A "deteriorating" situation for Iraqi refugees

RI singles out the "deteriorating" situation for the Iraqi refugees living in Syria. The Syrian government has taken some notable steps to help refugees -- but it simply can't accommodate the influx of a million people in five or six years, especially not with its already-reeling economy.

There are approximately 3,000 new individuals registering for refugee status each month. Most are unable to work. Families continue to be torn apart as men seek employment opportunities outside of Syria. Rents continue to increase. Families are forced to move in together and share small apartments. This year there are 30% fewer Iraqi children enrolled in school. In some cases the costs of books and school uniforms are prohibitive for families.

The situation is little better inside Iraq, where years of sectarian warfare displaced some 1.5 million people. One-third live as squatters in slums in Baghdad, Diyala and elsewhere, according to RI; few receive any assistance from the government.

Many fear returning to their original homes. Most are too poor to relocate. The settlements all lack basic services, including water, sanitation, and electricity and are built in precarious places--under bridges, alongside railroad tracks, and amongst garbage dumps. In 2009 the Iraqi Government issued a directive calling upon all squatters to vacate public buildings. This directive has since been postponed, but they all remain at risk of eviction.

RI has a few common-sense suggestions, like urging the Iraqi government to craft a deal plan for handling IDPs, and urging the U.S. government to properly fund refugee programs (since the U.S. created the refugee crisis, after all).