UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

Ghraib and was known for its strong connections with former president Abdel-Salam
Arif. 471
Baghdad’s red-light districts, including Kamalia, an area inhabited by Kawliyah, have been
“cleaned up” by religious militias aiming at eliminating “prostitution, Gypsy dancers and
video parlors, as well as the selling of alcohol”. 472 The Kawliyah residents, some 200
families, were expelled and the name of the district, Kamalia, which was known for its
brothels since the 1970s, has been changed to Hay Al-Zahra, after the Prophet
Mohammed’s daughter. 473
It was reported that Babel’s Governorate Council decided to expel those “Gypsies” from
the Governorate who do not have an identity card issued in the Governorate. 474
Since 2003, most Kawliyah have been displaced. Some remain in Iraq, 475 often trying to
hide their identity. An unknown number left the country altogether, many to Syria and the
Gulf countries. In Iraq, they remain at the lower bottom of the social system, living in
former military camps or tents, with limited or no access to health care, education,
electricity and water and facing discrimination in employment. Many find no other option
but to engage in activities such as prostitution. 476
The Kawliyah community in Iraq has been subjected to persecution for a variety of reasons.
It has always been isolated from majority populations around them and viewed with
distrust, its members seen as outsiders and a threat. Their dark complexion and sharp facial
features make it easy to distinguish them. They are collectively reputed as alcohol sellers
and prostitutes, both considered “un-Islamic”. 477 Furthermore, there have been cases in
which Kawliyah offered shelter to women at risk of “honour killings”, thereby further
contributing to their negative image in Iraqi society. 478 Finally, they are considered to have
received privileges and protection from the former regime and, through their work, to be
associated with the Ba’athists. 479 Partly linked to the Kawliyah openly praising former
471
Imam El-Liethy, Iraq’s Gypsies Struggle for Life After Saddam’s Fall, 2003, http://www.domresearch
center.com/news/iraq/iraq1.html.
472
Constable, see above footnote 269. See also: Babington, see above footnote 469.
473
Bahadur, see above footnote 469.
474
Al-Sabaah, Babel Council decides departing Gypsies families, 12 December 2006,
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-13-12-2006&article=1258.
475
By early 2006, IOM identified 428 Kawliyah families who had been displaced post-2003. Of those,
179 families originated from the Governorate of Qadissiyah (Al-Fawar village), 139 families from the
Governorate of Baghdad (Huzairan, Kamalia, Tamoz and Al-Kansa areas/villages and from Baghdad city
centre), 100 families from Ninewa Governorate (Sinjar District) and 10 families from Diyala Governorate
(Kana’an District). Most sought refuge in other areas in the Governorates of Baghdad, Kirkuk and
Qadissiyah; human rights violations and armed conflict and violence were provided as reasons for
displacement. See: IOM Mission in Iraq, Phase II Monitoring, January 2006, http://www.iomiraq.net/library.html#IDP_pashe2_reports.
More updated figures reflecting the situation after the Samarra
bombing in February 2006, which led to an escalation in sectarian violence, are not available.
476
IRIN, Iraq: Gypsies call for greater rights, see above footnote 463.
477
See also “Persons Accused of “Un-Islamic” Behaviour”.
478
IWPR, Gypsies Seek Government Protection, see above footnote 463. See also “Women”.
479
According to the Brookings Institution / University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement
95