High Leves of Sectarian Violence in Iraq

Introduction

Iraq experienced high levels of sectarian violence between 2003 and 2011, with the violence declining by the end of 2011. The war resulted from the United States’ invasion into Iraq in 2003. The violence was witnessed mainly between the Sunni and Shi’a communities. Iraq is divided into several ethnic groups, which include Shi’a comprising of 45 to 55% of the Iraq population, the Sunni which are 30% percent of the population, Kurdish which is 15% of the population, Assyrian and Turkoma which are 1% and 2% respectively (Tripp, 2002). The Assyrians are mostly Christians and indigenous and are among the most successful groups in Iraq, in terms of prestigious fields of Medicine, Business, Sports, Arts, and the Military (Tripp, 2002). During the United States’ invasion, the Assyrians had gained the hope of regaining their sovereignty. This was, however, not the case, because they became the major targets, which reduced their numbers even more (Tripp, 2002). According to Iraqi’s local organizations, the number of Assyrians believed to flee the country during the United States’ invasion between 2003 and the end of 2010 was around 150,000 (Tripp, 2002). Many of these Assyrian refugees fled to Australia, which is one of the number one countries in receiving asylum seekers and refugees. This case study involves an Assyrian Iraq family of Kazim (42), Sahar (38), and their child Salima (15), who fled from Iraq in 2010. The significance of this case study is to find out the reasons that led the family to flee, seek asylum in Australia, and the challenges they faced while in Australia.

Discussion

Kazim, Sahar, and their daughter Salima fled from Iraq due to various reasons. The first reason was the massive attacks on the Iraq citie...

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...s to resolve issues, for example, insecurity, lack of basic health care, housing problems, and the lack of quality drinking water. If these issues are dealt with, mortality rates caused by cholera outbreaks will be reduced. There should also be enough water resources to avoid further conflicts in Iraq. Furthermore, there should be enacted policies that protect the minority groups, for example, the Assyrian Christians (Murthy & Lakshminarayana, 2006).

Assyrians refugees in other countries should be offered free English courses so that their social life conditions are improved. This will help them to get jobs in their host countries and support their families. It will also aid them in communicating freely with medical practitioners; hence, their channels of accessing medical care from medical doctors and psychologists will be enhanced (Murthy & Lakshminarayana, 2006).