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Women's Rights in Iraqi Kurdistan: Time
for a Rethink
21.3.2011
By Mona
Naggar |
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March
21, 2011
ERBIL-Hewlęr,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — Upon first glance, much
has improved for women in northern Iraq: almost a
third of parliamentarians in Iraqi Kurdistan are
female. But the number of honour killings and
self-immolations is still high. Mona Naggar reports
from Erbil.
Judging by initial impressions, there is nothing to
suggest that this well-maintained two-storey villa
with garden is any different to neighbouring houses.
It's only the policeman stationed outside the
entrance that makes you wonder. The women's centre
in Erbil, capital of the autonomous region of
Kurdistan, is located in a quiet district. It is
home to 14 women and girls who came to seek refuge
here. Their families suspect them of having
relationships with men – a suspicion that puts their
lives in danger.
Namam Hassan Rasul is Director of the refuge, and
provides some background to the cases: "We sometimes
take in girls for the simple reason that they own a
mobile telephone. The family therefore assumes that
the girl is conducting a relationship with a man. We
protect her and try to talk to her parents. In our
society the man sees himself as the protector and
defender of a woman's honour," she says.
If he kills his sister or daughter, Rasul continues,
it doesn't necessarily mean that he is convinced
that the woman has committed an offence, or by the
custom itself. By killing her, he is fulfilling
society's expectations, because otherwise everyone
would say he is no longer a man, says Rasul.
Shocking statistics
There are no accurate statistics on the victims of
male violence in the autonomous region of Kurdistan.
This is despite the fact that for three years, the
newly established interior ministry authority
responsible for combating violence against women has
been registering all cases reported to police.
But the data is unreliable. Official statistics for
the year 2009 report 87 women killed in northern
Iraq. Honour killings are not mentioned separately.
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Every reason to protest: The legal status of women
in Iraqi Kurdistan still leaves much to be desired,
despite numerous new laws and reform initiatives.
The voices of women demanding their rights in Iraqi
Kurdistan are growing ever louder. But this
progressive approach still clashes with deep-seated
tribalism in the region, writes Mona Naggar.
Pictured: women protesting in front of Kurdistan's
parliament in Erbil. |
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Another shocking figure
is the number of self-immolations, with more than
400 cases recorded in 2009. Women's rights
campaigners are however assuming that the number of
murders and self-immolations are in fact much
greater, as the deaths often occur in the home
environment and are not reported to police.
More and more interest has been shown in the issue
of violence against women by politics and civil
society in recent years. More than 50 organisations
are actively campaigning for recognition of women's
rights in various regions of northern Iraq. They run
women's shelters,www.ekurd.netconduct
information campaigns, offer psychological support
and legal advice, call for the abolition of
discriminatory laws and the drawing up of new laws
to protect women.
Only "cosmetic reforms"
Kurdish women have indeed seen real change. The
parliament for the autonomous region of Kurdistan
has banned forced marriage and the marriage of
minors. Polygamy has been restricted. The sentence
for a man convicted of honour killing cannot be
reduced. And there is a parliamentary quota for
women, with 30% of seats in the regional assembly
are reserved for female MPs.
In spite of all this, there is a sense of
disillusionment among many of the social activists.
Khanim Rahim Latif has been running "ASUDA" in the
city of Sulaimaniyah for more than 10 years. This
NGO was one of the first organisations in northern
Iraq to devote itself to tackling the problem of
violence against women. But Latif now has grave
doubts over politicians' commitment to reform:
"There's no political participation of women within
the parties themselves. The changes we've seen so
far are good, but to me they increasingly seem like
'make-up'. We've changed around 28 laws. Sometimes
they are applied, and sometimes not," she says.
According to Latif, the region urgently needs to
find political, social and economic stability –
something it does not have at present. In the event
of a woman being murdered, often the matter can be
resolved with money. "When the parties campaign for
votes in elections, they don't pay much attention to
whether laws are being applied or not," she adds.
Rejection of tribalism
Iraqi Kurdistan has had a chequered history informed
by violence. For many years, the region suffered
repression at the hands of Saddam Hussein's Baathist
regime. For many years, it fought for autonomy. It
wasn't until 1992, after the second Gulf War, that
regional elections took place and the Kurdish
Autonomous Region was declared.
But the economic embargo imposed by the central
government in Baghdad and internal conflict between
the two major Kurdish parties the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
impeded any steady development. It was 2005 before
the administrative division of the region between
the two parties could be lifted.
Within a short timeframe, Kurdish society in
northern Iraq experienced a fundamental
transformation. The threat of war was removed,
contact with the outside world became an everyday
reality and the economy began to grow. But social
structures have not been able to keep pace with
these developments. Nigar Bakr Rasul at the women's
centre "Nawa" in Erbil describes her society as
deeply marked by tribal traditions, although one
element of that society is now trying to break free:
"In my view social problems have increased. Women
are demanding their rights, their freedom. They are
changing, they leave the house to go to work, they
want to meet people," she says. Such behaviour
however is out of the question for many men with
traditional views. One indication of this social
disharmony is also the rise in the number of
divorces, she adds.
The male mindset must
change
In a detailed report, Kurdish and English
researchers took a close look at the measures
introduced to date to promote the rights of women in
Kurdish society. The report on the subject of honour
killings in Kurdistan and among the Kurdish diaspora
in Britain was published in November 2010. The
researchers describe the initiatives introduced thus
far in the Kurdish Autonomous Region as "a step in
the right direction". But they also call for a more
robust political willingness to implement reforms.
The report says schoolbooks that continue to
perpetuate traditional gender roles must be revised.
In addition, programmes promoting the appreciation
of human rights and gender equality should be firmly
embedded in all state institutions and various civil
society groupings.
Summing up how she perceives this future strategy,
Namam Hassan Rasul, director of the women's centre
in Erbil says: "I think we have up to now got the
emphasis wrong. We must campaign for women's rights
but at the same time, work to change the mindset of
men."
Translated from the German by Nina Coon
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de
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author or news agency,
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