To Protect People Fleeing Mosul, Undo Iraq’s Anti-Shelter Policy

Huffington Post (Oct. 21, 2016): To Protect People Fleeing Mosul, Undo Iraq’s Anti-Shelter Policy, by Lisa Davis:

The battle for Mosul will result in a humanitarian crisis, but the need for shelter will go tragically unmet in Iraq.  A major cause of the problem is the inexplicable policy of the Iraqi government that forbids local women's organizations from providing shelter to displaced persons.  "Those who defy this policy," writes Davis, "by running safe houses for women escaping violence or shelters for families displaced by war, operate under government harassment and police raids."

Local groups in Iraq are well positioned to provide the aid and shelter that international groups, lacking information, connections and other important resources, cannot.  The problem is not so much an explicit ban in Iraqi law but a misinterpretation of it.  Many local officials believe only the government can run shelters.  There is a also a deep-seated bias against shelters as places where groups of "immoral women" reside without male oversight.  It is feared that opening shelters will encourage women to abandon their families.  

Facing reality, some local officials have been forced to enter into agreements with local organizations to provide shelter.  But more needs to be done.  Advocacy groups are calling for the government to permit private shelters to operate without fear of reprisals.