There are social problems too. Being a refugee puts incredible strain upon the family unit – fathers who cannot find work, mothers too traumatized by what they have seen to care for their families, children missing out on an education as they look after relatives and younger siblings. The stress of the situation is too much for many, and family breakdown is common.

Now Christian families in the North face the threat of growing instability in the region. The UN warned last week that tensions over the fate of the Kurdish areas in the North, particularly the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, were threatening to drag a number of neighboring countries into open dispute with Iraq’s government and its Kurdish population. The US has also threatened to take action over what it sees as Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. For Christians who have fled from violence elsewhere in the country, such developments would bring unbridled horror.

External flight?
“Given the level of threats they have faced within Iraq, many Christians have decided that the only route to safety lies in leaving the country,” the report continued. “Syria and Jordan are favored destinations, with Iraqi Christians making up more than half the Iraqi refugees living within Syria. However, those aiming to leave Iraq are now facing severe problems getting across the borders into neighboring countries. Jordan and Syria say they are full and can no longer cope with the flood of refugees knocking on their doors.

“One factor drawing many to neighboring countries is the availability of medical facilities and supplies. However, these come at a cost. Many families have spent a large proportion of their savings getting ill members of the family across the borders for treatment or an operation. Once there, savings quickly vanish as rising prices take hold, leaving families in situations of dire need.

“Increasingly it is refugee women who are left homeless and destitute, as breadwinners have been killed either before or during flight. Many live with friends. Mrs. Lyth Awisha*, a widow from Mosul, lives in a cramped one-room apartment with friends in Syria because she cannot afford to live anywhere else. Not far away Mrs. Zena Shamoun* struggles to feed the six members of her family. Both lost their husbands to the insurgency inside Iraq.

Additional protection
The plight of the Christian refugees is particularly acute because they may never get to return to their homeland. The UN has acknowledged that the militia operating within Iraq are using acts of terror to force ethnic and religious groups out of the country.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, holds that the governments of the West should be doing more to protect the Christian minority. “Iraqi Christians need a robust programme to protect their rights and existence," he comments. “Such a programme would need three elements. Initially, this would be through the provision of a secure ‘safe haven’ in northern Iraq; secondly, by granting additional aid for the Iraqi Christian refugees both in Iraq and surrounding countries; and thirdly, by granting asylum in coalition countries where necessary.”

* All names have been changed for the safety of the people involved.