VZCZCXRO6836
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAM #0806/01 0911325
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011325Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4787
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

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 
 
AMMAN 00000806  002 OF 002 
 
 
channeled into increasingly risky coping mechanisms. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
Beecroft