Azzaman newspaper, one of Iraq’s most read papers, had an article yesterday that talked about corruption being the reason why the Iraqi displaced families are not receiving the compensation allocated by the Iraqi government to help them cope with the situation.
“The ministry noticed that 25 checks, which were prepared to compensate the displaced families in Baghdad, were stolen,” said Saad Sultan, the general manager of Human Affairs office in the ministry of Human Rights. He said that the ministry has formed a committee to investigate. [Our experience with this government and the one before, forming a committee means the issue will be forgotten and the money will never come back.]
In addition to more than two million Iraqis displaced outside Iraq in neighboring and regional countries, there are over two million Iraqis who are displaced within the country. They are either Sunnis who lived in Shiite neighborhoods and were forced out by Shiite militias, or Shiites who lived in Sunni neighborhoods and were forced out by Sunni insurgents to make room for the displaced Sunnis.
Sultan also said that there are more than 200 checks awaiting families to go and receive them.
I know why the families don’t go to receive their money: in order to receive the money, they have to present names of family members, current addresses and former address. Of course, the names will give up the family religious background, the addresses will give a place for the militias, which are backed by the current government, to go and target the families. Therefore, the families are afraid to ask for their money.