Iraqi Refugee Children in Cairo:
Social Influences Afflicting School Age, Adolescent, and Young Adult Males
Emily A. Thompson
14 January 2009

ABSTRACT:

Iraqi refugee children living in Egypt face many unknowns while awaiting their return home. The convoluted, bureaucratic measures set against them from several Government and Non-Government agencies alike make continuity and affordability of education near impossible. (6)
With an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 Iraqi refugees in Egypt, of which possibly half could be school aged children, there is an enormous concern to provide adequate schooling. (6)
Within this group lies a potentially ‘at risk’ demographic - school age, adolescent, and young adult males. Using the qualitative research technique, this paper will attempt to outline questions that will be posed during research regarding the influences affecting Iraqi refugee males and how this may impact their future.


BACKGROUND:

Data:

The implications surrounding the mass exodus of Iraqi citizens from their homeland have yet to be understood. The efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees to quantify the number of refugees and asylum seekers throughout the Middle East have been arduous to say the least.
Egypt has the third largest population of Iraqi refugees, stemming from the Military d operations in their home land. (6) The number of Iraqi refugees in Egypt range from the confirmed 15,000 aided by the UNHCR (11) to a surmised 100,000 to 150,000 as reported by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. (8) The least accountable of this demographic are the children refugees. Of the 11,000 Iraqi Refugees registered with the UNHCR in Egypt, 3,300 were school aged children. (8)

Community:

“The Iraqi refugees in Egypt live predominantly in Cairo and cities built around it, though some also live in Alexandria. These are vast urban areas, which makes it harder for aid organizations to identify and reach them. Iraqis face many of the same difficulties typically associated with the urban poor.” (10) Those fortunate enough to attend private institutions receive little aid and without the ability for their families to earn an income, personal savings are running low. Many children are “home schooled” or simply do not receive an education. (6) (10) Due to the cultural concerns, we know that for the most part, school aged girls not enrolled in school remain at home. Boys who are in their early teenage years not attending school aid their families by trying to find work illegally in order to afford rent and other living expenses. “A refugee living in Damascus told Amnesty International in February 2008 that three of her children, aged between six and 15 years, work so the family can survive.” (AMNES) Subsequently, the questions surrounding the daily life of these boys are numerous. (6) (10) The purpose of this research is to narrow these questions to gain a better perspective of the specific factors that play integral roles in these boys lives.

Support Systems:

Several well established Non-Government Organizations exist to provide aid to all types of refugees in Cairo, including Iraqi refugees. Though there are systems in place, there are far more complications to facilitating adequate care. “The current political environment in Egypt makes it difficult to establish an NGO, as the government is suspicious of any form of public association. Dealing with the rights and needs of Iraqi refugees will be particularly challenging for national and international NGOs as the Egyptian government is reluctant to continue hosting Iraqis.” (10)
The specific time constraints laid upon Iraqi refugees in Egypt make registering in the area as a refugee, and therfore gain access to financial aid far more difficult than that of other refugees. “Our registration time to give someone a Yellow Card is two to three weeks,” states Abeer Etefa, “That’s a very short time compared to other countries in the region, because we don’t have as many people registering. In Jordan, sometimes it has been between six to seven months. In Cairo we had one day in 2006 when seven hundred people came to register, but this was the peak. Since then it has been reduced.” (8).
The following is a list of NGO’s currently in the area whose sole mission is to see to the rights of refugees; (11)

-The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
-The Catholic Relief Services in conjunction with Caritas Clinics
- Red Cross and Red Crescent International
- International Medical Corps
-USAinternational Relief and Development Foundation
- Refugee Egypt, Relief International
- Save the Children Federation (USA),
- Terre des Hommes

OUTLINE:

In contacting several of these NGO’s, Caritas clinics, in partnership with the UNCHR and Catholic Relief Services posed a need for volunteers at their clinics. It is my intent to research Iraqi refugee boys, ages 7 to 17 while volunteering as an Emergency Medical Technician at community outreach clinics that provide medical care to refugees. This age group represents the typical ages of school aged, adolescent and young adult males.
In order to facilitate honest and useful answers from this specific group of Iraqis, I will use the Guidelines for Interviewing Children as outlined by the Save The Children organization (5). Due to the nature of the demographic, I wish to emphasize the necessity to engage in a conversation which encompasses the research questions, rather than employ an ‘ask-and-answer’ style method. Bearing this in mind and given time constraints, cultural sensitivities, and the personal nature and comfort level of each child, acquiring the answer to all of the questions from each subject may not be possible.
In short, the idea is to gain a better understanding of the daily influences affecting Iraqi refugee children in Iraq, rather than fill in answers to a questionnaire.
The research will demonstrate the social, religious, societal and indirect influences that affect these boys. Questions posed to them are aimed to better understand what personal experiences, social constructs and societal obligations, peer pressure and other factors that these boys encounter on a daily basis.

METHOD:

Through the use of open-ended conversation initiated either verbally through an interpreter or written for those with the ability to read, I plan to pose questions regarding the daily life, situations, experiences, social implications, and peer and religious influences affecting young male Iraqi refugees. The following is a set of questions which will be the center of discussion. Each child will be recorded either through voice alone or on video as their comfort level will tolerate. These recordings will be analyzed and the research will be published through a capstone project at a later date. The material will be made available either on a journal / blog website, through a written report or through a documentary.

Personal Viewpoint:

What experiences in Iraq and as a refugee in Cairo have affected their world view and future endeavors? How do they feel about the war and in what ways do they feel compelled to react to their current situation?

Caring Adult Construct:

What adult in thier life influences their decision making, thier upbringing and thier outlook? What is family life like for these children?

What is their view of authority (adult relatives, police, Other Government Agencies, domestic and foreign military, etc)

Peer Pressure:

Who in their life is affecting their future goals, their daily lives and social interactions? What does their typical day include?

Civic Duty:

What responsibilities do they feel towards their Islamic and / or Iraqi heritage? What do they consider as obligatory in the way of providing for their family?


Limitations to Research
-IRB approval
-UNHCR assistance
-Interviewee compliance
-Parental consent

Works Cited

1. Amnesty International. "Opinion/Editorial: Iraqi Refugees Facing a Desperate Situation." Electronic Iraq. 16 June 2008. Amnesty International. 21 Dec. 2008 http://electroniciraq.net/news/opeds/Iraqi_Refugees_Facing_a_Desperate_Situation-3316.shtml.

2. Asquith, Christina. "Iraqi school boys: Now we hate the US." CSmonitor.com. 4 May 2004. The Christian Science Monitor. 8 Jan. 2009 http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:phKDMQW3-ZIJ:www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/06/iraq.topstories3+Iraqi+boys&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us.

3. Catholic Relief Services. Ed. Laura Sheahen. 18 June 2008. 08 Dec. 2008 http://www.crs.org/iraq/downloads/hope-and-help-for-iraqi-refugees.pdf.

4. Howard, Michael. "Children of war: the generation traumatised by violence in Iraq World news The Guardian." The Guardian. 6 Feb. 2007. 10 Jan. 2009 gl=us>.

5. Hughes, Lotte, and Sarah McCrum. Interviewing Children : A Guide for Journalists and Others. New York: Save The Children, 2003.

6. Mackinnon, Mark. "Middle East Children's Alliance : Education crisis threatens Iraqi refugee children." Middle East Children's Alliance : Index. 18 Sept. 2007. The Globe and Mail. 22 Dec. 2009 http://www.mecaforpeace.org/article.php?id=223.

7. Maxwell, Laura & Aya El-Hilaly. Aucegypt.edu. Sept. 2009. The American University in Cairo - Forced Migration in Refugee Studies. 02 Nov. 2008 http://www.aucegypt.edu/ResearchatAUC/rc/cmrs/reports/Documents/SepChildCKedited.pdf.

8. McGiffin, Janet. :::: IRAQIS IN EGYPT ::::. 10 Apr. 2008. 17 Dec. 2008 http://www.iraqisinegypt.org/iraqichildren.html.

9. Professor Barbara Harrell-Bond, Aya El-Hilaly, and Abigail Schaeffer. 6 Jan. 2009
http://www.araburban.org/ChildCity/Papers/English/BH-Bond.pdf.

10. Rosen, Nir. "Egypt: Respond to the Needs of Iraqi Refugees ." The New America Foundation. 12 Apr. 2007. Refugees International. 11 Jan. 2009 http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/egypt_respond_needs_iraqi_refugees.

11. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "U.N. Iraq Situation 2009." Iraq Situation. Jan. 2009. UNHCR. 11 Jan. 2009 http://www.unhcr.org/home/PUBL/474ac8d811.pdf.

12. Yoshikawa, Lynn. Forced Migration Review -. 9 Jan. 2009 http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR29/54.pdf.