WAN - Munîra Abwbakir and Şîna Alî, who stated that women's unity is essential against the prevailing patriarchal mentality in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, said, “There is a need for a common voice in solving problems.” 

 

As women continue their preparations for 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are among the countries where male-state violence is most prominent. Despite the increase in the number of women's rights activists and women's organisations in recent years, it is a fact that the rates of violence and massacres against women have increased in the country. The inadequacy of shelters, delays in protection orders, and the attitude of official institutions towards applications as ‘family matters’ make attacks against women even more invisible. 

 

One of the most fundamental problems is the policy of impunity. The perpetrators of femicides receiving low sentences on grounds such as “provocation reduction”, “family honour” or “psychological reasons”, and the closure of harassment and rape cases due to lack of evidence or pressure are among the main issues women's organisations are fighting against. Following the Iraqi Parliament's approval of the “Personal Status Law,” which takes custody of children away from mothers and allows ‘marriages’ from the age of 9, there has been an increase in violence, harassment, rape and rights violations.

 

Munîra Abwbakir from the Women's Organisations Union and activist Şîna Alî shared their assessments with the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) on the occasion of 25 November.

 

SOCIAL PRESSURE AND VIOLENCE

 

Munîra Abwbakir stated that violence against women in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is increasing day by day, saying, "There is a lot of pressure on women in the social, political and cultural spheres. Women in the Kurdistan Region still face social pressure and violence. Women are subjected to various forms of violence, primarily physical, psychological and sexual. There is no awareness in society about combating violence against women. During election periods, women vote under the control of their fathers and brothers. Furthermore, due to these pressures, even women elected to parliament cannot play an effective role within the government. This is because they are forced to act in line with the programmes and plans of their parties. Consequently, they are unable to assert their own roles. In previous years, we saw that there were no projects specific to women in either the regional or Iraqi parliaments."

 

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT

 

Munîra Abwbakir said that elected women in parliament face violence from men. She added: "Women's issues are common across Iraq from a cultural and social perspective. Women's organisations linked to political parties tend to serve the parties more due to patriarchal attitudes. Instead of serving women, they are working to reinforce the patriarchal ideas of the parties. All decisions, both in parliament and in other political spheres, are made by men. This situation prevents the presentation of women-specific projects to parliament. Women are not allowed to bring their projects to parliament, put them to a vote, or achieve success. Women are blocked in these areas. For this reason, women have not been able to bring about change in parliament to date.”

 

Munîra Abwbakir emphasised that women in the region need to develop their leadership roles, stating, "Even if they enter parliament in large numbers, they cannot be effective in terms of creating change and transformation. Education is crucial at this point. Women need to increase their level of participation in state institutions and civil society organisations. Women's work in the political arena also needs to be strengthened. It is essential to empower women in terms of leadership. Similarly, women need to unite. For example, as the Women's Organisations Union, we have many plans and projects for the empowerment, advancement and education of women. We are currently carrying out work in the city of Sulaymaniyah through this institution. Our aim is to spread this work to other cities."

 

'WOMEN'S UNITY IS ESSENTIAL'

 

Women's rights activist Şîna Alî emphasised the importance of women fighting with a common mind. Şîna Alî said: "We live in a patriarchal society. To a large extent, we have not managed to break free from this patriarchal system. This has serious consequences for women. Women need to be made aware in order to overcome the existing mindset. When we say ‘freedom’, we are talking about freedom of thought, freedom of ideas and the freedom to overcome the obstacles in front of us. We need to stay away from party and sectarian ideas in order to overcome the patriarchal system and remove the obstacles in front of us. It is essential that women have a common voice on the solution to their problems.  We need to reduce the influence of parties on society.  We need to overcome this mindset that leads to the belittling of women's work in political parties so that we can create a broader working environment for women. This will also strengthen women's thinking and perspective. Women's education forms the foundation of society. Therefore, it is imperative that women unite." 

 

THE CENTURY OF WOMEN

 

Speaking about the work they carried out on 25 November with the aim of raising awareness among women and society, Şîna Alî continued: “This century is the century of women, the century of women. Women must stand together and speak with one voice to overcome the pressures they face. When women work together and stay away from party and sectarian ideas, they come closer and amplify the struggle. Therefore, we need to overcome all obstacles and strengthen our unity. One of the encouraging developments this year is that Kurdish and Arab women have come together to jointly oppose Iraq's Bill No. 188. This is an important step for future work. Because wherever there is real oppression or injustice, women must speak with one voice and oppose it. We must organise this unity and fight back." 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut