Khanzad Women’s Center – Protection and Support for Women in Refugee Camps and Host Communities
Table of Contents
Background
In the refugee camps of the Germian region, where KHANZAD is active, around 15,000 people—mostly Arab Sunnis—currently live. They fled their hometowns in the provinces of Anbar, Diyala, and Salahaddin in 2014 to escape ISIS and later Shiite militias. Thousands more live outside the camps in the cities of the region. Most of them currently see no prospect of returning to their destroyed and still contested places of origin.
In the context of political and economic instability in Iraq, the Kurdish host communities are overwhelmed with the provision and integration of refugees, despite showing great solidarity. Added to this are tensions between Kurdish host communities and the refugees, which stem from the violent conflicts of recent decades. Many Kurdish survivors of the Anfal operations in 1988 perceive Arab Sunni internally displaced persons as part of the former perpetrator groups and vacillate between resentment and solidarity.
Both the Kurdish host community and the Arab Sunni-dominated community of internally displaced persons and refugees are shaped by patriarchal family structures and a traditional code of honor and morality. The current crisis situation—marked by hardship, lack of prospects, and the breakdown of social structures—gives rise to new forms of violence against women and girls. In the refugee camps, there is a high prevalence of domestic violence as well as child and forced marriages.
Activities
Since 2014, KHANZAD staff have been providing social and legal counselling to women in refugee camps in the Germian region as part of emergency aid measures. Since 2016, HAUKARI e.V. and the Cologne-based women’s rights organization medica mondiale have been cooperating on a project funded by the transitional aid programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to strengthen civil society and governmental protection and counselling structures for women in refugee camps and host communities in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.
Since 2016, HAUKARI e.V. and the Khanzad Women’s Center, in cooperation with the Cologne-based women’s rights organization medica mondiale, have launched a new project specifically aimed at women in refugee accommodations and host communities.
The joint multi-level project combines:
- direct counselling for women, men, and families in situations of violence and conflict, as well as awareness-raising, education, and sensitisation of both women and men on violence against women and support for a shift in gender roles in refugee camps and host communities (micro level)
- the strengthening of local civil society and governmental protection and support structures, the training of local professionals, and the sensitisation of local police and security forces on violence against women (meso level)
- campaigning and advocacy for the improvement and expansion of governmental protection and support services, and for the consistent implementation of the 2011 Family Law (macro level).
As part of the cooperation, HAUKARI e.V. and KHANZAD are working in the Alwand, Tazade and Qoratu refugee camps in the Germian region, Sulaimania province. Medica Mondiale and its local partner organization EMMA – Organization for Human Development – are implementing project activities in the provinces of Duhok and Erbil.
As part of the project, KHANZAD supports contact points and mobile counselling teams of the state Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women (DCVAW) in the refugee camps and host communities of the Germian region.
Together, KHANZAD and DCVAW offer a combination of educational courses (literacy, vocational skills), awareness-raising (on topics such as forced marriage, child marriage, women’s rights, as well as health issues), and counselling. In mostly multi-week educational courses, both women and men find safe and socially accepted spaces to improve their professional prospects and to exchange ideas. For many, it is only through these courses that they gain the courage and trust to seek advice and support for themselves, family members, or neighbors in situations of violence and coercion.
DCVAW’s psychosocial professionals receive further training and regular supervision. Police officers and security forces in the Germian region, who are often the first point of contact for women in violent situations, are sensitized and trained to deal with women affected by gender-based violence. One current key topic in police training is cyberbullying. Women and girls are blackmailed with threats of having their photos shared on social media, and are forced into unwanted relationships. The publication of a photo or information about a woman or girl on social media can trigger far-reaching family conflicts and violence. In the training sessions, police officers are educated about the misuse of social media, legal and technical means of tracking down perpetrators, and how to handle victims with sensitivity.
Another component of the project is the networking of actors from local government, civil society groups, religious institutions, media, and universities in the Germian region with the aim of collaboration and joint commitment to combat gender-based violence.
This civil society–government cooperation, along with the continuous systematization and use of locally developed expertise in psychosocial counselling, are important cross-cutting issues in all project activities.
“By engaging with psychological aspects, we confronted our own feelings of shame. We are now able to speak openly and honestly about our emotions. We exchanged views on women’s and children’s rights. We made friendships with Kurdish men, not just with Arab men in the camp. We realized that women are not made to stay at home, but need to go out into the world. Through the course, I learned to interact with my son differently and to let him make his own decisions. Before participating, I felt like I was losing my son.”
“I tell young women: Don’t marry if you are still a child. If you are forced into marriage, turn to the police and report it. Pursue your education. Expand your knowledge. Think carefully before you act. If you have a problem you cannot handle, seek help and contact a human rights organization. Get advice from other women; their example can help you. For every problem, there is a solution. Don’t be discouraged. We have formed friendships in the courses, and some will last a lifetime.”
Supporters and Partners
The project is carried out in cooperation with the Cologne-based women’s rights organization medica mondiale and is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with funds from transitional aid. Transitional aid funds projects that provide assistance in acute crisis situations, while also laying the groundwork for the development of sustainable structures, thus positioning themselves between emergency aid and development cooperation.