July 2012, HHRO concluded its returning families support program, after a number of families which have left Iraq, due to the rising wave of violence witnessed in Iraq during the past years, decided to return to their homeland.
In cooperation with Christian Solidarity International (CSI), 75 families in Baghdad, Nineveh, Erbil and Duhok were the beneficiaries of HHRO’s program after returning to Iraq from abroad, food baskets were delivered to each family in addition to grants according to the financial conditions of each family.
Mr. William Warda (President of HHRO) provided “those included in Hammurabi’s program, most of them Iraqi Christians, returned from 13 European, American and Arabian countries”, adding “the number of registered families at HHRO have reached 100 family, with approximately 350 people.” Expecting that the wave of return from Syria will rise during the upcoming days, and the humanitarian organizations should prepare for their come back.
At the same time, Mr. Louis Merqus (the program manager) assured that “the ones coming back from Syria represent the largest percentage from the ones registered at HHRO, and Sweden comes in the second place followed by Lebanon, then Greece. With others coming back from America, Canada, Venezuela, Germany, Norway, Britain, Austria, Turkey and Egypt”.
About the reasons of their return, Ms. Robert Ilia (HHRO’s Media manager) said “the majority of the people coming back from Syria, explained that their return is due to the deteriorating security conditions in Syria, and the rising violence and military operation in many governorates and places. Adding that “most of the ones coming back from Sweden recognized that they returned because they weren’t considered as legal residents there, and few of them returned because they wanted to”. Assuring “the ones coming back from Lebanon and Greece noted that hard living conditions and the rise of pricing and financial difficulties forces them to go back”.
Khalil Oraha (member of the program’s managing team) said about the reasons of their departure in the first place “most of the people who returned confirmed that they didn’t flee the country only because of the deteriorating security conditions put also because of the living conditions as well, and the bad public services and infrastructure in their areas, electricity outages, low employment levels and being subject to discriminatory practices in the institutions they used to work in and the areas they used to live”, adding “others who left the country justified that by fear for the future, and having no hope in the leading political leadership, doubting the capabilities to improve the conditions in Iraq”.
