Rape is a tactic often used by Karamojong warriors in the course of cattle raids and retaliations. If women fall in the path of such raiders while walking to gather firewood or fetch water, they may be assaulted repeatedly.

Yet such violent incidents also reflect the wider subordination women often face in their communities. Many lead lives full of obligation and deprived of choice. Their husbands have paid a ‘bride price’ – usually in the form of cattle – to their families to marry them and now they are seen as property.

"There is a lot of work attached to a bride price – a married woman must become the backbone of the family," says Priscilla Nakira of Loima women's group in Moroto district. Women are responsible for building the family home, caring for children, fetching water and firewood, tending the garden, cooking meals and much more.

And punishment is stiff for the wife who struggles to cope. Says Nakira: "When she fails to provide, she is beaten and the man will say he has wasted his cows buying her." Indeed, domestic violence is common and courtship rape, a practice whereby a man 'chooses' his wife through forced sex, is accepted as a normal engagement in some communities.

"Sadly, this is the reality facing many women and girls in Karamoja and it's difficult to address when few people see it as a problem," says Kevin McNulty, technical coordinator for IRC programmes to reduce violence against women in Uganda.

The IRC is therefore rolling out a seven-month campaign to start communities talking about the causes and effects of violence against women, and how it could be prevented.

"We want to spark debate," McNulty says. "We want people to challenge themselves and ask 'are these patterns healthy and are they giving us what we want?' Because ultimately it's up to communities to decide how best to protect their families."

The IRC has already trained 36 health centre staff across Karamoja to give medical treatment, forensic analysis and emotional support to women who seek help following sexual assault.

McNulty explains: "If health centres aren't equipped and staff aren't compassionate to survivors, then women won't come forward. We're helping to ensure that government health workers can give the appropriate medical care as well as psychosocial support to start women on the path to healing."

In 2010, the IRC will work with women like Nakira to ensure communities know these services are available and how to access them. Nakira and her peers are part of the Karamoja Women's Umbrella Organisation (KAWUO) – a network of more than 80 women's groups – and the IRC is training KAWUO members in five villages to provide information to women and girls who have been assaulted or raped.

"If people are not aware, they will not seek help," she says. "We must work to spread information to communities, and we must examine the negative consequences of these patterns."

By continuing to work with strong women like Nakira, the IRC hopes to reduce the number of women living in fear and misery and empower them to demand a better future.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is building on initial success to reduce child labour in northern Uganda by launching a new programme to further tackle the underlying poverty that forces many families to send their children out to work.

The IRC will work closely with district authorities in Kitgum to create 60 new village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), which allow poor families to access financial advice and loans at very low interest rates – thereby increasing their economic independence.

"The former protracted civil war in northern Uganda left many families impoverished and heavily reliant on child labour as a means of day-to-day survival," says Shaun O'Donnell, who oversees IRC programmes in Uganda.

"As much as these families might prefer to send their children to school, the reality is that many are forced to send them to work in harsh, exploitative industries such as quarrying, brewing alcohol and even prostitution," O'Donnell adds. "Increasing economic capacity reduces this dependency and gives them a viable alternative."

In 2008, IRC research found that the inability to pay school-related costs was the main reason why 52% of out-of-school children were not getting an education. While tuition is free for primary school students and many secondary school students, families must meet additional costs – such as uniforms and books. The IRC therefore piloted 20 VSLAs in Kitgum, and their adoption was so successful that the IRC is now creating the additional 60 VSLAs.

"VSLAs have proved a simple but effective way for families to come together, pool their savings and support each other with cash to pay for school costs or to set up small businesses," says Omony Ogaba, Resident District Commissioner, Kitgum.

"In an area where many of our families can't access traditional bank loans due to a lack of collateral, this is invaluable in allowing communities to reduce their reliance on child labour – something that we are all striving towards," Commissioner Ogaba adds.

Working alongside district authorities and with funding from the Oak Foundation, the IRC's new initiative will provide 2,400 existing and new VSLA members with training on basic financial literacy, savings habits, how to start up a business, and business management.

IRC staff will also train community members and schools to conduct awareness-raising events about child abuse and exploitation, as well as the importance of education. This will include the roll-out of a life skills manual to help pupils learn about issues including self-confidence, respect for others, developing life plans and dealing with emotions.

The initiative is part of a regional project that will also include IRC programmes in Ethiopia and Kenya. It aims to reduce child labour by addressing the links between livelihood security and the exploitation of children.

"In Uganda, there is already a considerable awareness about the dangers of child labour," says O'Donnell. "What is needed is more resources and support to address the economic factors that continue to force families to send their children out to work. Only then will we truly be able to reduce child labour and protect Uganda's young people."

Notes to editors

• The IRC's existing Livelihoods, Education and Protection to End Child Labor (LEAP) Project in Uganda, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, has already successfully enrolled almost 7,500 former child laborers or children at risk of becoming child laborers into school since September 2007.
• Some 1.76 million of Uganda's 5 to 17 year-olds are involved in some kind of work, according to 2008 figures from the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics.

For more information, photos and interviews, please contact:

Shaun O’Donnell, IRC Country Director, Kampala: +256 (0) 772 774 594
Shaun.O'Donnell(at)theIRC.org

Joanne Offer, Regional Media Manager, Nairobi: +254 (0) 737 800 028
Joanne.Offer(at)theIRC.org

Sam Duerden, Communications Officer, London: + 44 20 7692 0408
Sam.Duerden(at)IRCuk.org

Lucy Carrigan, Media Relations Officer, New York: + 1 917 859 3086
Lucy.Carrigan(at)theIRC.org

Eight years on, Iraqi people continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in terms of casualties, displacement, destroyed livelihoods, and restricted access to adequate services. Millions are still displaced in Iraq and throughout the region. Humanitarian needs remain acute in many areas and those suffering most are, inevitably, Iraq's most vulnerable people – such as children, women and people with disabilities. There is a general lack of access to drinkable water; adequate sanitation; electricity; shelter; food and most basic goods and services – such as healthcare and education. One million people are still food insecure and 6.4 million remain dependent on the food rations of a Public Distribution System, which struggles to reach those most in need. Unemployment remains at very high levels, and almost 7 million people still live below the poverty line.

Yet the UK government's attention and support for aid and development in Iraq is waning. The Department for International Development (DFID) is halving its budget for aid and development for Iraq next financial year and it has not developed yet any proper multi-annual strategy for Iraq.

While there has been some improvement in the humanitarian and security situation in Iraq over the past two years, these gains remain fragile and reversible. With the withdrawal of foreign troops already underway and a new Iraqi government soon to be elected, the country is entering a delicate phase of transition. The Government of Iraq does not yet have the capacity to effectively respond to the population's needs, needs that will continue, if not increase, during this period of transition. While the UN and international donors continue to support the development of that capacity, they should continue to assist those people who continue to suffer in the meantime.

The organisations also highlighted the need for donors to support the development not just of government capacity but of civil society inside Iraq.

"The UK government should increase its support and improve aid effectiveness by ensuring more direct participation of the Iraqi people in the recovery processes," says Valerie Ceccherini, Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor of Mercy Corps. "Investment in reinforcing and protecting Iraqi civil society has been woefully lacking, as donors focuses almost exclusively on security issues, government capacity building and large infrastructure programmes."

"While we agree that it is necessary to continue building the capacity of the Government of Iraq, we also think that it is equally important to work at the grassroots level and to ensure a bottom-up process, and sense of ownership. We believe that this can only be done by protecting, supporting and reinforcing the civil society, which holds the government accountable and ensures more transparency," says Fyras Mawazini, Executive Coordinator of the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq.

"In the long run we'd all like to see the Iraqi government able to meet the needs of all it's people, as well as a thriving national civil society” says Aidan Goldsmith, Iraq Country Director of the International Rescue Committee, "but we're not there yet. For now, the most vulnerable in Iraq still desperately need our support."

The Iraq Inquiry, say the organisations, presents a critical opportunity for the UK government to acknowledge the scale of the humanitarian and development needs in Iraq, and develop a long term comprehensive strategy to respond effectively to those needs and promote Iraqi people's rights.

--ENDS--

For more information contact:

Ross Hornsey, Communications Manager, Mercy Corps:
0131 662 5164 / 07917 532 054 / r.hornsey(at)uk.mercycorps.org

Notes to Editors

List of supporting organisations

• Christian Aid
• Handicap International
• International Medical Corps UK
• International Rescue Committee UK
• Mercy Corps
• Muslim Hands
• NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (the NCCI represents about 14 national and 37 international NGOs working in Iraq)
• War Child UK

Additional information

Since 2003, the UK Department for International Development (DFID/UKAid has committed £180 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq, but DFID has not provided any direct grant to British NGOs to implement humanitarian and development programmes in Iraq. Most of the funds provided for humanitarian aid and development have been channelled through the UN and the World Bank (some have also been allocated to ICRC). Yet, providing direct support to NGOs will enable greater flexibility in a difficult and fast-changing context such as the one that still prevails in Iraq, allowing NGOs to operate independently. Besides, the UN presence and capacity in Iraq is still very limited, while NGOs are operating on the ground with Iraqi partners throughout the country.

DFID has not developed any multi-annual country strategy for Iraq –like it has done for Afghanistan, and other countries in crisis - and its budget for aid and development in the country, which was already insufficient (£20 m for 2009-10), has been halved for 2010-11. Finally it is also a troubling deviation from DFID's focus on fragile states, as outlined in its white paper.

HOORAY! We had 97 people at our briefing! (For those who haven't been following this blog so far, I'm talking about the results of the Emergency Market Mapping Analysis – also known as EMMA – that we've been working on, a pioneering new tool.) We reported on our findings today and I am overwhelmed at the response we had. People were really interested in the information that we had gathered. The tool that my colleagues and I have spent two years nurturing and bringing into practice has finally paid off! It feels really good.

One of the things that feels particularly good is how this process is bringing everyone together, helping us coordinate efforts. Each organisation will take forward the recommendations according to their mandate and capacity, but much more important is that we are all on the same page about how to move forward. And even where people disagree with the EMMA team's information or recommendations, at least they are talking and disagreeing about the right subjects.

Another thing I just learned is that there will be a big donors' conference in March. We had two major donors present today, and if the humanitarian community is in agreement about the recommendations made (which we will learn in the coming weeks) then perhaps this will guide the thinking of the donors. And we'll know that what we did made a difference in getting the help that people need.

And so what is the IRC going to do as a result of all this? Well there is a big meeting tomorrow to thrash out more of the details, but I see several opportunities: "cash for work" is an obvious one. There is no problem with the beans market except that people have no money to buy beans. The programmes that were done after the hurricanes of 2008 have worked and there is a surplus. Similarly with the rice, although some food aid will be needed until the harvest in June/July. As I've said before, there is food available, but people can't afford to buy it. Our initial estimates are that people's income is down by 60-70%. Can you imagine what that must feel like? I think of what it would mean in our family and I can't even imagine how we would cope.

Aside from the obvious, I've been talking with the education folks about the training issue. A rough estimate is that over 131,000 people will need to be trained if Haiti is going to rebuild all their destroyed buildings. And that is a conservative figure. It's important that Haitians are able to do these jobs, which they need. But all the major engineering universities have been destroyed, many vocational training schools have been destroyed, and even for the engineers there is a need to upgrade their skills. The IRC has some great experience in this kind of thing from our Afghanistan and Pakistan programmes and I think we would do a fantastic job with it.

There is also a real push to create jobs in the rural areas where nearly half a million people have gone since the earthquake. They've gone to live temporarily with family and friends, but if we can help them stay there by creating job opportunities it would take pressure off of Port-au-Prince in a number of different ways.

Doing the EMMA has been such a great experience. I love working collaboratively with other agencies to think of big picture solutions. Everyone has their own contribution to make but by working together like this we can ensure the impact is as effective as possible.

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Needs of displaced mount as global aid and interest wane, says IRC report

Download the report: "A Tough Road Home: Uprooted Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Iraq." [PDF]

Seven years into the Iraq conflict, millions of Iraqi civilians remain uprooted and desperate, but ongoing strife and persecution, occupied and ruined homes and lack of vital services in their communities of origin preclude most from returning home safely, says the International Rescue Committee's Commission on Iraqi Refugees.

In its third report, "A Tough Road Home: Uprooted Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Iraq", the Commission says only a tiny fraction of Iraq's displaced have returned home, in spite of reports that would suggest otherwise. For the vast majority of those who remain uprooted, the situation is precarious and growing worse, yet aid levels that were inadequate to begin with are dropping off.

"At a time when increased aid is urgently needed for uprooted Iraqis, international attention and support are waning," says IRC President George Rupp, who led the Commission on a visit to Jordan, Syria and Iraq late last year. "It is critical that diplomacy and resources be redirected toward creating conditions suitable for the safe return of displaced Iraqis and speeding resettlement for those who cannot go back. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Government and international donors must ramp up and improve assistance for displaced Iraqis where they are currently living."

During their latest visit to the region, Rupp and other delegates met with senior government officials, UN representatives and dozens of Iraqi civilians who described harrowing incidents of bombings, killings, torture, threats and persecution that they and loved ones experienced before fleeing. In many cases, Iraqis were targeted for having aided the US government and Coalition forces.

The Commission found that most displaced Iraqis inside and outside Iraq are struggling to get by and continue to face overwhelming economic obstacles. They have largely exhausted savings they once had and are becoming more if not solely dependent on charity. Few are able to find stable sources of income. Many lack adequate shelter, food and other basic services. Those who have been renting apartments are increasingly unable to afford them. A large number suffer severe psychological distress over the loss of family, savings, livelihoods and property. In Iraq, government assistance is often out of reach because of chronic insecurity and bureaucratic red tape. In Jordan and Syria, healthcare and other services are there but are often prohibitively expensive.

"With no end to their suffering in sight, hopelessness and frustration are pervasive," the IRC report states.

Expressing concern about a "lost generation" of Iraqi youth, the IRC Commission says young Iraqis have been deeply impacted by the chaos and uncertainty around them. Violence and displacement have disrupted the education of many children and teens who are now behind in their learning. In Iraq, many can't travel to school because it's unsafe or too expensive. Throughout the region, many Iraqi children who do attend class go in shifts because schools open to displaced kids are overcrowded. Many Iraqi children are also forced to work to help their families stay afloat. Sexual and economic exploitation of children, youth and female-headed households is a growing problem and concern, particularly in Jordan and Syria.

Commission members say most displaced Iraqis desperately want to go home and rebuild their lives but cannot return to communities that are unsafe and in disrepair.

"Many Iraqis tell us that they can't go home because their houses are destroyed, damaged or occupied by armed groups or other displaced people," says Aidan Goldsmith, a delegation member and director of IRC programmes in Iraq. "They also say that they're afraid of being killed or harassed by militias for religious, ethnic or political reasons if they go back. And sadly, many know of friends and family who have disappeared upon return."

Goldsmith adds that communities across Iraq currently have little to no capacity to absorb hundreds of thousands of returnees. "Why would Iraqis go back if there's no clean water, food or electricity or if it’s too dangerous for their children to walk to school?" he asks. "Their eventual return is going to be contingent on improved security and protection, functioning hospitals and schools, access to aid and basic services, the resolution of property disputes and the ability to find employment."

The report concludes that the plight of displaced Iraqis continues to be ignored: "We are convinced that most refugees cannot and should not go home now – it is not safe for many of them and for many others, there is nothing to go back to. Sadly, some will never be able to go home again."

The IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees makes recommendations on addressing immediate and long-term needs to the Governments of Iraq, the United States, Jordan, Syria, the Kurdish Region and EU countries, as well as the United Nations. Key recommendations include:

Government of Iraq

The Iraqi Government has failed to adequately address the displacement crisis and the humanitarian needs of hundreds of thousands of its displaced citizens. Authorities should vastly increase aid for displaced Iraqis at home and outside the country, particularly in Jordan and Syria, and eliminate needless bureaucratic barriers to registration and basic services. Improved protection for civilians, particularly in neighbourhoods now populated by a homogenous religious group or sect, must be a critical component of a comprehensive and long-term voluntary return and reintegration programme. Such a programme must also include rebuilding infrastructure and shelter, restoring needed services and property restitution.

European Governments

European countries, particularly the UK, must remain engaged in Iraq, providing increased levels of technical support and resources to assist refugees and internally displaced Iraqis. European countries must open their doors to far greater numbers of Iraqi refugees seeking resettlement and immediately stop the forced return of refugees and asylum seekers to Iraq. The move puts the lives of civilians at grave risk, since insecurity remains the principal reason why people have fled or are still fleeing Iraq.

United States

The US has spent approximately $650 billion for military operations in Iraq and a disproportionate $29 billion for diplomacy and aid. More resources must be allocated to help the displaced in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and other host countries. The US should increase financial and technical assistance to the Iraqi government, press Iraqi authorities to increase assistance to IDPs and refugees and help create conditions across Iraq that will allow for the sustainable return of uprooted people. The United States must continue to lead the way in giving sanctuary to the most vulnerable Iraqis who cannot return home and keep reforming its resettlement programme to ensure that new arrivals have sufficient support to successfully restart their lives.

Governments of Jordan and Syria

Syria and Jordan, which have shouldered an enormous burden by taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees, should extend temporary legal status to refugees and permit them to work. The two countries should also work with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to enhance legal protections and expand refugee rights.

Commission Reports

The latest report from the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees: "A Tough Road Home: Uprooted Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Iraq." [PDF]

The Commission's first report on the Iraqi refugee crisis, "Five Years Later: A Hidden Crisis," was issued in 2008.

A second report, "Iraqi Refugees in the United States: In Dire Straits," followed in 2009.

IRC programmes in Iraq, Jordan and Syria: The International Rescue Committee returned to the region in 2007 to address the basic needs of refugees and internally displaced Iraqis – delivering vital assistance to some 90,000 people. The IRC rehabilitates schools, sets up child friendly spaces, and offers remedial education, special aid for disabled children and adults and counselling for vulnerable populations. It also provides cash assistance and household supplies, repairs water and sanitation system repairs, carries out programmes that prevent and respond to incidents of violence against women, distributes shelter materials and tools and provides access to legal aid and other protection services.

I've been writing the EMMA report ("EMMA" is much nicer than Emergency Market Mapping Analysis, which is what it stands for!) since 8am this morning, almost without break. It's the same for all of us, 16-hour days mostly. Dishes get stacked up in the sink and laptops and papers seem to cover every flat surface. But it's because the work needs to be done.

Tomorrow is the big report for EMMA – I got the early drafts last night and we've been getting fantastic information. Fortunately there is real resiliency in the economy here, thanks in part to work that's been done after previous disasters. For example it looks like beans (one of our critical markets) is not going to be an issue because of the good programming that was done after the hurricanes of 2008. So although there will be a need for repair of irrigation channels and some support for all the families who have fled out of Port-au-Prince to the rural areas, there won't be a shortage of beans – some good news!

For rice, about 50% is imported so the most serious issue is that people can't afford to buy it. It's the same with every kind of produce – there is plenty in the market but people simply can't afford to buy it. And if we give it away, then all the farmers and people who sell food for a living will lose their livelihoods – part of what EMMA will show is how to strike the right balance.

I was pleased to hear today that a commission of experts has come out and helped revise the curriculum so that engineers, architects and other skilled workers can get proper training to build homes and businesses that can withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. There was a desperate need to upgrade skills even before the earthquake. Now it looks like there is a need for about 115,000 construction workers, but many need to be trained or have their skills updated.

We want to make sure Haitians can get these jobs – before the earthquake many skilled positions were held by foreigners, while unemployment was 70% in the country. The IRC's economic recovery team is talking with our education colleagues to look at how we can come up with a programme that really tackles the training issue for the long term.

The thing that keeps bugging me though is how people can even get started with the bricks-and-mortar reconstruction. I learned yesterday that it costs $5,000 to $6,000 to clear a destroyed house. So just getting back to the start costs as much as a house itself. How on earth can people afford that? For the middle class, their whole life savings were in those homes and businesses. As excited as I am about the job opportunities and investment that is coming into the country, we've still got to get the basics back for people to rebuild their own lives.

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