Call on Minister John Baird to increase Canada's commitment to humanitarian assistance
Hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes, since the advancement of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) fighters into northern Iraq.
ISIS has overtaken towns and villages since June, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians, many of them from religious and ethnic minorities, to leave their homes. Others, including more than a million Sunni Muslims living in Mosul and other ISIS-controlled areas, have been unable to flee because of ongoing fighting. Civilians have been killed in air strikes by Iraqi forces.
On July 18, a mass exodus of Christian families from Mosul took place after ISIS gave them an ultimatum to convert, pay a tax, leave or be killed. Others, including members of the Shi'a community as well as Sunnis living in the north, had fled their homes in previous weeks fearing possible attacks from ISIS or the Iraqi security forces.
The combination of displaced civilians and those trapped in the middle of fighting has created a dire humanitarian emergency. People are in need of housing, food, water, sanitation, and medical supplies. Some civilians have not received humanitarian aid. Others have reported that what is reaching them is insufficient.
Please urge Minister John Baird to increase Canada's commitment to humanitarian assistance for vulnerable civilians in Iraq.
Dear Minister Baird,
Along with Amnesty International, I welcome the government of Canada's contribution of C$5 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq. But much more is needed. We call on you to:
-- Increase Canada's commitment to providing protection and humanitarian assistance, including shelter, food, water, sanitation and essential medical assistance, to those displaced by the conflict; and
-- Encourage your counterparts in the Iraqi central government, the Kurdish Regional Government and all states that have launched or are contemplating military action in the region to ensure their actions are consistent with international humanitarian law and human rights law, which includes taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury or death.
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Yours Sincerely,
[Your name here]
