EXCLUDED FROM
to obtain a state-issued death certificate, or in
any way proof her inheritance, compensation or
ownership rights – although they are enshrined
in Iraqi and Shari’ah law. For example, one woman
in Salah Al-Din mentioned that she was unable
to open a case file for her property without her
husband’s signature or fingerprint.xxiii In the case
of a missing or deceased husband, a death
certificate is required to engage in almost
all housing, land, and property rights-related
transactions at the directorates.
WOMEN UNABLE TO CLAIM FAMILY
PROPERTY
In NRC research on women’s housing,
land and property rights, a group of male
IDPs from Mosul, Tel Keif and Tal Usquf
in Ninewa expressed confidence that
their property rights would be respected
when they returned. However, when asked
whether a woman could also regain
access to family property if her husband
is no longer around, they all said no,
citing a range of reasons. They said that
women would not be able to follow the
government processes and procedures
to secure the property, including through
inheritance, without the required property
documentation and civil papers. They said
that she did not have the ability, saying
“it’s hard to manage properties, and to
think about things like rent or selling. It is
better for her to give property to her male
relatives to manage.” xxiv
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (PDS)
AND SOCIAL SAFETY NET
People without papers are not able to benefit
from the significant investment into Iraq’s
social system. Administered by the Ministry of
Trade, Iraq’s Public Distribution System (PDS) is
PUBLIC SERVICES AND INSTITUTIONS | 15
the world’s largest universal, non-contributory
social transfer programme. Every Iraqi earning
less than 1 million IQD on a monthly basis who
is not a government employee is entitled to
receiving a monthly food distribution through
the PDS, which includes flour, rice, sugar, beans
and cooking oil. A household PDS card from
the area of origin of the head of household is
needed in order to access this public service.
In order to obtain a PDS card, a civil ID and
residency card are needed. Updating an
existing PDS also requires a marriage, birth or
death certificate, as relevant to the changing
family composition. As the PDS card contains
key personal information, it is also widely used
as an identity document, in addition to its
intended use as a ration card.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY
THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL
AFFAIRS
Social Safety Net: Provided to individuals
without any salary or income, and not
working for a governmental agency.
The main recipients are female headed
households, households with lack of or
no income, and unemployed individuals.
When the case is approved, the family
is granted assistance for one year, after
which, the case is reassessed. The
allowance is provided on a quarterly basis
for a total amount of 270,000 to 315,000
IQD (dependent upon family size) every 3
months for one year.
Unemployment Assistance: Provided to
any individual without a job or income
between 18 and 45 years old. Request for
registration is online, open all year long,
with the possibility of choosing between
a loan of money, a donation of material/
supplies or vocational training.
Disability Allowance: Provided to any