IDPs who change location of displacement but do not return to their district of origin move to find jobs and secure livelihoods, supported by their family networks. They may visit their original homes, but the vast majority have not tried to live in them again. Some are “in process” returnees, meaning they have returned to areas very close to their original homes. They have also witnessed a higher level of damage to their housing, land and property than returnees; they may want to return home but cannot do so because their homes are too badly damaged.
The Access to Durable Solutions Among IDPs in Iraq: Moving in Displacement report offers key insights into the particular challenges faced by IDP “movers”.
IOM Iraq, in partnership with Georgetown University, has been implementing a Longitudinal Study on Durable Solutions for IDPs in Iraq since December 2015. The study has followed 4,000 displaced families living outside of camps who were displaced to Basra, Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk; this report is part of the study.