A Dire Situation: Iraqi War Widows and Orphans Get Little Aid, Struggle to Survive
“If the situation progresses, we will be just like India...They are busy building public fountains when we don’t have water in the sink.”
- Abdulalah F. Alafar, director of the Maryam Establishment for Children charity in Baghdad.
The American invasion of Iraq has left quite a legacy. We've lost billions of dollars in cash meant for Iraq's reconstruction, while the women left widows by our bombing sell themselves for enough money to survive:
Among Iraqi women aged 15 to 80, 1 in 11 are estimated to be widows, though officials admit that figure is hardly more than a guess, given the continuing violence and the displacement of millions of people. A United Nations report estimated that during the height of sectarian violence here in 2006, 90 to 100 women were widowed each day.
In large cities like Baghdad, the presence of war widows is difficult to ignore. Cloaked in black abayas, they wade through columns of cars idling at security checkpoints, asking for money or food. They wait in line outside mosques for free blankets, or sift through mounds of garbage piled along the street. Some live with their children in public parks or inside gas station restrooms.
Officials at social service agencies tell of widows coerced into “temporary marriages” — relationships sanctioned by Shiite tradition, often based on sex, which can last from an hour to years — to get financial help from government, religious or tribal leaders.
Other war widows have become prostitutes, and some have joined the insurgency in exchange for steady pay. The Iraqi military estimates that the number of widows who have become suicide bombers may be in the dozens.
In the past several weeks, even as the government has formed commissions to study the problem, it has begun a campaign to arrest beggars and the homeless, including war widows.
[...] Efforts to increase the government stipend for widows — currently about $50 a month and an additional $12 per child — have stalled. By comparison, the price of a five-liter container of gasoline, used for cars as well as home generators, is about $4.
Still, only about 120,000 widows — roughly one in six — receive any state aid, according to government figures. Widows and their advocates say that to receive benefits they must either have political connections or agree to temporary marriages with the powerful men who control the distribution of government funds.
“It is blackmail,” said Samira al-Mosawi, chairwoman of the women’s affairs committee in Parliament. “We have no law to treat this point. Widows don’t need temporary support, but a permanent solution.”
The latest plan, proposed by Mazin al-Shihan, director of the Baghdad Displacement Committee, a city agency, is to pay men to marry widows. “There is no serious effort by the national government to fix this problem, so I presented my own program,” he said.
When asked why the money should not go directly to the women, Mr. Shihan laughed.
“If we give the money to the widows, they will spend it unwisely because they are uneducated and they don’t know about budgeting,” he said. “But if we find her a husband, there will be a person in charge of her and her children for the rest of their lives. This is according to our tradition and our laws.”
Yeah, because it would be too difficult to just educate them. And besides, then they get ideas - and we can't have that.
for being prostitutes.
Great job, CheneyBushCo. You are the gift that just does not stop giving.
me-oww!
...are blaming Obama for this.
Judging from the recent election results, roughly 48% of the US citizenry should go back to remedial kindergarten. Blaming the innocent for misdeeds of the bully on the playground is Not Nice.
Barack Obama could change this so easily it is unbelievable. His voice on this and other foreign and domestic situations has fallen silent when he should be shouting at the top of his lungs.
I am beginning to be deeply disappointed in this man. I thought we were electing a patriot. Instead, I fear we have elected just another damned politician.
Personality overcomes all shortcomings. I'm beginning to think he's just George W + snake oil.
Duel at dawn, chum. Bring a dead fish. I'm bringing the head of a horse.
...one lousy frikin' MONTH! Just STOP WITH ALL THE WHINING!
and we have not heard one major statement regarding the most significant foreign policy issue confronting the new administration.
What's the plan, Stan? Bush bought it. Obama owns it. Drawdowns are fine, but what are we going to do to make up for the horrible atrocities that we have committed against this country?
I think these women and children would be a good start.
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
to fix the misdeeds of 8 fucking years
guess you havent noticed...but we are on the brink of financial collapse
if that happens, obama can scream till the cows come home, we will be in no position to do shit for anyone
hey, ive got a fucking idea
why doesnt the un chip in and help out the widows
god forbid the other arab states should do anything too
not when syria is getting cheap hookers
christ...bush fucked it up...why not take all the bushies assets and send those to the widows
Isn't it time the Bushes step outside of their mansions and
protection services and attempt to correct THEIR greedy hurtful policies?
I mean being such "good" Christians......................... and patriots. Gag.
of Obama continuing evil Bushco policies or actually having his Justice Dept. out protecting Bushco's crimes. The latest is apparently that Obama's Justice Dept. is trying to deep-six the suit to force the "missing" Bushco emails to become public. At this point, we're reduced to hoping that Obama has some kind of secret plan to spring some seriously progressive kung fu on DC and the country. If he's got a secret plan, I hope he makes it unsecret really soon.
See William Black's Huffington piece on the banking system. Obama has only been throwing interceptions so far. One can only hope he is more than what his actions have so far demonstrated.
for TWO YEARS. Kucinich has had a 12 point plan for extricating us from Iraq for even longer, and it includes both the UN and Arab states. Those of you defending Obama on this are making excuses. Obama's campaign led us to believe that he had a plan. Well, what is it, other than drawdowns? If he is spending ALL of his time on the economy, then he needs to budget that time better.
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
How much help do war widows and orphans get in our country?
And if they marry their own father, and he keels over, they can be both at once.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Now the government is wanting to paid for Israel criminal destruction in Gaza...
Israel will stop at nothing to get whatever they want...and the U.S. just keeps given to their criminal activities..
But of course Israel now own our country ,,, senators , house of representatives and looks as if Obama ear is taken by these people now..
None
terrorist.
either he or his brother will have your balls
funny, go on right wing sites, and they are all freaking at how obama is selling israel out
here we have the left saying that obama is in the pockets of israel
both sides cannot be right
therefore, obama must be in the middle
exactly where he should be on this issue
and giving the finger to both extremes
U.S. However, let's all keep in mind that saying "Israel" is to make a lot of Israelis criminals--much like Bushco made a lot of us criminals, right?
Obama OKed Israel's Gaza War
http://www.************.com/chomsky-obama-oke...
This is a great crime, how can we ever atone?
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
It's certainly a grievous crime, and considering that we are likely responsible for a million dead, it is 1/6th the total of Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
Doesnt matter how you spin it, dead is dead, whether by an industrial process of murder or by "collateral damage", direct assault, or caught in mistaken crossfire. We have committed an incredibly grave sin against mankind, can we ever atone for all these deaths? Besides continued assistance, we must hold someone accountable if seeking to atone
Radix Omnium Malorum Avaritia
If there is ever a World Court Case against Bush, Cheney, Rummy, et al..
the world and especially American voters who supported these greedy
killers will finally hear the truth about the deaths and destruction done to
the innocent. The number of witnesses against them will be so large a lottery
will be used to select them for court appearances.
Heck, we still called it the Iraq War instead of its rightful name, THE BUSH WAR FOR OIL.
Mon, 02/23/2009 - 19:58 — Alice X - Choms...
This is a great crime, how can we ever atone?
____________________________________________________
I'm tone deaf.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Sorry to say, I agree he is so far sadly lacking. Guess he really hasn't read Lincoln at Gettysburg: "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." He needs to say a lot, but he needs to do far more. I am appalled and saddened by the lack of attention to this.
You know the bit about requiring women to get married to recieve welfare benefits.
If memory serves me correctly; didn't the Bush Administration try to pull some crap like that back in 2002.
"If we give the money to the widows, they will spend it unwisely because they are uneducated and they don’t know about budgeting,” he said. “But if we find her a husband, there will be a person in charge of her and her children for the rest of their lives. This is according to our tradition and our laws.”
This is pathetic. This is the culture that we are fighting for? WTF is it still 700AD. Yes it is! Where? Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, especially Saudi Arabia, home of terrorist hijackers of 9/11 and support of the bin Laden family - all of it - terrorists included.
They can't eat their oil. We don't have to be there to physically control it. They have to sell it. There is certainly no other reason to be there. You cannot force 21st century democracy on 8th century tribalists.
21st century democracy. More similar to 19th century imperialism, with a large helping of mid-20th century German corporatism.
what the hell, everybody else does it, but this is true: Richard Freakin' NIXON said exactly the same thing, I think in his last book "Seize The Day" or something. Anyway there is a mind boggling quote that seems to say that even Tricky Dick wouldn't have supported invading Iraq. He starts out talking about the Magna Carta, points out the historical interval between that and the American revolution and then flatly stats that no western country is ever going impose democracy on an arab country because they have no historical precedent for it- in other words, "WTF it is still 700AD"!!...You KNOW things are fucked when Nixon is a voice of reason speaking over the years....
I've got no words. :(
"The greatest tyranny is censoring information in order to be better able to control people." - Cristina Saralegui
The situation there is so appalling on so many levels. Yet it continues, day after day, with no end in sight. Sickening.
The past eight years of insanity have bankrupted our country and made nothing but millions of widows & orphans, billions of dollars for Dick Cheney, thousands of renditioned, tortured prisoners, endless misery and destruction of resources and generations.
I voted for this shit to stop. I voted for CHANGE. I voted for Obama, the Multi-Tasker. Now it's time for the American eagle to straighten up and fly right -- with all the b.s. about freedom no one has advocated for the rights of the women we supposedly freed. Freed for what? To be prostituted in the name of Freedom and American Values?
INSANE.
and dicky, dubya and donny walk away scot-free. That's what kills me.
we have a bunch of people railing against a socalled anti islamic bigot....who happens to be a woman, and witnessed first hand how islamic culture treats women
m'utah marriage is codefied prostitution...therefore there is no such thing as prostitution among at least the shia...one can marry a new wife every hour...oh, and they dont have to worry about child support when they knock their m'utah wife up
used "temporary marriage" on condemned young women the night before their execution. Amazing what some people will hide with "religion."
geez, here we stand railing and warring against a third world country, and soon with our economy going the way that it is, we will be standing shoulder to shoulder with them. still, the majority of americans cry for the dead on their side, not really caring to think about the destruction and havoc we have wreaked on another country. where do they sleep at night, do they watch tv, are they able to eat? well, let's not think about it. as i said, we will soon be there with them. and still we choose not to prosecute bush and his ilk.
The thing that irks me the most about all the coverage about....well, about anything, is the vast amount of information left out.
Iraq is a prime example. Before thinking or talking about ANYTHING in Iraq, or, for that matter, Guatamala, Vietnam, Korea, Iran, Chile, Haiti, to name a few, we should step back and remember that the U.S. is the cause of most of their problems. Our interventions, assasinations, ousters, blackmails and often bombings have made it impossible for us to comment in any way without first taking a lot of the blame for WHATEVER is going on in these countries.
We're presented with this glowing image of ourselves, "The Greatest Country on Earth" or similar meaningless and untrue slogans, so that we can look down our noses with pity at others' misdeeds or mistakes or suffering or sexist or religious fundamentalism or bigotry. We should be slapped in the face every time we do this. It is a lie and merely covers over the truth.
No matter what one says about Saddam (and almost everybody yammers on and on about his monstrosity), women under his rule were doctors, went to university, became teachers, etc., etc. That has been bombed out of existence now that we have brought them "democracy". Democracy is a term that is so overused as to be meaningless.
Whatever happens in Iraq is our fault. We now have permanent bases there which was probably the reason for the war in the first place.
Now Obama is ramping up our forces in Afghanistan. This is folly of the most dangerous kind. In addition, it is monstrous and will merely cause more deaths on both sides. The only way we can help them now that we, after a long line of others, have made their country even worse than it was, is to withdraw and pay them reparations so that they can rebuild the rubble we've caused.
I don't deny that Iraqi women are being mistreated, I just think that wailing about how awful the government and their husbands are is missing a lot of the point.
Until we stop believing the lies our government and media are stuffing down our throats, statements like we're the Greatest Country on Earth, or "We're a peace-loving nation", statements repeated over and over and over until we become zombies, will remain the lies they are. In addition, we'll keep sending our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters to be killed in foreign countries while they're killing the people of those same countries for nothing that benefits the vast majority of citizens of the U.S.
End of rant. ;+)
Joan of Oak
There's a good article in The Nation this week also talking about the Iraqi refugees. It also mentions the sexual violence committed against both men and women, as well as the prostitution of women and children. Sorry, but what we've done to the Iraqi's is unforgivable. Saddam was an evil dictator, but that doesn't excuse what we've done to that country. Eventually, Iraqi's may have their freedom, but at what cost? That wasn't our call to make.
Her last blog post was in October '07, from Damascus. You can still discover or revisit her blog "Is Baghdad Burning?" here.
This brave soul eloquently brought the world a view from the ground before she and her family took a shot at staying alive, in Syria, rather than a slow or fast death in Baghdad.
If she's surfaced and is writing again, I'd love to know where. I'd feel so much better knowing she's survived all this and healthy.
I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...
nothing
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
For posting this! It's a bad situation for these widows and with the exception of a few print news outlets it's not discussed enough. This is such a tragedy. These women are raised to be subservient to their spouses and now they're alone, poor, hungry. Their daughters are forced into prostitution as well and often times murdered as a result for shaming the family. I've mentioned this before in different social settings and I'm looked on as if I'm a freak. It's like bringing up the poppy fields and heroin trade in Afghanistan. It's a reality no one wants to accept
I can't believe how little coverage this has received. I saw a video on it the other day, and then this post ... but NOTHING apart from that.
In the video it said that there was some sort of housing program set up for the widows but that only 750 people could live there ... that’s less than 1 percent of the total estimated number of widows in Iraq!!!! In this day and age, you'd think we'd be better suited to help those in need.
Here's the link to the video http://www.newsy.com/videos/iraqi_war_widows_...
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