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IRAQI WOMEN SUFFER REGULAR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- UN REPORT
April
29, 2009
BAGHDAD, April
29 (Reuters) - The vast majority of Iraqi women face domestic violence on a
regular basis and many commit suicide because of it, the United Nations said on
Wednesday.
Iraq and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan should take measures to stop
violence against women, including honour killings and genital mutilation, the
UN mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, said in a regular report on human rights.
"The sensitivity of Iraqi communities to issues concerning women is such
that families are frequently not reporting to the authorities incidents of
violence against women," it said.
To "escape the cycle of violence", many women turned to suicide.
Iraq should "investigate incidents involving gender-based violence, in
particular the so-called 'honour crimes' perpetrated against women, and take
measures to ensure that persons found responsible for committing these crimes
are held accountable and brought to justice", UNAMI said.
UNAMI said it was concerned about threats against women because of the way they
dressed, and it repeated a statement from November that women were threatened
by rape, sex trafficking, forced and early marriages, murder and abduction. The
2003 U.S.-led invasion triggered a ferocious Sunni Islamist insurgency and
sectarian bloodletting between once dominant Sunnis and majority Shi'ites.
Religious extremists filled a vacuum of lawlessness, imposing conservative
policies that were particularly intolerant of women's rights.
The violence has fallen sharply and, as extremists retreated, their influence
waned.
PLIGHT IN KURDISTAN
The U.N. report, which covered the second half of 2008, said it paid special
attention to the plight of women in Kurdistan, an area where ethnic Kurds, who
are mostly Muslims, have enjoyed virtual independence since the end of the
first Gulf War.
It said 139 cases of gender-based violence were recorded in the second half of
the year in Kurdistan, which comprises three of Iraq's 18 provinces.
"Out of the total number, 77 women were seriously burned, 26 were victims
of murder or attempted murder and 25 were cases of questionable suicide,"
the report said.
A total of 163 women were killed as a result of domestic violence in Kurdistan
in 2009, compared to 166 in 2007.
Honour killings were a significant concern, it said.
The report cited an example of a father who shot and killed his 16- and
22-year-old daughters when he found out one of them was having a relationship.
The father was not arrested.
The report expressed concern about female genital mutilation in Kurdistan,
where many people think it is harmless and required by Islam. Some efforts were
being made to address the problem, including the possibility of a law to make
it illegal.
Still, a survey in the last quarter of 2008 by a German organisation found 98
percent of women in 54 villages in one area had undergone genital mutilation,
the report said. (Reporting by Michael Christie; Editing by Robert Woodward)
______________________________________________________________________
UN
UNAMI Issues its 14th Report on the Human Rights Situation in Iraq
Baghdad - 29 April 2009 - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issued today its 14th report on the human rights situation in the country covering the period from July to December 2008. The report, produced in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, notes that although the period covered was characterised by further improvements in security, the overall human rights situation in Iraq remains a matter of concern.
The report describes a range of human rights abuses and reiterates that security will be sustainable if additional steps are taken in order to strengthen the rule of law and address impunity. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura, while recognizing various efforts by the Ministry of Human Rights, urged the Government of Iraq to take advantage of the improved security, stating: “This is an opportunity for Iraq to advance all aspects of the rule of law and human rights by further introducing legal reforms, strengthening the judiciary, improving the conditions of detention and enabling access to justice”.
The report also acknowledges important institutional and legal developments that took place during the reporting period. It commends the Iraqi Government for the adoption of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT); the inclusion of provisions for minority representation in the electoral law; and the adoption of the law on the Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), which is expected to significantly contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights in Iraq. In the Northern Region of Kurdistan, two significant initiatives were taken: the establishment of three committees to deal with violence against women, and the adoption of a new media law.
However, the report says the situation in prisons and detention centres still remains an issue of concern and it recommends reviewing the legal framework in order to make the essential move away from a confession-based system to an evidence-based one. UNAMI stands ready to help in this process.
The report shows that gender-based violence remains one of the key unaddressed problems throughout Iraq. Numerous murders of women under the guise of so-called “honour killings” are still being recorded as suicides, the report shows, while in the Northern Region of Kurdistan the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a tolerated practice.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, whose staff helped
compile the report, said “the situation of Iraqi women is extremely difficult.
Violent actions are taken against them on a daily basis and I urge the
authorities to make it a priority to both improve legislation, and law
enforcement in order to protect them properly.”
UNAMI, together with Iraqi stakeholders, continues to provide advocacy work
aiming at the eradication of such obsolete practices and perceptions. UNAMI
also reminds all authorities in Iraq of their obligation to ensure full respect
for international humanitarian and human rights law when engaged in security
operations.
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