|
|||||||||||
|
CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in Iraq in the early years of the 21st Century. Some of these
links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated,
misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate
their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this
page and others to see which aspects of poverty are of particular interest to
you. You might be interested in
exploring the relationship between distribution of labor and per-capita GDP,
for example. Perhaps your paper could
focus on life expectancy or infant mortality.
Other factors of interest might be unemployment, literacy, access to
basic services, etc. On the other
hand, you might choose to include some of the possible outgrowths of poverty
such as Human Trafficking,
Street Children,
or even Prostitution. There is a lot to the subject of
Poverty. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. *** Extreme Weather *** Climate
change is intensifying the wet and dry seasons in Iraq, leading to extreme
events like droughts and floods. The southern and central regions of Iraq
have experienced decreased precipitation patterns. In 2022, about 12 million
people in Iraq (60% of the country’s population) faced hunger due to drought
hampering wheat production. – adapted
from Microsoft BING Copilot *** ARCHIVES *** The World Factbook - Iraq U.S. Central Intelligence Agency CIA www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html [accessed 29
December 2020] World Factbook
website has moved to ---> www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ [accessed 5 January 2021] Inflation
has remained under control since 2006. However, Iraqi leaders remain
hard-pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of
living for the Iraqi populace. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the
country despite a bloated public sector. Overregulation has made it difficult
for Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. Corruption
and lack of economic reforms - such as restructuring banks and developing the
private sector – have inhibited the growth of the private sector. GDP -
per capita (PPP): $16,700 (2017
est.) Labor
force - by occupation: agriculture:
21.6% industry:
18.7% services: 59.8% (2008 est.) Unemployment
rate: 16% (2012
est.) Population
below poverty line: 23% (2014
est.) Maternal
mortality rate: 79 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) Infant
mortality rate: total: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births Life
expectancy at birth: total population: 72.6 years Drinking
water source: improved: total: 97.9% of
population Physicians
density: 0.84 physicians/1,000 population (2017) Sanitation
facility access: improved: total: 95.2% of
population Electricity
access: electrification - total population: 100% (2016) The
Borgen Project - Iraq borgenproject.org/category/iraq/ [accessed 7 February 2021] The Borgen Project works with U.S. leaders to utilize the
United States’ platform behind efforts toward improving living conditions for
the world’s poor. It is an innovative,
national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign
policy. It believes that leaders of
the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global
poverty. From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote,
nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The
Borgen Project addresses the big picture, operating
at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living
conditions for those living on less than $1 per day. ~
Innovations To Reduce Poverty In Iraq borgenproject.org/innovations-to-reduce-povert-in-iraq/ ~
The Process Of Combating Hunger In Iraq borgenproject.org/hunger-in-iraq/ ~
Combating The Electricity Shortage In Iraq borgenproject.org/electricity-in-iraq/ ~
Women’s Access To Healthcare In Iraq borgenproject.org/healthcare-in-iraq/ ~
Food Insecurity In Iraq borgenproject.org/food-insecurity-in-iraq/ ~
4 Facts About Poverty In Iraq borgenproject.org/facts-about-poverty-in-iraq/ Focus
on Boys Trapped in Commercial Sex Trade www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/consequences/2005/0808trapped.htm [accessed 29 December 2020] A 16-year-old boy
has started a desperate new life since being forced into the sex trade in
Baghdad, joining a growing number of adolescents soliciting in Iraq under the
threat of street gangs or the force of poverty. "Every day I cry
at night," Feiraz said. "I'm a homosexual
and was forced to work as a prostitute because one of the people I had sex
with took pictures of me in bed and said that, if I didn't work for him, he
was going to send the pictures to my family." Poverty
Wages War on Iraqi Children Amit Pyakurel (ammykumars), OhmyNews, 2007-03-15 english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=398032 [accessed 31 May 2011] The number of street children has greatly risen in Iraq since the U.S.-led occupation began in 2003. The foremost reason for this is the deteriorating economic condition of the country, according to the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI). And, as many have died since the start of the war, the significant increment of the number of widows and orphans has also largely resulted in children who have to beg and try to sustain their lives on the streets across the country. The NCCI reported that the families facing fragile economic conditions (especially if their male member/s, who are mostly synonymous to the major or sole breadwinner of the family, are killed in the conflict) often send their children to beg on streets as a mean of supplementing their income. Whereas, Cedric Turlan, the information officer of the NCCI, said that some families also send their children to work, and this also to sustain their livelihood or at least to feed themselves. Children
lured into drugs and prostitution UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN, Baghdad, February 12, 2007 www.irinnews.org/report/70094/iraq-children-lured-into-drugs-and-prostitution [accessed 29 December 2020] Sami Rubaie, 12, lives on the streets of Baghdad. He said he ran away from home because he could not stand the beatings he got from his father for not bringing home enough money from begging all day. He soon turned to glue sniffing. To support his habit, he recently joined a gang and now men have sex with him in exchange for glue and money. "I cry every time a man has sex with me and they usually hit me because I am crying. After I do it, my boss gives me a good quantity of glue and around US $3 dollars for food. I know what I'm doing is wrong but it's better than living with daily beatings from my father for not bringing him enough money," Sami said. Action
Against Hunger - Iraq www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries/middle-east/iraqi-kurdistan [accessed 21 March 2021] In Iraq, an
estimated 4.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Iraq’s
2014-2017 conflict with Islamic State (IS) resulted in several waves of
displacements. The time spent under IS rule and the military campaigns
exacerbated many issues, such as limited opportunities for livelihoods,
damaged or destroyed housing and water supplies, and a breakdown of social
cohesion due to past hostilities between different groups. Although the
conflict with IS has since ended, the consequences of this instability and
volatility continue to affect the most vulnerable groups in Iraqi society. The
World Bank in Iraq www.worldbank.org/en/country/iraq/overview [accessed 22 April
2021] The
World Bank Group mobilizes financial and technical assistance in support of
Iraq’s efforts to regain the trust of its citizens by stabilizing its
economy, improving governance, and rebuilding of livelihoods. The World Bank
works closely with international partners to support economic reforms. Looking
back a few years Advameg, Inc., Encyclopedia of the Nations www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Iraq-ECONOMY.html [accessed 29 December 2020] The
effect of war in Kuwait and continuing economic sanctions reduced real GDP by
at least 75% in 1991, on the basis of an 85% decline in oil production, and
the destruction of the industrial and service sectors of the economy. Living
standards deteriorated and the inflation rate reached 8000% in 1992.
Estimates for 1993 indicated that unemployment hovered around 50% and that
inflation was as high as 1000%. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT
COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Prof. Martin
Patt, "Poverty - Iraq", http://gvnet.com/poverty/Iraq.htm,
[accessed <date>] |
