Haifa Zangana's
presentation given in the European Parliament in Brussels on 29 January 2014.
The UN in Iraq has
asked the government to facilitate the opening of a humanitarian corridor to
reach displaced and stranded families in Anbar province. Currently, it is
impossible to reach the area from Baghdad and relief agencies are using roads
coming from northern Iraq.
Why am I talking
about this and not about workshops for women’s empowerment and gender equality
and political participation? Because In order to fully address women’s issues
and come with helpful policy suggestions we need to address women not as
separate from the rest of society, but as a part of it together with men.
.. and allow me to
read the rest of the report :
“Other areas of
Iraq including Baghdad, Erbil, Kerbala, Salah-al-Din and Ninewa have witnessed
the arrival of thousands of displaced people. People are reportedly without
money for food and lack suitable clothing for the rainy conditions. Children
are not in school and sanitary conditions, particularly for women, are
inadequate.”
The
suffering of the displaced is far beyond the sheer loss of a house, it is the
loss of neighborhood, community; schools and health service, the feeling of
safety associated with familiarities and on the long run the submission to the
newly manufactured identity . The lack of one of these or the combination of
all leads to extreme levels of trauma, fear, depression, anxiety and Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder[2].
The regression in
women’s situation is so devastating that she has reached the bottom of human
needs. Just to survive.