#ActForHumanity with Amira
Amira Bayoumi on Transforming Humanitarian Work in Iraq
"In Iraq, we see the strength of our communities, particularly women, who have become pillars of peace and recovery. Their resilience and leadership are transforming our approach to humanitarian work, making it more inclusive and effective."
Join us for a conversation with Amira Bayoumi, International Protection Officer in Ba’aj, Iraq, as part of our series for World Humanitarian Day 2024. Amira beautifully highlights the transformation across the community that has grown near and dear to her heart.
Q: How did you come to be involved in humanitarian work in Iraq?
I am a law graduate, I worked as a lawyer in Egypt with refugees and asylum seekers. After that, I completed my master's degree in International Human Rights Law at University of Essex. Alongside doing that, I did open source investigations on war crimes and crimes against humanity, and then became involved in Ceasefire Center For Civilian Rights. These experiences intensified my interest in working directly with communities on violence prevention and peacebuilding as I felt I want to be on the ground helping and supporting the communities.
I was immediately drawn to NP’s approach of Unarmed Civilian Protection and the emphasis on community involvement. While my previous work was both challenging and rewarding, the opportunity to work directly with communities—addressing issues such as violence and tribal conflicts and contributing to peacebuilding efforts—has been a significant and fulfilling part of my career.
Q: What does a typical day look like as an International Protection Officer in Iraq?
Something I love about our work is that we don't have two days that are identical or similar, since we are working so closely with the community and applying Unarmed Civilian Protection.
We normally start the day by having a safety and security meeting in the morning. This is when our National Protection Officers and the drivers share incidents or cases that they have heard in the community. Sometimes there are news of a tribal conflict that we need to address urgently.
Of course, there are certain things that are frequent and we always do every day, for example, conducting patrols in hotspots where sexual harassment is more likely to occur, or holding awareness sessions with community members on topics like Unarmed Civilian Protection and gender-based violence. These kinds of activities are set and we do them on a regular basis in order for us to build the capacity of the community and help the community change behaviors that lead to violence. These have proved to be very effective, especially for women—Women have shared with us that the gender-based violence awareness sessions that we're doing with men are leading to behavioural changes. These men now are not subjecting their wives to physical or verbal violence. Their wives shared that they have noticed change in their attitudes and behaviors.
Our focus areas can shift depending on the current needs and priorities. We work with various groups, including youth peace teams and women’s peace teams, and directly engage in protection and peacebuilding. The specific focus can depend on immediate needs, or other community-driven priorities.
Q: That is a lot of groups! Can you start by telling us about the Youth Peace Team? How did this group come about?
The Youth Peace Team (YPT) is a crucial part of our work was developed as a response to the pressing need for youth involvement in peacebuilding. We recognized that young people in Iraq are incredibly passionate and motivated, and they can play a significant role in addressing violence and promoting peace within their communities.
Community-led initiatives are the key for sustainable peace. The idea for the Community Peace Team emerged from our observations and interactions with the local community. Many youth want to be actively involved in peacebuilding efforts but lacked the formal support and structure to channel their enthusiasm effectively. So, we worked alongside a group of youth to initiate the Youth Peace Teams and provided them with the necessary tools, trainings, contacts, and opportunities to enable them to make a real impact.
Since then, others have heard about the YPT’s work and have approached us to receive training sessions. Now, people knock on our doors and ask, ‘Can we have training sessions?’ In a community that is underserved and focused on financial gains, this is a significant step forward, as they now understand the value of these training sessions and how these efforts are driving meaningful change.
The YPT have begun conducting impressive advocacy efforts after receiving proper training and being introduced to duty bearers. In Ba’aj, for example, the YPT identified a gap in education for returnees from displacement camps, as children received little to no education, and some only informally. Being part of the community, the YPT members were well aware of the challenges and were uniquely positioned through the connections built through NP to address this independently. Without NP accompaniment, the YPT successfully advocacted for the inclusion of the returnees within the school systems, leading to the establishment of two classes – one for girls and one for boys. This initiative is particularly significant as it helps. address the educational needs of children who are at risk of being drawn into extremism. These children now would later on in life have the chance to pursue higher education. This advcocay inspired other youth teams.
Q: That’s great that the YPT in Ba’aj is inspiring similar work elsewhere in Iraq. Does the YPT work only in Ba’aj, or do they ever work directly with other teams?
The community peace teams and other community members from Ba’aj engage in joint activities with the Sinjar team and the Yazidi community. This collaboration started to have positive impacts in terms of social cohesion considering the complex and tense history.
Here’s an example someone shared from a while back, when we were just starting up but hadn’t begun our programming: He was driving home and had to pass by Sinjar in order to come to Ba’aj. His car ran out of fuel midway, between Sinjar and Ba’aj at night. He said his mother, “I'm going to go to Sinjar because it is the nearest place to get fuel and come back.” His mother started to panic and plead, “No, they will kill you. Don't go there. I will not let you go there, we can stay in the car.” She was really worried and scared. But because we have a team in Sinjar, the man was able to call one of NP staff in Sinjar and he came to him. He took him to Sinjar to get the fuel and they returned. But now, you can see community members of both districts breaking this cycle of fear.
There are countless stories such as these. In response, NP and the CPTs took steps to reconnect between the residents of the two districts. NP started holding football games in Ba’aj. This was the first time, community members from Sinjar and Qahtania came to Ba’aj after the liberation. Over time, they started to even call each other up and come play by themselves without NP involvement. These communities that feared one another for the longest period post-liberation are now reconnecting and engaging in shared activities.
Later, I asked the football players from Qahtania about how their families reacted to it and how they are feeling. They said, “At first, they were very fearful, and we reassured our families by saying that an organization would be in attendance.” But now, even without the organization, the families are okay because they know that we are going to be safe and nothing bad is going to happen. Seeing the transformation from fear to reassurance and being at ease has been remarkable.
I see this transformation through so many avenues now. Our Women Peace Team have also made a big breakthrough. Even though women’s movement can be restricted, Ba’aj WPT, because of their trust in our organization and feeling more empowered, they left to go to Rambusi, the Yazidi side, and they have been going to Sinjar to build relationships with the Yazidi community. We now have so many examples of women taking strides to build peace and reconnect across these borders. It’s been moving to see them transform from women who didn’t think that they have any role at all, to women that are now changing their daughters or granddaughter's lives, and trying to be part of the peace process by reconnecting with the Yazidi community.
Q: Can you tell us more about the growth and transformation of working with the Women Peace Team?
In reflecting back on the WPTs, it's important to acknowledge their transformation. They were so restricted that we had to conduct training sessions in their homes because of the restrictions imposed on them by men, but now they are travelling to Sinjar and Mosul and even meeting security actors.
One of the WPT member’s son said that he's not going to let her granddaughter finish her education because someone proposed to her. The WPT told her son, “No, she's not going to get married at this young age, I'm against it. She's going to finish her education. I'm going to travel with her to Mosul (Ba’aj district does not have a university). I will travel with her to Mosul for her to go and finish her education and go to university. After she finishes her education, if she wants to get married, she can get married. But she's not going to be forced to do any of that.” After taking part in NPs trainings, these women have started to be the change makers—they're changing their community and their families. She stood up and declared: I'm going to change my granddaughter's life. It might sound like a simple example, but for me, I can see that transformation of a life.
And on top of that, after all the sessions with NP, she's saying, “I want to go and finish my education. I want to go to a class where I can start learning how to read and write.” This transformation is amazing. These are small scale examples, but there are so many examples, and this is what I love about our work.
Q: I agree, education is so important. Are there any safety issues when it comes to attending school? Especially for girls?
Before IS occupation, women and girls were not allowed to go to school, there were only a few students that could go to schools. But now, after IS, the community reaction was to let the girls go to school—now, the school for girls has around 500 students. This, in itself, is a breakthrough.
Despite this advancement, challenges remained. As more girls began attending school, there was an increase in sexual harassment, a reaction to the visibility of women in public spaces. This led some parents to withdraw their daughters from school, driven by concerns over their safety and societal expectations regarding manhood in the community.
To address these issues, NP took proactive measures. We began patrolling the school, and local police were involved as well. This presence reassured families that their daughters were safe, leading to increased enrollment. In some cases, families even reached out to NP for assistance with the enrollment process, reflecting the trust and support NP has built within the community. This is the impact that direct protection can have.
Q: That was a great example of direct physical protection. As Iraq is a very online society, what are you doing in Ba’aj to support online protection?
The Youth Peace Teams (YPT) are now implementing rumor control systems, offering training sessions on how to verify information, including distinguishing between genuine and fake content in pictures and videos. They are also taking initial steps towards developing a digital rumor control mechanism. Additionally, the teams have started referring many cases of electronic blackmail to the National Security Service (NSS).
The YPT have gained significant trust from community members, who now actively communicate with them and seek their help with various issues, including electronic blackmail. Because of the social media like Facebook, some people, even in the south of Iraq are communicating with the team virtually. They reach out to us saying, ‘we have electronic blackmail case, can you please help us?’
Women in the community, who previously may not have engaged with security actors, are now contacting the NSS for help with electronic blackmail and domestic violence cases. This shift is a testament to the positive impact of NP’s sessions with women, which have helped break down barriers and build trust. Women’s increased confidence in contacting security actors has also led to improved sensitivity and awareness among these actors, particularly in cases involving domestic violence, where NP’s female employees play a crucial role in interviews and support.
Q: What does being a humanitarian mean to you?
For me, being humanitarian is beyond a profession. I put my heart and soul into the work I'm doing. I love the idea that I can help someone by uplifting their voice. Being here, being able to help people, supporting them, empowering them, is just very satisfying. I think that's why I love NP.
And this is what keeps me inspired and motivated. I think it's when I see the positive impact, it makes me feel like I want to do more. Like the change is happening. I'm really proud of our CPTs, especially with the women, probably because I'm a woman and seeing other women break through barriers is inspirational.