In the News
In the Iraq war, Christians pushed to the brink
Christian Science Monitor - 11/15/2009
Iraqi Refugees Discover Security Comes at a Price
PBS NewsHour - 11/10/2009
UN to send Iraqi refugees food aid by text message
Reuters - 10/27/2009
Iraqi Refugee Stories
My life is being wasted here."
From
the small city of Kut in the south of Iraq, "Mirah," now 27, was working on
a degree in English at her local university when the U.S.entered Iraq in 2003. Read
Mirah's story.
Mission
Human Rights First is working to secure a comprehensive response to the Iraqi refugee crisis. We have pressed the United States to bring some of the most vulnerable refugees to safety through a major resettlement initiative and to lead the international community in providing aid for refugees and those displaced within Iraq. We now call on the Obama administration and other international actors to ensure that Iraq's displaced are not forced to return to their homes except under safe, voluntary, and dignified conditions. As the UN refugee agency said in May 2009, "The improvement of the situation in Iraq does not yet constitute fundamental changes sufficient to promote or encourage massive returns to Iraq."
Our work includes:
- Education. Human Rights First educates the public about the plight of Iraqi refugees, including those who have been targeted because of their work with the United States. We provide fact sheets and individual testimonies to assist in this education effort.
- Advocacy. Human Rights First advocates for bipartisan approaches to addressing the Iraqi refugee crisis. We meet with members of Congress, officials in the U.S. Departments of State, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, National Security Council officials, and other policymakers. We also meet with UNHCR officials and staff working in the region and government officials from countries of first asylum. We recommend policy reforms that would ensure that Iraq's displaced are not forced to return to their homes, and that their human rights are protected inside and outside Iraq.
- Partnerships. Human Rights First partners with a diverse group of faith-based, refugee assistance, and other organizations, as well as with members of the U.S. military community who are concerned about the safety of Iraqi translators and other Iraqi employees of the U.S. government.
- Research. Human Rights First documents the testimonies of Iraqi refugees to better understand the challenges they face and the gaps in service provision and protection space. Our staff travels regularly to the region to assess the needs of Iraqi refugees and identify necessary improvements.
