1 4 | PA PE R L E S S PE O PL E O F P O S T- C O N F L I C T I R A Q In Iraq, both the father and mother’s IDs are required to register a birth. Failure to provide these, along with a state-issued marriage certificate, causes significant barriers to birth registration.xx In most cases, a hospital will refuse to register a birth if both the mother and father’s IDs are not present, or – if the father is deceased — a formal death certificate is not available. If a certain number of days passed without obtaining the birth certificate, the parents would have to try and solve the issue by applying to the Personal Status Court. HOUSING, LAND, PROPERTY AND RESIDENCY RIGHTS Paperless people have limited options to secure a home free from the fear of eviction. It is significantly more difficult for them to get formal rental agreements, own property, take a property case to court, or be compensated by the government for property that was damaged during the conflict. Respondents who were missing civil IDs were less likely to own the properties they were residing in, or to have contracts for property they were renting, placing them at increased risk of eviction. About 80% of respondents missing documentation reported not having a rental contract at all, compared to 65% of respondents with civil documentation. Almost unanimously, the local tribal official, known as the mukhtar, was cited as a significant interlocutor across governorates in relation to housing, land and property rights. In Mosul city, in particular, residents said that a mukhtar would not agree to a rental or validate a contract without valid civil ID. Different types of documents were reported to be required to rent a home. In Mosul, Tikrit, and Ramadi, individuals interviewed said that the tenant must first obtain approval from the mukhtar. They must also provide the mukhtar the head of household’s four civil documents, which are then submitted by the mukhtar to the local intelligence office, for a final approval. This was confirmed by members of the Baiji local council and compensation committee who said that the four main civil documents (civil ID, national certificate, housing card, and PDS card), alongside household-level security clearance, as well as approval from the local mukhtar and intelligence office were all required to rent a home with a rental contract in that area.xxi They also reported that without these, the only way people could protect themselves from eviction was to have a verbal contract with the landlord. That said, they noted that such people were still in danger if the local security/ intelligence forces searched the property and without the requisite documents and security clearance they may face not only eviction, but also detention or arrest. All of these documents were also reportedly required to take a housing or property dispute to court.xxii In Mosul, residents reported cases where people had not been allowed to rent properties if the mukhtar had issues with someone’s family member, sometimes due to pre-existing issues of revenge or animosity towards a particular family. If the mukhtar was not familiar with a family who wanted to rent a home, two witnesses would be needed, in addition to the mukhtar’s approval, to attest that the family in question was not affiliated with IS. There is general suspicion of anyone who cannot obtain a mukhtar’s approval for any HLP transaction, including the fact they are assumed to then lack the requisite civil papers. OBSTACLES FOR WOMEN TO CLAIM HOUSING, LAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS Paperless women-headed households face additional obstacles in claiming housing, land or property rights because their names are often not listed on property title deeds. This poses a challenge when a woman’s husband is either missing or deceased, and the woman is unable