MAYBE THEY'RE HUNGRY?

One in five Iraqis 'live in poverty'
From correspondents in Baghdad
January 25, 2006


THE number of Iraqis living below the poverty line has increased since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to one-fifth of the population, according to figures released today.

"A study conducted by the (Labour) ministry in coordination with the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Development Program shows that 20 per cent of the population is affected by poverty," Leila Kazem, director general of the department of social affairs at the Labour Ministry said.

"Some two million Iraqi families live under the poverty line, as defined by international criteria, which is fixed at one dollar per day per person."

The decline in living standards is caused by "the rise in unemployment, violence, and the decline in public sector and civil service jobs," she said.

"The number of people receiving social assistance by our minister is dwarfed by the large number of people in need," she said, adding that "actually, only 171,000 families across the entire country receive social assistance," compared to the two million needing it.