ICC Note
The bill HR 390, that provides assistance to survivors of the ISIS genocide, passed the house on June 6. This bill is very important because the money set aside to help those affected by the conflict in Iraq and Syria was not reaching Christian and Yazidi communities. Christian communities had to rely solely on NGO’s and other international organizations for help, however these private organizations didn’t have enough funds. Once this bill is signed into law, the money will go through churches on the ground to help displaced Christian communities to address the food shortage and other needs.
06/08/2017 Iraq (Catholic News Agency) – After a myriad of reports of United States humanitarian aid not reaching Christian genocide survivors in Iraq, their advocates in the U.S. are hoping that will change very soon.
“There is an emergency here,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chair of the House panel on global human rights, stated at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday regarding emergency relief for Iraq and Syria genocide victims.
“We’re not asking for new money,” he said June 7. “We’re asking to make sure the money that’s in the pot is provided to those who have been left out and left behind for about three years.”
After forces of the Islamic State swept through Syria and Iraq in 2014, the U.S. has sent humanitarian aid for the victims of the caliphate, who were driven from their homes by the hundreds of thousands. Many fled to refugee camps or have been living in temporary shelters, at risk of disease and malnutrition or starvation.
However, many Christians reportedly avoided refugee camps because of the security situation, and U.S. aid that was sent to the central government of Iraq or local governments has not reached Christians. There has been an “appalling lack of equitable distribution of U.S. humanitarian assistance when it came to the Christians and the Yazidis,” Smith said.
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