JORDAN--SURVEY SHOWS IRAQI REFUGEE WEALTH MORE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000806

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/ANE AND NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM EAID JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN--SURVEY SHOWS IRAQI REFUGEE WEALTH MORE
MYTH THAN REALITY


1. (SBU) Summary: A draft UNICEF/Save The Children study
due for 2009 release will challenge the myth of the affluent
Iraqi refugee. The notion that Iraqis in Jordan are well off
and so do not deserve assistance persists despite growing
evidence that Iraqis are in worsening economic and social
circumstances. The myth began in the Jordanian press, where
journalists blamed the rising cost of living in Jordan on the
arrival of what many presumed to be 750,000 Iraqis. In
truth, since 2003 many Iraqis have arrived in difficult
circumstances. The majority of Iraqis in Jordan will be
dependent on humanitarian assistance for the foreseeable
future. End Summary.

Survey Results on Who Refugees Are


2. (SBU) UNICEF and Save The Children completed a survey of
1,200 Iraqi refugee households in 2008. The survey is
scheduled for release later this year. It gives the first
complete profile of those Iraqis in Jordan who have sought
international assistance. The sample group was carefully
selected to represent a geographic and demographic cross
section of Iraqi residents in Jordan. Over 76 percent of
Iraqis surveyed lived in Greater Amman. The average
household had 4.5 members. Households with children under 18
years made up 52 percent of those surveyed. Eighty-nine
percent had at least one family member who was completing
secondary school in Jordan. Males made up only 47.5 percent
of the working aged (18-59 yrs) population. Twenty percent
of the households were headed by females. Seventy-seven
percent arrived in Jordan after 2003 as a result of the
current conflict in Iraq; the largest proportion arrived in
2006, presumably after the increase in sectarian violence
following the bombing of the Samarra mosque.

Illegal Labor, Working Youth


3. (SBU) All families surveyed showed a high level of
dependency on outside income. Thirty-two percent reported
charity as an income source. Remittances from Iraq made up a
significant income source for 42 percent of those surveyed.
Seventy-seven percent of the households were registered with
UNHCR, and these were the neediest Iraqi families. The mean
income of Iraqis registered with UNHCR was USD 420 per month
(300 JD) compared to USD 1,260 (900 JD) for those not
registered with UNHCR. Overall 53.5 percent reported they
received income from the labor of at least one family member.
Mean expenditures for the Iraqi families were highest in
Amman averaging about USD 1,000 per month (708 JD). Outside
Amman the mean expenditures per family reached USD 650 (465
JD).


4. (SBU) Middle class Iraqis who arrived here since 2003
have seen their personal wealth depleted and their economic
prospects limited by government restrictions on work and
economic opportunities. Income comes at a high cost, as
children leave secondary school to seek illegal employment in
low-paying, illegal jobs for small wages and under constant
threat of exploitation. Wealthy Iraqis, many with
long-standing property and economic ties to Jordan, do not
seek international assistance. Fourteen percent of households
arriving before 2003 live below the Jordanian poverty line of
USD 550 (392 JD) compared to 8 percent of those who arrived
after 2003. This suggests early arrivals have exhausted
their resources in the last five years. Additionally, those
who arrived after 2003 are considered prima facie refugees
under UNHCR guidelines and thus eligible for refugee
assistance.


5. (SBU) At the primary-school level, Iraqi enrollment rates
are high in Jordan, exceeding 90 percent for boys and 88
percent for girls. In secondary schools the enrollment
numbers are much lower, with only 75 percent of school-aged
children enrolled in schools. When asked why children were
not attending secondary school, the surveyed households
refused to respond. The survey showed that families with the
lowest income were almost four times more likely not to send
children to secondary school. It is reasonable to assume
that many, if not all, of the children not in secondary
school are working in Jordan.


6. (SBU) Comment: Surveyed Iraqis are not wealthy, and
those who arrived with significant means have depleted their
funds while in Jordan. Employment, while a valid means to
cope with impoverishment, presents protection challenges for
Jordan and UNHCR, as adolescents enter the workforce without
the protection of legal status. Dissuading parents from
turning to child labor requires adequate humanitarian
assistance. If that assistance does not offset the cost of
living, Iraqis--starting with the most vulnerable--will be

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channeled into increasingly risky coping mechanisms.

Visit Embassy Amman's website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/
Beecroft