Iraq is experiencing a double crisis of displacement. Syrian refugees, which currently total over 244,5271 individuals, have fled the armed conflict in Syria and have sought refuge primarily in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Compounding this crisis is the larger scale internal displacement of Iraqis who continue to flee areas controlled by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the subsequent military operations by government and allied forces to regain territory.
The country has been wracked by successive waves of displacement, with current estimates of 3.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 458,358 returnees.In total, 8.2 million3 Iraqis require immediate protection assistance as a direct consequence of violence and conflict. The number in need across Iraq is expected to increase in 2016, with further internal displacement affecting more communities and the anticipated return of some Iraqis to their areas of origin.
Gender-based violence (GBV), particularly sexual violence, is a widespread and alarming element of the dual crisis. Sexual violence is used as a tactic of terror in the armed conflict, primarily targeting women and girls of specific ethnic and religious minority groups in Iraq and Syria. Those living in areas under ISIL control are at risk of rights violations, abduction, sexual slavery, rape, torture and abuse. However, the less recognized impacts of displacement affect far more refugees, IDPs and host communities. As displacement becomes protracted, families resort to negative coping mechanisms under the strain of prolonged uncertainty and diminishing resources. For example, women and girls are subject to increasing restrictions that, while meant to protect them, in effect reduce livelihood opportunities and undermine their already weak social position. For Iraqis, displacement has exacerbated already high rates of intimate partner violence, honor crimes, sexual exploitation, harassment and early and forced marriage that existed prior to the recent conflict. The vulnerability of certain groups, such as female-headed households, widows, women with disabilities and adolescent girls, compound the challenges they face.
It is essential that GBV comes to the forefront of humanitarian response in Iraq. The specific needs of people at risk of GBV, especially women and girls, have been neglected across all sectors, while the potential to minimize GBV risks and provide quality multi-sector care for survivors is great. And as the crisis in Iraq evolves, so too must the organized, lifesaving response to GBV. Prior strategies were developmental in focus, as they were developed before the current crisis and not designed to respond to the IDP crisis that occurred. After the refugee influx and first waves of IDPs into KRI, a GBV strategy for multi-sector prevention, response and coordination in KRI was developed, but it did not account for response in the rest of the country.
In 2016, refugees are entering their fourth year of displacement, Iraqis in the central part of the country are being displaced in ever larger numbers, some families are returning to their homes without resources and services, and many Iraqis remain in ISIL-controlled areas without humanitarian access. The GBV Sub-Cluster has continually learned from past efforts and has adapted this responsive and nationwide strategy for GBV prevention, response, coordination and advocacy, in line with the Protection Cluster, Syria Regional Refugee Response Plan and Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan. This strategy is intended to provide a framework for all actors involved in addressing GBV in the humanitarian context in Iraq, including implementing agencies (governmental and nongovernmental),
United Nations, donors, and the broader humanitarian community