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It is estimated that about 45,000 children who were born during the leadership of the militant group, the Islamic State (IS), have been expelled from Iraqi society, as the authorities have not provided them with identification documents, said the international charity group, the Norwegian Refugee Council.
"The children without documents, most of whom are now in camps, as IS militants lost their territory in Iraq, pose a dangerous problem if they are not addressed," said th Secretary of the Council Jan Egeland."Allowing these children to have education, health insurance, and the right to exist is the key to securing a sustainable future for them and the state," said Egeland.
In a report titled "Barriers from the East," this group said the Iraqi government considers their birth certificates invalid as they were issued by IS members. Most children were born during the period 2013-2017, when the extremist group controlled almost one-third of Iraq. The rest have lost their documents as they were fleeing the conflict. This report cited a health official who said that without any valid certificate, the children could not be vaccinated, which has spurred the fear of spreading the disease. In addition, they will not have access to schooling, and when they grow up, they marriages may not be anowledged, their ownership or even their employment.
"The children are not responsible for the crimes committed by their relatives, and despite this they are being denied the basic rights as Iraqi citizens," said Egeland.