Iraq: Child protection in refugee camps

Three organizations are working hand in hand on this project: Our sister organization, Terre des Hommes - Italy, has been active in northern Iraq for many years. Its work focuses on the protection, support, and education of children. The Kurdish Jiyan Foundation and the German organization Trauma Aid are training therapists specifically to treat children. They are encouraged to process their traumatic experiences and return to a structured daily routine.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Terre des Hommes cares for around 5,000 girls and boys from four refugee camps and five communities near Erbil and Dohuk. In children's centers, the girls and boys can process their trauma and experiences of violence through play and recharge their batteries. Since the project began in 2016, more than 10,000 children have taken advantage of the sports and leisure activities. Since last year, the informal educational programs have been aligned with the curriculum of state schools, and lessons are held in Kurdish, Arabic, and English. Parents are often illiterate and unable to support their children with schoolwork. They, too, are included in the project and educated on children's rights, human rights, and health issues. Peace and human rights education are also part of the curriculum so that the children learn to resolve conflicts peacefully. Girls and boys with severe symptoms of psychological stress disorders are referred to psychological professionals and specialized organizations. Our partner, the Jiyan Foundation, offers initial psychological care and support in two clinics in Dohuk and Erbil, as well as in the Khanke and Hasansham refugee camps. The goal is to treat mental health disorders early on, thus preventing them from becoming manifest long-term and hindering the young people's further development.

At the beginning of the project, there was hardly any offers for psychotraumatic and mental care in Dohuk and Erbil. That is why the partner organizations build a basic supply and qualify 25 psychologists trained in Iraq in trauma therapy. They help the children and young people to deal with their traumatic experiences and break through the cycle of violence. In order to achieve a sustainable improvement in the situation, local experts have to be qualified in the next step so that supply structures can expand without the help of international organizations.

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