Iraq has been in conflict since April 2003 and, increasingly, is trapped in a spiral of catastrophic violence and turmoil. To everyone’s dismay the planned reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country’s physical infrastructure and economy has not materialised, due in large part to continued country wide insecurity. This has evolved into political instability and a real humanitarian crisis; millions of Iraqis live in terror and despair.

After three years of efforts to stabilise the country and establish democracy, the reality is that in 2006 a total of 16,521 civilians were killed. This figure is according to government sources, although UN agencies put the figures even higher at some 35,000 people. This statistical data per se may not capture one's attention unless one attempts to put a face on each of the deceased as well as the widows and orphans left behind; people whose lives have gone from bad to worse.