Bullet-ridden schools lie abandoned in reclaimed cities across Iraq
As the battle to retake Mosul continues, urgent action is needed to allow children to resume their education.
Following two years of war in Iraq, many conflict-affected villages lie in ruin. As the operation to retake cities from ISIL continues, many reclaimed areas remain ghost towns. Their occupants have all fled to seek refuge in camps or host communities.
A school lies in ruins in Hassan Sham, in the country’s north. The town was retaken from ISIL more than one year ago, yet today it’s a shell of its former self, without functioning electricity, water or schools. Just 15 families have returned home.
Abandoned schools still bear the scars of sniper fire, bombs and airstrikes.
13-year-old Hamaad* has been riding his bicycle around his abandoned school grounds since his family returned to their village last month. He says: “I’m happy to be back in my village, but I’d like to see the school come back to life. I want to finish my education and become a doctor. But there aren’t any teachers left – they’ve all run.” Hamaad’s been out of school for more than two years now. If not for the conflict, he would have been in Year 6 today.
More than four million people have fled their homes to escape the conflict in Iraq. Cities continue to be re-taken from ISIL, but families hoping to return home fear their children will uncover hidden grenades and explosive devices.
In 2015, Iraq had the third highest civilian casualty rate from explosive weapons, behind Syria and Yemen. At least 7,515 civilians were killed and almost 15,000 were injured.
Mohammed Abas*, Hamaad’s father, says: “He’s a bright boy. I’m still hopeful he can achieve his dreams.” Until last month the family lived with a ‘generous host community’ since August 2014 when they first fled ISIL’s advance on the village. “We’re thankful that so many people made sacrifices to look after us when we fled our homes,” Mr Abas says. “But we had to come back – this is where we belong.”
Today, it’s estimated that one in every five children in Iraq are not able to go to school. More than two million school-aged children are currently outside the education system, and roughly 600,000 have missed more than a year of schooling.
Children have increasingly been caught up in the war. There are reports that boys as young as 12 have been recruited by ISIL and that children are also being used as human shields. Other children have witnessed horrific events during the conflict, including the death of loved ones.
“Children in Iraq are being shaped by this conflict,” comments Aaron Moore, our programme manager in Iraq. “Thousands have been out of school for years and under ISIL’s rule haven’t been allowed to play games with their brothers and sisters. We’re at a tipping point where we urgently need to support them in camps and host communities with learning opportunities to help re-introduce them to the basic freedoms of childhood.”
As families continue to flee, our Child Friendly Spaces across northern Iraq provide children with much-needed relief from the chaos. We offer children games, football, drama and drawing under the gentle guidance of trained child protection specialists who help them to process everything they’ve experienced.
Find out more about how you can support our work here.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
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