Legal assistance helps Syrian refugee get key documents and lifesaving treatment in Iraq

Abeer, 38, and her husband Muneer fled their hometown in Aleppo, Syria, in 2021. They rented a small home in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I), and slowly began to rebuild their lives. They were overjoyed to welcome their first child – a boy, Joud – soon after. A year later, they felt blessed at the news of welcoming a second child.

But, during the first weeks of her pregnancy, Abeer felt constantly unwell. Unable to bear the pain, the worried family visited a public hospital. That is when she was diagnosed with cancer. “I never thought it would be something serious like this. When the doctors told me… I almost fainted. My world collapsed.”

Abeer needed immediate and intensive treatments. Due to the criticality of her condition, out of solidarity, the Iraqi Kurdish doctor agreed to give her the first chemotherapy treatment. While the treatment began working on the malign cells, she unfortunately suffered a miscarriage. Any subsequent treatment to give her a change to survive, would require her to present identity documents. 

“Even with the severity of my condition, without a proof of identity the doctor could only give me one or two treatments... they asked for a UNHCR certificate, but I didn’t have that either,” Abeer recalled of the information she received at the hospital. “If I didn’t get my documents, they would have had to stop my treatment completely.”

Without documents, refugees cannot prove who they are. They cannot access healthcare in public hospitals, register their children in school, apply for social security benefits or even move around safely, for fear of being arrested at security checkpoints and deported.

UNHCR in Iraq registers asylum-seekers free of charge. In 2023, Abeer was one of over 31,000 refugees who were registered by UNHCR and obtained asylum certificates. With these, refugees can receive Humanitarian Residency Permits from the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Having valid IDs enable refugees to prove their identity, access public services on par with Iraqis, and secure employment. It also protects them against arbitrary arrest, detention and forcible returns. 

“All my worry is gone thanks to having the Humanitarian Residency Permit… at least now I don’t have to worry about the price or availability of my treatment,” sighed Abeer with relief.

While registration services are available, and most refugees in the KR-I have obtained their UNHCR certificates and Humanitarian Residency Permits from authorities, others have not been able to readily receive information on the administrative procedures to receive their documents.

Thanks to the generous funding of Japan, 4,500 refugees and asylum-seekers benefitted from free legal assistance including counselling and representation from UNHCR and its partners, out of a total of 13,800 who were supported with donors’ contributions. Support from Japan and donors also enabled a total of 7,700 refugees and asylum-seekers to receive information on their rights and the procedure for applying for residency through legal awareness sessions.

"It was a rollercoaster for me to navigate between my condition, my family and the treatment I might not have access to. It was a very challenging time in my life,” said Abeer. “When they called us and told us that I would be able to get treated, I was relieved."

Iraq hosts about 300,000 refugees – mostly Kurdish Syrians residing in the KR-I – for whom return prospects remain limited due to the ongoing insecurity and human rights and humanitarian law violations and abuse. Refugees continue to enjoy a generally favourable protection environment and access to public services, particularly in the KR-I. However, access to territory and asylum remains restricted despite UNHCR’s advocacy to lift existing restrictions.