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عربي

Ten-minute briefing - Life in Iraq
 15/04/2009

Car bombs, shootings, bombings, abductions and killings have become so common in Iraq, it is rare to find a family who has been spared according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. This briefing looks at how the violence and lack of security is affecting people living in Iraq, and at local and international efforts to protect civilians.

 

How are people in Iraq coping?

 

Some people just don’t go out. Parents don’t want to risk children getting hurt on their way to school or in play areas. People who are still going to work, or who have essential trips to make, plan long, safer routes to avoid particularly dangerous areas. Shops are only open for limited times and the journey there, through checkpoints and avoiding certain areas, can take a long time, despite it only being a short distance from home.

 

Some families have decided to split up and sleep in different houses to avoid the possibility of an entire family being killed. Others, such as in the religiously-mixed city of Nasser Wa Salaam, are swapping houses with friends until the violence eases. Both families can then live in an area where people from their background are safer.

 

Since 2003, mobile phone coverage has improved massively and Iraqis now have broadband for the first time. These are used by civilians trying to survive and continue with their lives. It is dangerous to go out so, naturally, people use mobile phones to call and text, and email to stay in touch with friends and family.

 

There are reports of lecturers emailing and texting exam questions to their students to avoid having to go out to university. Entire websites have been set up with tips to avoid being attacked or kidnapped by blending in, or by using Google Earth to work out attacking routes.

 

So, why are these tactics necessary?

 

Attacks from armed groups often take place in civilian locations like markets and universities, and civilians are targets. Going shopping, going to work or to school, in fact just being on the streets, are all dangerous. Being stopped by an armed group of a different background means you’ll almost certainly be killed, even if your family pay a ransom.

 

Simply, people are worried about staying safe. Their priority is to avoid being kidnapped or caught in attacks, especially in the areas with the worst violence, such as Baghdad and Basra.

 

The fighting damages basics like water supplies, so people have to manage without clean water or sewage disposal. The power supply is erratic – people have to plan around only having electricity for a few hours a day – and some areas don’t have any mains electricity so they share rented generators with neighbours.

 

Health-care facilities are stretched to the limit as they struggle to cope with mass casualties. People avoid going to hospital because it’s too dangerous to get there, and the patients and medical staff are frequently threatened or targeted. The power cuts and straightforward damage from the violence mean they are in no shape to meet people’s basic needs.

 

The impact the war is having on the economy means people are becoming poorer. People might not be able to go to work and earn, or family breadwinners may be killed or injured, so there is no money coming in. Inflation is high - prices go up fast and people can’t afford what is in the shops, especially if they are living on savings and not earning.

 

Can’t people go somewhere safer, away from the violence?