Violence Against Women
in Kurdistan
Prepared by
Bakhtyar A. Salih
Civil Development Organization
2011
Examples of VAW in Kurdistan
Domestic violence (can be physical and psychological, and
can be between spouses, or also inflicted upon children)
► Female genital mutilation FGM
► Violence in the place of working
► Honor killings
► Forced marriages
► Early marriages
► Infanticide
► trafficking, rape, physical assault
► Restrictions on movement
► Verbal or physical abuse
► Exploitation, threats
►
►
Suicide (self emulation)
Inputs of main bodies that contribute
in combating VAW
1.
Kurdistan Parliament.
2.
Kurdistan Regional Government.
3.
Civil Society Organizations
Kurdistan Parliament
►
The law of "prohibiting miss using of
communications means in Kurdistan region”.
Issued on May 19,2008 and approved by regional
presidency on May 20,2008.
Aim : Decreasing one of the reasons which in some cases
lead to honor killing by identifying punishment for
whom misuse it.
“
with appear of mobile and internet many women killed because either taped by mobile
when they do sex, or their conversation recorded, or their chat in internet recorded
and then distributed among community. The law put punishment for who will do that
and in a case it caused killing the punishment will be more.
For more information you can return to the text of the law
Inputs
Kurdistan Parliament
3.
Combating Domestic Violence Law:
►
On 2011 a specific law for combating domestic violence
issued by the parliament after long discussion and
debates in the community.
Inputs
Kurdistan Regional Government
1.
Established Directorates of following up violence against
Women in 2007:
There is a Directorate in each province. They are belonging to
the ministry of Interior. Their main aims are:
►
Providing statistical analysis on VAW.
►
Cases follow up. the cases that related to VAW during the
investigation or trail.
►
Follow up those that accused of Honor killing or other types
of VAW and run away.
First directorate established in Suly on 2007 and in 2008 the other
directorate established in Erbil and Dahouk
.
Inputs
Kurdistan Regional Government
2.
Police Investigation Committee for follow up VAW in the
police stations:
Those committees exists in the police stations, the main
aim of those committees is give more attention for those
cases that related with VAW especially honor killing.
3.
Prosecutor:
activate the role of Prosecutors, they has the authority to
complain on behalf the victims.
Inputs
Civil Society Organizations
CSO involved with combating VAW in the following sides:
The 3 Ps :
1.
Prevention.
(awareness raising, advocacy, researches, data collection)
2. Protection.
(Shelters, Legal, Social and Health services)
3. Prosecution.
(Presetting a draft of law to parliament.
Achievements
1.
2.
Kurdish authority recognized this phenomena and work
for combating it.
General attorney has the right to take legal action
against whom involved with honor killing.
3.
Follow up whom accused by honor killing. For example in
Suly province. %92 of whom accused during 2008
arrested and their cases submitted to the court.
Some statistics about VAW in Kurdistan
Type
2009
2010
Honor killing
5
57
5
74
Rape
6
8
Biting
381
417
2
460
485
13
self
immolation
Threat
Take children
by force by
the husband
after divorce
►
►
Total case recorded on 2009: 1183
Total cases recorded on 2010: 1617
The statistics come from the government and they are not the real number of violence
because many cases not reported and not went to the police because of the tradition
that make the voice of survivors inside home
Quick Analyzing
Why VAW is increasing with all the efforts that mentioned?
1. lack of clear vision about the three W (Who is doing what
and where)
The different foundations and institutions that work for
decreasing VAW haven't any clear strategy, even in some
cases those foundations are in conflict with each others.
2. Absence of especial budget for combating VAW.
The law which a cording it the budget of 2010 will distribute,
didn’t contain any item for combating VAW. The budget of
judicial authorities is a lowest budget among the
authorities.
Quick Analyzing
3.
4.
Till now the law system couldn’t benefit from the international
conventions and its obligation on the state such as CEDAW which
Iraq ratify it.
Most of the procedures that implement for combating VAW focus on
the city centers while the high rate of VAW happening in the country
side.
5.
Till now the focus is on domestic violence. The violence which take
place in the Gov directorates neglected.
6.
Media effected on VAW on both side, positive and negative. Positive
by publishing report about it and trying to build a public opinion
against it and negative by publishing untrue reports about the cases
or the number of honor killing.
Thanks