2 0 | 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 OVERCROWDED CIVIL DIRECTORATES, OVER-STRETCHED COURTS AND COMPLEX PROCEDURES Overcrowded and over-stretched institutions mean people cannot obtain papers. With civil directorate offices chronically under-resourced, many Iraqis must endure extremely lengthy waits and processing times, requiring multiple visits and extended bureaucratic processes. Severe overcrowding at civil directorate offices was cited by more than half of all respondents surveyed across Anbar, Ninewa, and Salah Al-Din.xxvi The emerged as the second most common barrier to accessing civil documentation. This was most acute in Ninewa and Salah Al-Din, where it was cited by 58% and 47% of respondents respectively. MULTIPLE VISITS TO DIRECTORATE Overcrowding at the various directorates and government institutions was consistently mentioned by individuals across focus group discussions, but particularly in Mosul city. A number of female participants noted they did not feel comfortable going to the directorate without a male relative, due to the large crowds. They also had to try and manage childcare in order to go multiple times to overcrowded offices. A lack of understanding of the process was reported as another barrier by another 14% of respondents, due to the complexity of the procedures. UNABLE TO RETURN HOME, SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS Paperless people who cannot return home, are barred from attempts to obtain their documents. IDPs are often required to return to their areas of origin to replace documentation. For a range of reasons, this is frequently not feasible. This may be either because they cannot afford to, or because they are blocked by the security actor in control of that area, which is often interlinked with security clearance processes. About 10% of those interviewed who were missing and who attempted to obtain their documentation reported being unable to do so because they could not return to their area of origin. UNABLE TO ACCESS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN AREA OF DISPLACEMENT In some cases, inability to return to one’s area of origin was also cited as a reason IDPs were unable to access assistance through the Public Distribution System (PDS). One respondent, a male IDP originally from Baiji, reported not being able to receive any assistance through the PDS in Tikrit. After following up with the Ration Office in Tikrit he learned that while his name was within the main database in Tikrit, his personal information had never been transferred/updated in the sub-PDS office in Baiji. As a result, he will be entitled to assistance only upon return to Baiji. This includes people having to return to their areas of origin to issue or renew key documentation for themselves or for their relatives, or to obtain certifications or letters from the mukhtar in their area of origin for missing or deceased relatives.xxvii As a result, those who are blocked from returning to their areas of origin, or who fear returning due to security concerns, are often not able to fulfil the process to obtain civil documents. In Mosul, in male focus group discussion, several interviewees noted that even with all the correct security clearance documentation, authorities