Baghdad, Iraq – Amid the ongoing military operations by Iraq Security Forces (ISF) to retake Fallujah city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that began on 22 May, more than 260 families have been internally displaced to Ameriyat Al-Fallujah, with a minimum number of 50,000 individuals (8,300 families) expected to be displaced in the coming period. With in-kind support from the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), UNFPA Rapid Response Mechanism was activated to provide dignity kits to internally displaced women and girls fleeing from the fighting.  Since April 2015, 48,500 Dignity Kits have so far been distributed through this rapid response mechanism.

Since the heavy fighting that started on 22 May 2016, around 260 families have been able to leave Fallujah and additional families are expected to arrive during the coming few days due to the heavy shelling, reported in eastern and southern neighbourhoods of Fallujah. Displaced women and children are reportedly being transported by authorities to Ameriyat Al-Fallujah, while men and boys are being transported to Kilo 18 in central Anbar for security screenings. The women and children are being received by local authorities and are being accommodated by relatives in town or by other townspeople. Around 200 families who do not have a local host are sheltering in Al-Iraq camp for internally displaced persons in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah while 228 families are being hosted in in the new camp (AF 17) that was established by the Ministry of Displacement and Migration.

In response, UNFPA has distributed more than 200 dignity kits to women and girls in Al-Iraq Camp. An additional 6,000 dignity kits have been pre-positioned in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah and in Al-Wafaa camp. UNFPA-supported delivery room is also providing a full range of emergency Reproductive Health services including normal delivery, gynecological consultations, and pre/postnatal care checkups.

UNFPA-supported mobile team is also conducting a Gender Based Violence (GBV) assessment for the displaced women and girls in Al-Iraq camp, as well as a GBV safety audit of the site. The mobile teams are also providing psychosocial support services to the women and girls in Al-Iraq Camp. UNFPA-supported Women Center in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah is also upscaling its interventions and services including; Dignity kits distribution, Gender Based Violence prevention and response; awareness raising activities on GBV and reproductive health including recreational activities for women and adolescent girls.

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For more information please contact: Mohamed Megahed, megahed@unfpa.org