Highlights
As of 17 August, there were 3,344,154 internally displaced persons (557,359 families) across 105 districts and 3,823 locations in Iraq, and 852,390 returnees (142,065 families). At least 47 per cent of these are children under 18.
In August, the RRM Consortium co-led by UNICEF and WFP distributed 28,130 RRM kits as immediate response benefiting 136,236 vulnerable people newlydisplaced by conflict.
UNICEF in collaboration with partners provided first line WASH response for approximately 21,000 new IDPs in reception centres, transit sites and information settlements, in four locations in Tikrit.
Growing numbers of displaced children are a concern for education authorities and actors as the school year 2016-2017 is to begin in September. In August, 260 children displaced from Anbar governorate (205 girls) were supported to attend summer school activities to catch up on missed classes and get ready for the new academic year.
With ongoing displacements, there is immediate need to address increased child protection concerns. In August, UNICEF partners reported delivering psychosocial support services (PSS) to 5,464 newly-registered IDP children (2,814 girls).
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Military operations along the Mosul corridor have intensified, displacing nearly 213,000 people since May 2016. The majority of the displaced people have fled south towards Salah al-Din and the rest to Erbil and Kirkuk. The fighting in northern Ninewa has displaced over 10,500 people, a 200 per cent increase compared to last month. In areas recently retaken by government forces, most of the critical infrastructure has been damaged or is not functional, and the risk of civilian injury through unexploded ordinance is high.
Protection remains a particular concern, with displaced families and children at risk of mines, improvised explosive devices, tight surveillance from armed groups, and sniper attacks. Many existing camps are overcrowded and the construction of new camps cannot keep pace with the scale of new arrivals, meaning many IDPs have to be re-located to other facilities. Consequently, families are forced to live in schools, empty houses, and unfinished buildings. When operations to re-take the city of Mosul commence, it is expected that up to 1 million additional people could be displaced.