HHI Report: Survey finds northern Iraq communities targeted by Islamic State are denied justice
Corruption, impunity, mistrust threaten fragile peace.
Report Authors: Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi, Kevin Coughlin, Muslih Irwani, Waad Ibrahim Khalil, Phuong N. Pham, Patrick Vinck. Harvard Humanitarian Initiative | Peace and Human Rights Data Program
“Never Forget: Views on Peace and Justice Within Conflict-affected Communities in Northern Iraq”, a report by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s Peace and Human Rights Data Program, details how northern Iraq communities targeted by the Islamic State (IS) are denied justice. Corruption, impunity and mistrust threaten the fragile peace following the defeat of IS.
Main Findings
Read the full report in English and in Arabic here.
● To date, justice has been denied to those in northern Iraq who survived the war with the Islamic State (IS).
● IS jihadists and those who enabled their rise must be held accountable locally, according to respondents, despite perceived corruption and mistrust in the Iraqi justice system.
● For participants, accountability and justice must be achieved alongside efforts to address the root causes for the rise of the Islamic State and promote reconciliation.
Executive Summary
This survey offers a snapshot of the perceptions and attitudes about peace and justice within communities affected by the conflict with the Islamic State (IS). It is based on 5,213 interviews conducted in 2019 among a representative sample of internally displaced persons in northern Iraq and residents of the city of Mosul and surrounding areas.
The research documents a severe lack of trust in official institutions, particularly in the Government of Iraq itself, stemming in large part from the belief that these institutions do not act in the best interest of the population. Few respondents had confidence in the Government of Iraq’s ability to investigate the crimes committed by the Islamic State fairly and accurately and to provide justice to survivors of the conflict.
Despite the mistrust, respondents favor local justice and truth-seeking mechanisms. They view these efforts as necessary to build a durable peace, alongside measures to address the root causes of the rise of IS and longstanding divisions between the people of Iraq. However, rather than the challenge being diversity itself, the challenge is the Government of Iraq’s ability to promote and facilitate reconciliation and unity.
Without an accountable government that is perceived to be legitimate and is trusted by all Iraqis, calls for justice and accountability may go unanswered, and the country risks slipping back into another conflict.
Read the full report in English and in Arabic here.
Author Quotes
“Amid the current security and economic crises in Iraq, and now with COVID-19, the new Iraqi government needs to address the fundamental lack of trust that the Iraqi people have toward their government and listen carefully to the communities affected by the ensuing violence. This report provides such perspectives.”
-Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi, HHI Peacebuilding and Human Rights Data Program
“Surveys [like this one] are essential to understand the views, hopes and aspirations of people who have survived atrocities and now must rebuild their lives. For national and international actors that failed to protect them, the minimum we can do now is listen to them, and seek to support them in every possible way.”
-Patrick Vinck, HHI Peacebuilding and Human Rights Data Program
“Despite expressing a need for reconciliation, many respondents were positive about their relations with individuals from other religious groups. Respondents in affected communities reported that they felt quite safe living and interacting with someone from a different religious/ethnic group.”
-Report
Background
This study captures the needs, perceptions and attitudes of conflict-affected communities in northern Iraq as they relate to peacebuilding, transitional justice efforts, and ethno-religious relations after the military defeat of the Islamic State. The study focused particularly on the city of Mosul and internally displaced persons (IDP) from Nineveh Governorate who currently reside both within and outside of camps in the Nineveh, Erbil, and Duhok governorates.
A mixed-methods approach was used for this study, which included consultations with local and international organizations, key informant interviews, and a population-based quantitative survey among 5,213 randomly-selected Iraqis over the age of 18. To address the diversity of northern Iraq’s ethno-religious groups and their varying experiences with the Islamic State, the survey was designed to provide results representative of the region’s ethno-religious populations and to be disaggregated by gender.
Partners
The research was conducted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in partnership with Mosul University and the Iraq-based Public Policy Institute. It was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, which played no role in the design, analysis or publication of the research.
Program Description
HHI’s Peace and Human Rights Data Program utilizes rigorous quantitative and qualitative research methods pioneered fifteen years ago by its faculty lead to assess needs, perceptions and behaviors among individuals affected by conflict and other forms of violence, with a focus on justice, peacebuilding, and social cohesion. The program builds local research capacity in countries experiencing complex emergencies and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law to ensure that the views and needs of the populations are recognized and addressed by governments, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
Read the full report in English and in Arabic here.
Contact
Patrick Vinck, Director of Research, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative pvinck@hsph.harvard.edu
Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi, Fellow, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative aalsaiedi@hsph.harvard.edu
