Iraq in 2021: violence victims lower than recent, protest-ridden years

Ali al-Bayati said in a social media post that 596 Iraqis had been killed due to all types of violence over the past eleven months. In comparison, the commission recorded in 2020 over 900 fatalities from acts of violence, Bayati explained to Kurdistan 24.

A member of security forces tries to protect himself amid a clash with demonstrators during an anti-government protest in Baghdad, Iraq May 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani)
A member of security forces tries to protect himself amid a clash with demonstrators during an anti-government protest in Baghdad, Iraq May 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The number of victims of violence and missing persons in Iraq saw a decline in 2021, while school dropout rates, child labor cases, allegations of prison torture increased, an Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) official said Saturday.

Ali al-Bayati said in a social media post that 596 Iraqis had been killed due to all types of violence over the past eleven months. In comparison, the commission recorded in 2020 over 900 fatalities from acts of violence, Bayati explained to Kurdistan 24.

Late 2019 and early 2020 were marred by widespread anti-government protests that saw members of the security forces kill at least 600 demonstrators.

In 2021, 175 people died due to the hospital fires in Baghdad and Nasiriyah, the official added. There have also reportedly been 2,152 fatalities in traffic accidents during the same period. The lack of modern roads across Iraq and the increasingly unplanned import of cars is contributing to a significant increase in traffic accidents, Bayati claimed.

The country needs 3.5 million housing units to home in-need families as well as 8,000 schools to adequately address students' needs, he explained, adding the overall dropout rate from learning institutions was 73 percent in 2021.

The official added that there are 5 million orphaned children in Iraq, one million child laborers, and 45,000 children without identification documents, including children with ISIS-affiliated parents.

There have also been 5,000 domestic violence complaints in 2021, Bayati concluded.