This report is based on quantitative, qualitative, and participatory research conducted from March to June 2023 with Jeddah-1 residents and Centre staff, former Jeddah-1 rehabilitation centre residents, community members and community leaders in Mosul and Qa’im. Two additional participatory research pilot trainings with young Iraqis who are perceived as ISIL affiliated were also conducted during this time and feed into this report and provide the visuals that accompany it. This research builds on several related studies MEAC ran in 2022 that examined the reintegration of internally displaced Iraqis who were perceived as ISIL affiliated (done with the support and partnership of IOM Iraq, UNDP Iraq, and the Swiss FDFA). The report presents data about the return and reintegration experiences of Iraqis who are returning to their country after years in Al Hol. These surveys and interviews are conducted at different points in returnees’ journeys.
In addition, surveys and qualitative research were conducted in communities receiving a large number of returnees from Syria – Mosul and Qa’im – to better understand community receptivity to return. The analysis herein of these unique data sources will be useful to UN and NGO partners working in the region to bolster their early recovery programming, as well as efforts to support reintegration, community reconciliation, and broader peacebuilding efforts. The report ends with an examination of key policy and programmatic implications of these findings.
Citation: Schadi Semnani, Siobhan O’Neil, Mélisande Genat, and Yousif Khoshnaw, "Return and Reintegration Prospects for Iraqis Coming Back From Al Hol,” Findings Report 32, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2023, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/23/06