Highlights
As of 26 May, there were 3,306,822 people displaced in Iraq (551,137 families), at least 47 percent of whom are children under 18.
Military operations to retake the city of Fallujah began this month, UNICEF highlighted protection concerns in the international media for the estimated 20,000 children remaining in the city.
Emergency WASH response reached newly-displaced Falluja families through installation of a Reverse Osmosis (RO) unit in Ameriyat al Falluja camp, to meet daily water needs of 2,660 people; additional water trucking of 25,000 litres per day served a further 1,260 people. Emergency response also reached 8,341 new IDPs from the Makhmour area in Erbil, as military engagement in this location likewise continued.
In May, the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Consortium co-led by UNICEF and WFP distributed 9,345 kits benefiting an estimated 65,415 vulnerable people newly displaced by conflict. Kits supported newly displaced families leaving Fallujah city, among others.
Since January 2016, UNICEF has reached 23,778 children (11,343 girls; 12,435 boys) with psychosocial support and 1,678 children (784 girls; 894 boys) with specialized protection services.
Between January and May 2016, UNICEF has provided new temporary learning space through pre-fabricated containers for 32,684 IDP children (16,018 girls; 16,666 boys).
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Military operations have intensified in May, as Iraqi security forces began the re-take of Fallujah city, Anbar governorate. Since March, at least 60,000 people have been displaced in Anbar alone due to these operations; approximately 30,000 of these people remain displaced. Most people fleeing have been directed to transit sites at Al Wafaa, Kilo 7/18, and Khalidiya, as well as to large IDP camps in Ameriyat al Fallujah and Habbaniyah Tourist City. It is reported that at least 50,000 people are inside the city, an estimated 20,000 of whom are children, who remain in danger of being used as human shields by armed opposition groups (AOG). Residents of the city have been inaccessible to humanitarian actors since December 2015. In previous months, reports have been received of acute shortages of food, medicine and other basic services in the city, as supply lines were cut under AOG control. While humanitarian assistance is being provided to the displaced populations across the governorate, protection remains the central concern due to ongoing violence, strict procedures for security screening, and the fluid conflict environment. UNICEF is concerned that children remain vulnerable to family separation, exposure to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and grave violations of their rights.