaniyah (See Figure 17).
More than half of assessed IDP households wanting to enter Sulaymaniyah reported not having an existing economic source with which to support their family (54%). Those who did cite a source generally said it was savings (38%). On average, 37% reported not having any means of supporting their family, and only 3% said they have/would have access to employment. (See Figure 17).
Figure 17: Forms of support – by governorate
Access to support was particularly low among those assessed wanting to enter the KRI at the start of August (See Figure 18), most likely as a result of sudden displacement. However, the proportion of assessed IDP households reporting not having any means of support decreased in the second half of August. This is unlikely to reflect the fact that IDP households who wanted to enter the KRI at this time had fewer financial constraints than those displaced in July. It could rather suggest that those not immediately displaced are more likely to have identified means of support.
17 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
However, reliance on support from friends or charitable donations is unsustainable and does not guarantee that a household will be able to continue covering their basic needs in the long-term.
Figure 18: Forms of support - July to August 2014 70% Savings 60%
50% Employment % of IDP households 40% Support from 30% friends
20% Charitable donations 10% No support 0% July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5 Month / Week number At a governorate level, reliance on charitable donations was particularly common among assessed IDP households wanting to enter Duhok after the second week of August, whereas it has decreased at Erbil entry points from the third week of August, and has not been reported widely in Sulaymaniyah throughout the assessment (See Figures 19, 20 and 21). Savings were reported by all assessed IDP households at Sulaymaniyah and Erbil entry points as being consistent (See Figure 20 and 21), on the contrary to those wanting to enter Duhok, with no assessed IDPs in the second or fourth week of August citing that they relied on savings. As the reported reliance on savings decreased sharply in the second week of August, the proportion reporting that they had no support increased sharply. In the fourth week of August the use of savings dropped. Charitable donations were reported by all assessed IDPs from the third to the fifth week of August (See Figure 19).
Figure 19: Forms of support used in Duhok Governorate - July to August 2014
100% Savings 80% Employment % of IDP households 60% 40% Support from friends 20% Charitable 0% donations July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5 No support
Month / Week number
18 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 20: Forms of support used in Erbil Governorate - July to August 2014
100%
80% Savings % of IDP households 60% Employment 40% Support from friends Charitable donations 20% No support 0% July 4 August 1 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
Figure 21: Forms of support used in Sulaymaniyah Governorate – July to August 2014
100% Savings 80% % of IDP Employment households 60% Support from 40% friends 20% Charitable donations 0% No support July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
Sustainability of support Roughly one-third of assessed IDP households said that their current means of supporting their family was sustainable for less than one week (34%). The proportion was higher among households wanting to enter Duhok Governorate (48%), which may explain why so many intend to stay in open air spaces (as demonstrated above in Figure 13). Many were uncertain as to how long they would be able to continue meeting basic needs (26%), and only 13% said they would be able to support their family for more than one month. The highest proportion of assessed IDP households that could support their family for one month or more was at Erbil entry points (20%).
19 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
Figure 22: Sustainability of support - by governorate. 100% 10% 4% 22% Do not know 80% 37% 19% 10% More than 1 month % of IDP households 60% 19% 22% 20% 3 - 4 weeks
40% 5% 15% 6% 1 - 2 weeks 48% 20% 32% 32% Less than 1 week
0% Duhok Erbil Sulaymaniyah
Figure 23 below shows a peak in the proportion of assessed IDP households reporting that their support means will not be sustainable for more than one week in the second week of August. It could be explained by the fact that those wanting to enter the KRI in that week were likely to have been rapidly displaced from Sinjar and areas north or east of Mosul City as a result of swift advances from AOGs. Consequently, it is likely that they were not able to leave with sufficient financial capital. The proportion reporting that they had sufficient means for the next three to four weeks was higher among assessed IDP households displaced one or two weeks after this second wave, which suggests that they might have been able to accumulate more resources, though the number of assessed IDP households who said they could meet basic needs for more than one month was still low.
Figure 23: Sustainability of support - July to August 2014
70% Do not know 60%
50% Less than 1 % of IDP week households 40% 1 - 2 weeks 30% 3 - 4 weeks 20%
10% More than 1 month 0% July 4 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5
Month / Week number
20 Entry Point Monitoring of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Iraq: July – August 2014
CONCLUSION This assessment gives us an idea of the demographic and socioeconomic profiles of displaced households attempting to enter the KRI in July and August, as well as their intentions once inside or rejected from the KRI. The main element of this phase of displacement is the wide spectrum of sustainability of resources amongst displaced households. The advance of AOGs forced many households to flee at a moment’s notice with little time to gather assets and capital to support the household during their displacement. This is particularly true for the Sinjar crisis in the first two weeks of August. Other households had more time to prepare and gather assets before travelling, however they will face difficulties if they cannot generate income during their displacement. Both of these scenarios were seen in individual cases in the Entry Point Monitoring findings. In addition, two key findings emerge from the assessment. The first one is an increase in the proportion of assessed households reporting that they would have returned to their area of origin if they were refused entry to the KRI. It was reported by 24% of those assessed attempting to enter Sulaymaniyah, where Anbar was the most common area of origin. We can assume that these households, were they refused entry to the KRI, would face a difficult situation on returning to their area of origin where there is very little humanitarian access. Together with the Shelter Cluster, REACH conducted a rapid shelter assessment of IDPs living in areas under AOG control, where one in ten households was found to be living in the open air.4 The second one is an increase in the proportion of assessed IDP households intending to rent accommodation once in the KRI, and reportedly short term sustainability of resources. This leads us to assume that there will be a point in the mid to long term when these households will face eviction, creating a shelter challenge for the assessed IDPs themselves but also a potential knock on effects for the host communities of the reported intended destinations in this assessment. Going further after this assessment, additional research could focus on the coping strategies of IDPs moving to non-camp urban settings as well as connectors / dividers between host communities and IDPs within the KRI.
4 REACH Initiative, Shelter Cluster., Shelter Cluster Rapid Assessment, Iraq Internal Displacement Crisis Area of Origin Assessment Report (Oct 2014).
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