Marginalised people, especially those facing intersecting inequalities, are disproportionately affected by crises such as long-term conflict, forced displacement, and recurring climate shocks. Factors that exclude them more generally can also limit or prevent their access to available social assistance intended to alleviate poverty and deprivation in protracted crises. Provision processes can be undignified, unsafe, ineffective, and inequitable; navigating access to support may increase the risks they face. Poverty stigma, which is associated with the receipt of social assistance, can also amplify the emotional effects of historic and ongoing trauma from crises, and the underlying discrimination marginalised people experience. However, there is insufficient knowledge about compounded impacts on people’s lives that result from the interplay between marginalisation and protracted crises, and what these mean for how they cope and find help in particular contexts. This is particularly the case if the assistance those in need are accessing is not humanitarian assistance, but informal ad hoc support. This research paper contributes to filling this gap by providing:
(1) pertinent evidence on the circumstances and social assistance experiences of marginalised people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI); and (2) globally relevant knowledge on how to address the compounded material, emotional, and relational effects of marginalisation/protracted crises in social protection provision through inclusive participatory processes.
Published paper: Towards inclusive social assistance for marginalised people in the KRI
