Iraq — Cross Border Monitoring - Migrants Profile (June 2020 – August 2020)

DTM Iraq collects data at border crossing points with neighboring countries – the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) and Turkey – to better understand migration movements in the Middle East. Cross-border monitoring is drawn from IOM’s DTM standard methodology, designed to capture and describe migration flows, and is part of IOM’s DTM Regional Evidence for Migration Analysis and Policy (REMAP) project, funded by the European Union, which aims to capture and describe migration flows in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. Data displayed in this report was collected in June, July and August 2020, employing two approaches: 1) headcount of all travellers entering or leaving Iraq, and 2) survey of randomly sampled travellers.

Border crossing points were selected based on observations conducted in May 2019 by IOM’s Rapid Assessment and Response Teams (RARTs), when five border crossing points were selected for data collection: Ibrahim Al-Khalil, bordering Turkey, Fishkhabour, bordering Syria, and Bashmagh Zurbatiyah (Wassit Terminal) and Al-Shalamcha, bordering Iran. Due to mobility restrictions imposed by Iraqi authorities since March 2020 aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data collection took place at three out of five selected border points in June, July and August 2020. Further details on the selection of respondents, survey methodology, and how the border crossing points were selected are available in the Methodological Overview in the last section of this report.

The report presents an overview of the overall movements of travellers observed at any of three selected border crossing points during June, July and August 2020. It is also focused in more detail on those travellers who are crossing the border for three or more months – they are referred to as migrants and comprise 49 per cent of all recorded travellers. Findings presented in this report relate to sociodemographic characteristics, reasons for travel and mobility history of this category of travellers.