Iraq: Nov-Dec ‘08

IWPR trained 14 Iraqi journalists in safety and medical skills in November – one of the first courses of its kind for Iraqi journalists.



The training session took place in the northern city of Erbil, where students from different parts of Iraq gathered to learn a range of skills and techniques necessary for coping with dangers associated with day-to-day assignments.



Students learned how to give first aid, avoid kidnappings and identify shelter when caught in crossfire.



Many international journalists receive risk training before reporting in dangerous areas, but few Iraqis or journalists from war-torn countries have had similar opportunities.



The course, which is part of an IWPR Iraq programme to help journalists address risk, was the first of its kind in Iraq to be taught in local languages, said IWPR country director Hiwa Osman.



Richard Mackenzie, head of security for the IWPR Iraq project, lectured on security-related issues in the sessions. He said the students were very keen to learn how they could better protect themselves, "They had an almost unquenchable thirst for knowledge.”



A report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has called Iraq the most dangerous place for journalists in the world, revealing that 135 had been killed in the country since the US-lead invasion in 2003.



"It is extremely vital that we provide journalists with the basic information that will become absolutely necessary for them when they are faced with dangers," said Osman. "In Iraq, you never know what is waiting for you round the corner, especially as a journalist."



The first aid segment of the course emphasised self-help. "They were briefed on how to overcome their fear and treat themselves prior to seeking further treatment at a hospital," Mackenzie said.



The students were also shown how to evaluate another person’s injuries and administer first aid, “thus increasing the survival chances of injured colleagues", he said.



Participants were also given safety tips, such as the importance of finding out about the security situation before going off on an assignment; and how to check their cars for sticky bombs, small explosive devices stuck onto vehicles with adhesive tape.



"Having seen the possible sources of risk at the course, now I am very vigilant," said Juli Adnan Hassan, a freelance photographer from Sulaimaniyah in northeastern Iraq.



Much of the five-day course dealt with theory, but on the final day the students put some of the lessons they’d learnt into practice.



"Students were taught and shown how to avoid or escape insurgents or criminals intent on taking hostages," Mackenzie said.



"They were also shown some of the weapons used by insurgents and criminals."



Hogar Hasan is an IWPR editor in Erbil.