Supporting Iraqi Returnees: Listening to Voices in Salah Al Din

At Mercy Path for Women’s Affairs, we closely monitor the movement and needs of Iraqi returnees across Ninewa, Anbar, Salah Al Din, Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Diyala governorates. Our commitment is not only to track numbers but also to listen to the lived experiences of returnees, understand their challenges, and advocate for their rights.

Last week, our team in Salah Al Din organized a town hall meeting with returnee families in Tikrit. To ensure that participants felt safe and free to speak openly, the meeting was hosted inside the home of one of the returnees. The session was facilitated by our Salah Al Din team leader, Ms. Fatima Kamil.

Fatima, our team leader in Salah Al Din, having a dialogue with returnee families in Tikrit

The group was primarily composed of women and children, as many of their male family members were killed, missing in action, or forcibly disappeared. Most of the attendees were families previously displaced to Al-Hol Camp in northeast Syria, later relocated to Jada’a Camp in Ninewa, and eventually returned to their places of origin in Salah Al Din.

During the discussion, participants highlighted pressing challenges that continue to affect their reintegration and dignity. Most returnees remain jobless, leaving children to contribute to family income through low-paying daily labor such as farm work and selling vegetables in local markets. Many families lack essential legal papers. While Iraqi law allows children under nine years old to enroll in school without legal documentation, some school principals still refuse to register returnee children, citing missing papers. Families cannot afford lawyers to help secure documents. One returnee shared that although the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had promised reimbursement for legal fees, the support never materialized. Returnees also continue to face rejection from host communities, creating barriers to rebuilding their lives.

The stories shared in Tikrit reflect the broader struggles of thousands of Iraqi returnees. Without access to jobs, education, or legal recognition, families risk falling into cycles of poverty and exclusion. Women and children, in particular, remain the most vulnerable.

By creating safe spaces like this town hall meeting, Mercy Path ensures that returnees’ voices are heard and their needs are documented. These insights help us advocate for policy changes, mobilize resources, and partner with national and international stakeholders to secure sustainable solutions.

Mercy Path will continue hosting such community-led dialogues across Iraq’s governorates. Our goal is to strengthen trust, identify urgent needs, and build pathways for social and economic reintegration. Together, we can ensure that every returnee family is given the chance to live with dignity and hope.