Fatigue, toil and suffering: in Iraq, how do the families of the missing survive the atmosphere of Ramadan?

With the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan, the suffering of the families of the missing in Iraq is renewed, as hundreds of families endure harsh conditions after the loss of breadwinners and the high cost of living, and women are forced to engage in work to earn a living. The village of Al-Bukash in the Saqlawiyah sub-district in Anbar governorate (western Iraq) is a striking example.

And the village of Al-Bukash has grown into its population limited to women and children after all of its men have been kidnapped since 2016, and this is an example of many cases in the affected areas of Iraq that have been overwhelmed. by military operations. Read also They are threatened and defamed. This is how Iraqi women challenged male domination in the political arena What drives Iraqi women to abandon the law and resort to the tribe? A year after the protests, what made them accomplished for Iraqi protesters? Iraqi women face the mines of war… Feminist groups defying risks

Tragedy chapters

Women of the families of the disappeared live in tragic conditions because they have no breadwinner and no income, and these families need even a minimal source of income, according to Saad Ghazi al-Muhammadi, director of Saqlawiyah sub-district .

In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Muhammadi described the support of international organizations and the support of the government as timid and not reaching the level of satisfaction of the needs of these families.

Nahla Hassan Ali (Umm Khader) talks about her tragic situation saying: “I am sick, my husband and my son are missing, and I have daughters and 4 grandchildren whose mother left them after losing their father, ”describing their condition as“ very tragic. ”

She tells Al-Jazeera Net how her 16-year-old daughter was injured by an explosive device that led to the cut of the seventh nerve, and that she could no longer close her eyes, and also led to her loss of hearing, and her mouth twitched to double the tragedy of the loss of a father and a brother.

Umm Khader has no source of income and suffers from angina, excess salts, adenitis and other illnesses, and reflects on the fate of the children, as she called on the authorities concerned to treat her disabled child and her children the rest. , confirming that his previous pleas have found no answer.

For her part, Nasira Ahmed Hassan lives in a room whose ceiling is made of tree trunks, and its windows are covered with mats, and cooks food on firewood, after losing her husband, her brothers and her uncles for the benefit of her children, confirming that government agencies ignore their suffering and that she has not contacted them since 2016, despite her review of a number of relevant government departments that did not respond to requests from families to disclose their missing loved ones.

And reveals to Al-Jazeera Net the bad conditions in which the children live, with the impossibility of spending for them. Although some charities distribute a food basket every month or two, this assistance is insufficient to meet children’s needs and school fees.

Ramadan is sad

<< Every Iraqi, Arab or Muslim family receives the month of Ramadan with joy, joy and obedience, but the families of the missing receive this month with distress and sorrow due to their tragic conditions, and some of these families have lost 10 or more of their children, ”according to Al-Muhammadi.

He adds that the conditions of the children in the village of Al-Boukash cannot be described and, after his field visits, he confirmed that he saw sadness and sorrow in their eyes and on their faces, because they face the difficulties of life without a breadwinner.

Bushra Muhammad Ali, a missing woman who supports 6 children and suffers from multiple illnesses, says: “This is the blessed month that has come to us, and we are without breadwinners, no husband controls us, and no one buys us what we have. We thank God and thank Him anyway and ask the good guys to help us. ” Publicity

Regarding the atmosphere of Ramadan in their village, it was revealed – to Al-Jazeera Net – saying: “We welcome the month of Ramadan with supplication and prayer, and we ask God to give us back our children and our men. Our children are crying and we are powerless and unable to meet their needs.

Bushra points out that some of her children are complaining of illnesses and that she takes responsibility despite her illness, pointing out that she needs $ 4,500 in surgery, but cannot guarantee the amount.

imposed labour

Harsh living conditions forced women to work hard, such as making mud skirts, according to Laila Hawal Hamad, who was forced into the profession after her husband and brothers were kidnapped during military operations there. more than 5 years ago. orphans to support.

She tells Al-Jazeera Net the details of her tiring job as she moves the stones with large sacks and wheelbarrows, then breaks the stones, then soaks them in water for two days, to begin kneading the stone. mud with the addition of straw and salt, then reshapes it into small pieces, then begins to build an oven.

And she confirms that the financial resources she draws from this profession do not meet the daily needs of her household and family and medical expenses, and in many cases the purchase of skirts stops.

She notes that the atmosphere of Ramadan has changed for her since she lost her husband and brothers, as she continues to work in the mud while she fasts, and tries to cook a modest breakfast that is offered to him.

She added: “My husband took care of supporting us, and we had a car, cattle and sheep, but we lost everything in the war, and life got tough and all were worries, and I did not have a breadwinner or adequate food. housing.”

Help

Women in this region face poor conditions, and they do not have enough for them to live in dignity, with this segment needing a lot of government or community support, according to media outlet Asya Al- Janabi.

And she assures Al-Jazeera Net that the children of the missing are in a difficult situation, without education and without the simplest ingredients that meet the needs of the child, especially in light of the crisis situations of the Corona pandemic. .

And she stressed the need for the government to reach out to the families of the innocent missing, with a real gesture that has nothing to do with electoral matters but rather with the eye of the father as he looks at his son, and it is the duty of any government to its people.