The Struggle for Women’s Legal Rights in Iraq

This is the English and Arabic recording of Panel 4 from the 28th September Conflict Research Programme-Iraq Conference 'Iraq on the Eve of Elections: A new era or return to the status quo?'. Unfortunately due to technical issues we are unable to upload the English interpretation of Marwa Abdul Ridha's presentation and answers. We are very sorry for this inconvenience. Despite the decades long struggle of Iraqi feminists, women in the country continue to face structural violence and have their rights consistently denied. In March 2021 the Iraqi government passed the Yazidi Survivors Law, putting in place a reparations framework for women and girls from minority communities who were subjected to violence at the hands of Daesh. While this has largely been heralded as a positive development, the law contains key omissions including failing to account for the rights of children born out of sexual violence and their mothers. In addition, despite a surge in cases of domestic violence in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, political parties have continued to block the passing of an Anti- Domestic Violence Law in Federal Iraq. In Kurdistan, where a similar law was passed in 2011, the government has failed to allocate the resources necessary for its proper implementation. In this panel, speakers will discuss the current state of women’s legal rights in Iraq, including key considerations for the implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law and the need to enact a domestic violence law in Federal Iraq. Chair: • Zahra Ali – Rutgers University Speakers: • Marwa Abdul Ridha – Independent Researcher • Zeynep Kaya – Sheffield University • Güley Bor – Independent Researcher