WADI Pressespiegel - UN: Violence Against Iraqi Women Largely Ignored

UN: Violence Against Iraqi Women Largely Ignored

By Laura Zuber

GENEVA, Switzerland – November 25 marked the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Organizations around the world use the UN day to comment on the situation facing women where they are based. On November 25, UN's Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Yakin Erturk, commented the conditions of Iraqi women living in Iraq and as refugees in neighboring countries.

According to Erturk, “The ongoing conflict, high levels of insecurity, widespread impunity, collapsing economic conditions and rising social conservatism are impacting directly on the daily lives of Iraqi women and placing them under increased vulnerability to all forms of violence within and outside their home.” She continued, “Violence against Iraqi women is committed by numerous actors, such as militia groups, insurgents, Islamic extremists, law enforcement personnel, members of the family as well as the community.”

Iraqi women re victims of rape, sex trafficking, forced and early marriages, murder, and abduction for sectarian or criminal reasons; many are driven or forced into prostitution. In addition, women often fall victim to disproportionate use of force by US forces as well as Iraqi police and security forces.

Most crimes against women "are not reported because of stigma, fear of retaliation, or lack of confidence in the police," MADRE, an international women's rights group, wrote in its 2007 report about violence against women in Iraq. A 2005 report published by the Iraqi National Association for Human Rights found that women held in Interior Ministry detention centers endure "systematic rape by the investigators."

A few national and international organizations work to help rape victims in Iraq. However, militias have targeted women’s rights advocates, forcing their workers underground – making it more difficult to offer services to victims.

In addition, the lack of security in Iraq complicates national and international efforts to document the occurrences of sexual assault. Marianne Molliman, who leads women's rights advocacy for Human Rights Watch, lamented that the security situation has prevented the organization from getting people on the ground to look at the issue for a long time. HRW published its last report about rape in Iraq in 2003.

Ms. Erturk also expressed concern over violence threatening Iraqi women from their own family, such as “honor killings.” According to Erturk, the number of honor killings is increasing and they are largely committed with impunity. When perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted, the punishments are quite lenient under the Iraqi Penal Code. Women who are sexually assaulted will often not report their attack for fear of then being ostracized or even killed by their family.

In the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, where honor killings are among the primary causes of unnatural deaths among women, there are also frequent reports of female genital mutilation. According to Kurdish Health Minister Zarian Abdel Rahman, 60 percent of girls (aged four to fourteen) undergo circumcision.

A survey of 201 Kurdish villages, conducted by the German NGO, Wadi, found that 3,502 out of 5,628 women and girls had been mutilated.

Ms. Erturk concluded by urging “Iraqi government and the international community to prevent women and girls from being the 'soft targets' of violence and the invisible victims of the conflict in Iraq.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – UN Urges End to Abuses of Women – 25 November 2008

Middle East Online - UN Expert: Iraqi Women Subjected to Violence – 25 November 2008

ReliefWeb – Violence Against Iraqi Women Continues Unabated – 25 November 2008

Christian Science Monitor – Rape’s Vast Toll in Iraq War Remains Largely Ignored – 24 November 2008

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	25 November 2008 \| Impunity Watch \| Laura Zuber UN: Violence Against Iraqi Women Largely Ignored By Laura Zuber GENEVA, Switzerland – November 25 marked the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Organizations around the world use the UN day to comment on the situation facing women where they are based. On November 25, UN's Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Yakin Erturk, commented the conditions of Iraqi women living in Iraq and as refugees in neighboring countries. According to Erturk, “The ongoing conflict, high levels of insecurity, widespread impunity, collapsing economic conditions and rising social conservatism are impacting directly on the daily lives of Iraqi women and placing them under increased vulnerability to all forms of violence within and outside their home.” She continued, “Violence against Iraqi women is committed by numerous actors, such as militia groups, insurgents, Islamic extremists, law enforcement personnel, members of the family as well as the community.” Iraqi women re victims of rape, sex trafficking, forced and early marriages, murder, and abduction for sectarian or criminal reasons; many are driven or forced into prostitution. In addition, women often fall victim to disproportionate use of force by US forces as well as Iraqi police and security forces. Most crimes against women "are not reported because of stigma, fear of retaliation, or lack of confidence in the police," MADRE, an international women's rights group, wrote in its 2007 report about violence against women in Iraq. A 2005 report published by the Iraqi National Association for Human Rights found that women held in Interior Ministry detention centers endure "systematic rape by the investigators." A few national and international organizations work to help rape victims in Iraq. However, militias have targeted women’s rights advocates, forcing their workers underground – making it more difficult to offer services to victims. In addition, the lack of security in Iraq complicates national and international efforts to document the occurrences of sexual assault. Marianne Molliman, who leads women's rights advocacy for Human Rights Watch, lamented that the security situation has prevented the organization from getting people on the ground to look at the issue for a long time. HRW published its last report about rape in Iraq in 2003. Ms. Erturk also expressed concern over violence threatening Iraqi women from their own family, such as “honor killings.” According to Erturk, the number of honor killings is increasing and they are largely committed with impunity. When perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted, the punishments are quite lenient under the Iraqi Penal Code. Women who are sexually assaulted will often not report their attack for fear of then being ostracized or even killed by their family. In the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, where honor killings are among the primary causes of unnatural deaths among women, there are also frequent reports of female genital mutilation. According to Kurdish Health Minister Zarian Abdel Rahman, 60 percent of girls (aged four to fourteen) undergo circumcision. A survey of 201 Kurdish villages, conducted by the German NGO, Wadi, found that 3,502 out of 5,628 women and girls had been mutilated. Ms. Erturk concluded by urging “Iraqi government and the international community to prevent women and girls from being the 'soft targets' of violence and the invisible victims of the conflict in Iraq.” For more information, please see: BBC – UN Urges End to Abuses of Women – 25 November 2008 Middle East Online - UN Expert: Iraqi Women Subjected to Violence – 25 November 2008 ReliefWeb – Violence Against Iraqi Women Continues Unabated – 25 November 2008 Christian Science Monitor – Rape’s Vast Toll in Iraq War Remains Largely Ignored – 24 November 2008 © Impunity Watch, 25 November 2008 WADI e.V. \| tel.: (+49) 069-57002440 \| fax (+49) 069-57002444 http://www.wadinet.de \| e-mail: