Iraqi Women Fight for Their Rights
Iraq may transfer marriage and inheritance laws to religious authorities, threatening women's rights.
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Welcome to IWPR’s Frontline Update, your go-to source to hear from journalists and local voices at the front lines of conflict.
THE BIG PICTURE
The Iraqi parliament is preparing to vote on a law to empower religious authorities, rather than the state, to rule on issues relating to marriage and inheritance.
Human rights defenders warn that this could mean a major setback for women’s rights in the country, legalising marriage for girls as young as nine, and having huge impact on divorce, property and child custody.
VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE
“Shia religious groups that dominate the political system in Iraq have been pushing to erode women’s rights in the country for more than a decade,”
wrote Zainab Al Mashat and Omar Al Jaffal, journalists for IWPR partner Jummar, in an article recently published by the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
“This is a catastrophe for women. This law legalises child rape.” women’s rights activist Raya Faiq told them.
Jummar, an independent Iraqi media platform, has been highlighting the dangers the new law poses not only to women but to Iraqi society as a whole.
“With the idea of citizenship itself being torn apart, the era of women’s enslavement will officially begin, and by enslaving them, it will be easier to enslave society as a whole and eliminate its diversity,” warned academic Balsam Mustafa.
WHY IT MATTERS
Iraqi women have fought hard for their rights, defying traditions that still restrict their choices and personal freedoms. Despite significant gains, growing conservatism fuelled by disinformation campaigns imperil many of these achievements.
“The anti-rights narratives are being weaponised to wrongfully portray women’s empowerment as a threat to society and its values and norms in order to justify their social exclusion,” noted Nadia Samet-Warren, IWPR Middle East and North Africa country director.
THE BOTTOM LINE
IWPR has been working in Iraq since 2003, supporting media and civil society. Ammar Al Shahbander, IWPR’s late Iraq chief-of-mission, killed in a 2015 car bombing in central Baghdad, pioneered gender programming, including a women’s radio show, a woman-led advertising agency and efforts to document abuse of Yezidi woman.
Other work has included supporting Iraqi women’s rights groups and activists from ethnic and religious minorities to advocate for inclusion in civic and political processes, and empowering women and youth to strengthen cohesion and resilience, combatting extremist disinformation and supporting reconciliation.
Strengthening independent media and civil society – and building links between them –is critical to a democratic society, especially in areas of conflict and transition. Amid progress and setbacks, IWPR will continue to support the voices of women and men of Iraq in this struggle.
