Building awareness and agency among young women returnees from Iraq
Building awareness and agency among young women returnees from Iraq
Building awareness and
agency
among young women returnees from Iraq
Location
Kyrgyzstan
Focus
Reintegration
IMplemented by
SOS Children’s Villages
Targeted psychosocial and life skills support is helping a young woman repatriated from Iraq
strengthen her understanding of rights, build trust, and plan for a more stable future for herself and
her family.
At nineteen, she returned to Kyrgyzstan with her siblings after several years in Iraq and now lives with her maternal grandmother, her guardian. Divorced and caring for a three‑year‑old daughter, she was married at the age of 15 by family decision and returned with limited independence and little experience of making choices about her own life. Her mother remains in detention in Iraq.
I understood for the first time how often my rights were ignored. I did not know this before”.
— Young Kyrgyz returnee woman from Iraq
On joining the SOS Children’s Villages programme, she showed low self‑confidence, limited awareness of her rights, and reluctance to engage with specialists. She was initially withdrawn during activities and hesitant to participate in discussions.
Over time, she became more open and actively engaged in sessions. She demonstrated improved understanding of her rights and personal boundaries and began thinking about longer‑term goals.
She also expressed a strong commitment to supporting her younger siblings, particularly by helping them remain in education.
I want my sister and brother to continue school and have more opportunities than I had.”
— Young Kyrgyz returnee woman from Iraq