Community-level responses to harm: Lessons learned from Iraq

When state military operations cause harm to civilians, there is a moral duty and strategic incentive to make amends to those who were negatively affected. Such actions – known as ‘civilian harm response’ – can take on several forms, including apologies, acknowledgement, ex gratia payments, or other forms of assistance. They can be directed towards harmed individuals or entire communities. The latter practice is gaining traction among states but is underexplored in terms of its effectiveness and desirability from a survivors’ perspective. Drawing on field research in Hawija, Iraq, PAX and Ashor here address that gap. We present key lessons learned and challenges related to community-level responses to civilian harm, concluding that such initiatives can only succeed when planned in close consultation with the affected communities.