Safety, health and daily bread
By Jonathan Frerichs
Action by Churches Together (International) Press Offices Baghdad, April 30, 2003 -- What does Baghdad need right now? Three things, a cross section of Iraqis and foreigners here say.
Number one on almost everyone's list is security. Nightly gunfire and daily incidents and rumors co-exist with an increasingly busy street life. Chaotic traffic intersections are one reminder that no one is in charge. U.S. soldiers who rarely leave their razor wire outposts are another. Most public order here stems from the good behavior of citizens, as it must in any society, but there is no apparent law enforcement to deter bad behavior. The few Iraqi police back on the streets can be seen standing together on corners. They are reportedly still fearful of working alone.
The number two problem depends on who you are. If you are a person of any means - from informal taxi drivers in dilapidated cars to factory owners and professional people - the answer is "salaries," "some income" or "a pay check." Almost no one in Iraq has been paid, it seems, since before the war. The U.S. authorities here are planning a one-time payment of about $20 for every civil servant as a stopgap measure for one month until they can re-establish payroll lists for ministries that were bombed, looted and burned. Those in business for themselves say business is poor.
Put more generally, this category comes down to food. Household rations stockpiled before the war from extra rations are dwindling. There is a humanitarian vacuum two, four or six weeks ahead if those rations run out before wages and salaries begin to flow. The bare minimum requirement is re-starting or replacing the oil-for-food nationwide ration system, a task weighing heavily on U.S. and U.N. minds.
For the most vulnerable people in Iraq, however, and for the aid workers trying to assess their needs, Iraq's number three challenge is chronic disease and its cousin, chronic malnutrition. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of mothers and children are affected. Their needs are dramatic but largely invisible beyond their communities. Their predicament cannot compete for attention with most headlines about Iraq.
"This is serious, but fixable," said a veteran among the small group of aid workers with long experience here. Iraq has seen and survived adversity before, she and others note. "All that is needed is a little clear thinking and authorities - military and civilian - who live up to their responsibilities toward the public," she said.
All three needs are related. Those who can help solve disease and sanitation problems cannot work without security. Those who need daily bread require public safety.
North of Baghdad, these needs are generally less acute. South of Baghdad, they may be more acute, overall. But most communities did not have looting like the cities of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul. While much food and medical aid is urgently needed, the health ministry began operations again this week and prospects for this year's wheat harvest are good.
Further information and photograph:
Colleen Hodge, Christian World Service, Telephones 02 9299 2215/0419 6852 48
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