This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
Published on November 12, 2019, protests in Iraq have been ongoing for nearly three weeks, with demonstrators calling for a wholesale overhaul of the political system.
As security forces attempt to crack down on rallies, protesters have adapted by holding sit-ins across the capital and in the Shiite-majority south.
One of the driving forces behind the protests is the lack of jobs for school-leavers, with youth unemployment standing at 25% in a population of nearly 40 million, according to the World Bank.
Protesters claim that government and state sector jobs are handed out based on bribes or nepotism, not merit.
As a result, schools have been shut down in several cities across southern Iraq, including Kut, Hilla, Nasiriyah, and Diwaniyah, in an attempt to revive the protests.
Teenage boys have also skipped class to face off against security forces in commercial districts around Tahrir (Liberation) Square in the capital.
Despite security forces erecting concrete blast walls to seal off the square, protesters have managed to breach them on occasion, with dozens continuing to occupy the area and nearby buildings.
"Our country is dearer to me than my only child," read one slogan daubed on the street, highlighting the passion and dedication of the protesters.
