Since the October 31, 2010 attack on the Saidat al-Najat church in Baghdad, IOM’s monitoring teams have continued to assess the most recent Christian displacement in Iraq. This is an update to the January 2011 report and outlines the trends emerging among the displaced Christians. For additional analysis of the displacement of the Christians in Iraq, please refer to the earlier reports, which can be found on pages 2-5.
Updated number of displaced: IOM monitors have revised the numbers of Christian families displaced as a result of the attacks and targeting of Christians in late 2010 and 2011. The data show a noticeable decrease in IDP families across the northern governorates. Many Christian IDPs chose to emigrate or return in 2011 due to growing security fears, a lack of work opportunities, and difficulty with the transfer of education documents.