Children in the Context of War: Deprivation among Internally Displaced, Returnee, Host and Stayee Children in East Mosul

The double burden of material deprivation and the psychological consequences of violent conflict has long-lasting effects on children’s wellbeing. Assessing child needs is therefore crucial to inform policies and move from humanitarian assistance towards reconstruction and development. We provide an analysis of the situation of children in east Mosul, Iraq, using unique data from a rapid humanitarian assessment administered on the ground immediately following the city’s liberation from ISIL in 2017. We develop a counting measure of multidimensional deprivation using nine dimensions. This measure shows the similarities and dissimilarities in the incidence of each deprivation across children with different displacement statuses: Internally Displaced Person (IDP), IDP returnee, host, and stayee. IDP and returnee children are the two most deprived groups in multiple dimensions, and food security remains a pressing issue for IDP children in particular. We explore with econometric analysis the relationship between deprivation and vulnerability on the one hand and humanitarian aid on the other. While immediate assistance is correlated with fewer deprivations, many deprived children were still missed by assistance. Aid efforts during any humanitarian emergency should consider children’s distinct deprivations in a deliberate and targeted manner rather than treating them simply as members of vulnerable households.