Iraq and Somalia Programme
This programme aims to promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Somalia. It strengthens the capacity of civil society organizations to report and lobby on violations of minority rights in these two countries and promotes their participation in decision-making processes at local, national and international level.
We are working in partnership with local organizations who work to improve the human rights and living conditions of minorities in Iraq and Somalia. The poor security situation in Iraq and Somalia is well known, but the specific and very serious problems faced by minorities in both countries are not as widely appreciated.
Ethnic and religious minorities have experienced a long history of discrimination in Iraq and Somalia, discrimination which has escalated into patterns of gross human rights violations during times of conflict. In addition to being less able to protect themselves than more powerful communities, minorities have been targeted specifically for human rights violations for ethnic or religious reasons.
Communities live in constant fear, and their fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression, association and religion are severely constrained. The programme therefore seeks to strengthen the capacity of emerging civil society organizations and human rights activists representing vulnerable minorities in Iraq and Somalia and to promote their participation in decision-making processes. Hence, MRG and its local partners have identified a number of specific problems which they aim to address:
- Human rights abuses
- The denial of their fundamental freedoms
- Lack of capacity to operate and resources of organizations/activists representing minority communities/divisions resulting from political pressures on representatives of minority communities.
The programme's main activities in Iraq and Somalia include:
- Capacity-building workshops
- Small grants for non-governmental organizations working with women and small minorities
- Publishing of thematic reports and annual minority rights reports based on a monitoring system of human rights abuses
- National, regional and international advocacy plans
About the minorities
The beneficiaries are minority communities living in both countries. For more information see entries in the MRG Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples on Iraq and Somalia.
Partners and programme countries
Iraq: the Iraqi Minorities Council (IMC), a registered umbrella body of civil society organizations representing the various minorities of Iraq. For more information visit http://www.minoritiescouncil.org/.
Somalia: the Somali Minority Rights and Aid Forum's (SOMRAF) mission is to advocate for the promotion and protection of the rights and fundamental freedoms of Somali minority communities in Somalia as well as across the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti). For more information visit http://www.somraf.org/.
MRG Coordinators: Chris Chapman and Marusca Perazzi
Reports produced under this programme:
- No redress: Somalia's forgotten minorities
- Daawo La'aanta: Beelaha laga tirada Badan yahay Soomaaliya ee La Illaawey (the above report in Somali)
- Still Targeted: Continued Persecution of Iraq's Minorities (available in English and Arabic)
Funded by the European Union (EIDHR) and Irish Aid