Women, Peace and Security Resources: Iraq

Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy: Gender-Based Violence and the US War on Iraq
MADRE Report, March 2008
MADRE has released a groundbreaking report on the incidence, causes, and legalization of gender-based violence in Iraq since the US-led invasion. Amidst the chaos and violence of US-occupied Iraq, women—in particular those who are perceived to pose a challenge to the political project of their attackers—have increasingly been targeted because they are women. Today, they are subjected to unprecedented levels of assault in the public sphere, "honor killings," torture in detention, and other forms of gender-based violence. Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy documents the use of gender-based violence by Iraqi Islamists, brought to power by the US overthrow of Iraq's secular Ba'ath regime, and highlights the role of the United States in fomenting the human rights crisis confronting Iraqi women today

Stronger Women, Stronger Nations: 2008 Iraq Report
Women for Women International. March 2008
This report combines grassroots access and experience with international political expertise amplify women’s voices in the ongoing discussions about Iraq’s future. It is the result partnership between Women for Women International and the Brookings Institution.

Iraq, Women's Empowerment, and Public Policy
Sherifa D. Zuhur, December 2006
In this monograph, Dr. Sherifa Zuhur examines some of the difficulties that attend policy formulation on women in the Iraqi context. Iraqi women have identified the security situation and basic services as their top priorities. Beyond these, the issues and contours of family law are explained, as the future of family law in emerging Iraq is as yet undetermined. Along with an increased political presence, legal reforms together with educational and employment opportunities have been the planks of women’s changing status throughout the Middle East. How these are resolved will speak to the success of policy concerning women in Iraq.

International Law Obligates the US to Uphold the Rights of Iraqi Women: An Open Letter to the US Ambassador to Iraq
MADRE, 27 July 2005
Rather than support the women’s movement and other democratic forces in Iraqi society, the United States has chosen to court right-wing extremists who—like religious fundamentalists in the US and around the world—use religion as a means of asserting a reactionary political agenda that begins with the subjugation of women within the family. Indeed, it is no accident that the first battle in the drafting of Iraq’s new constitution is over personal status laws governing family issues of marriage, divorce, and women’s inheritance and property rights.

MADRE Opposes Abolition of Iraqi Women’s Human Rights in Draft Constitution
MADRE, 21 July 2005
MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, opposes renewed attempts to impose Islamic law on the people of Iraq. As reported in the New York Times on July 20, a current draft of Iraq’s new constitution subordinates guarantees of women’s human rights and international law to religious Sharia law and replaces one of the Middle East’s most progressive personal status laws with arbitrary interpretations of religious law.

The Status of Women in Iraq, An Assessment of Iraq's De Jure and De Facto Compliance with International Legal Standards
The Iraq Legal Development Project of the American Bar Association (ABA), 2005
This publication was produced by a team of people, including Kelly Fleck, Sawsan Gharaibeh, Aline Matta and Yasmine Rassem with assistance from many Iraqi legal experts. It provides, in one volume, a great deal of factual information and background that is still desperately needed by those working on issues relating to women In Iraq.

Equal Rights Now
Organisation of Women's Freedom In Iraq, 2 March 2005
Issues 18 & 19 of Equal Rights Now! Newletter

Decades of suffering, Now women deserve better
Amnesty International, 22 February 2005
Iraqi women must have an active role in shaping the future of their country, a new report by Amnesty International said today. Iraqi authorities must take effective measures to protect women and to change discriminatory legislation that encourages violence against them. Women and girls in Iraq live in fear of violence. The current lack of security has forced many women out of public life and constitutes a major obstacle to the advancement of their rights.

Appeal by the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq regarding 8th March 05- International Women's Day
Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, 3 February 2005
Women and women's organizations worldwide are preparing to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8. The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq is also preparing itself inside Iraq and abroad to celebrate IWD. We congratulate women in Iraq and worldwide on this great day and call on women and men in Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan to hold celebrations on this day.

The Recent Election Game will not Improve the Situation for Women
Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, 31 January 2005
The game the US and its allies like to call the "Iraqi election" took place amid terrorist operations which killed more innocent people. The authorities prevented vehicles from using the streets to isolate polling booths. Military helicopters hovered above people's heads and tanks surrounded them. It was an atmosphere of war!

Do Women Face Human Rights Problems in These Elections?
Human Rights Watch, 23 January 2005
This Question and Answer highlights the serious human rights concerns around the elections, ranging from problems with voter registration to attacks on election officials to the security of voters. It also presents important facts about the process—how the elections are organized, who is organizing them and what purpose they are meant to serve.

The Pursuit of Gender Equality in Post-War Iraq
Women for Women International, January 2005
Iraq's post-war reconstruction period occupies a brief moment in time, but holds long-lasting implications for women. During this window of opportunity, decisions are underway which will determine women's permanent roles in governance, their rights under civil law and their future status in Iraqi society. The outlook for women, and society as a whole, is diminished when individual women, and their representative NGOs, are excluded from decision-making processes.

Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership, Republic of Iraq/Al Jumhouriya al-‘Iraqia
11 November 2004
The site contains lists of female Heads of State,Prime Ministers, Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Defence and Ministers by country, female Chairpersons of Parliament, female Governors, Premiers and local Leaders by country, female Party Leaders for each country, a chronological list of female Presidential Candidates, Ambassadors to the United Nations and first female ambassadors.

Background on Women's Status in Iraq Prior to the Fall of the Saddam Hussein Government
Human Rights Watch, November 2003
Historically, Iraqi women and girls have enjoyed relatively more rights than many of their counterparts in the Middle East. The Iraqi Provisional Constitution (drafted in 1970) formally guaranteed equal rights to women and other laws specifically ensured their right to vote, attend school, run for political office, and own property. Yet, since the 1991 Gulf War, the position of women within Iraqi society has deteriorated rapidly.

Heartland of Iraq Women's Conference
Women for a Free Iraq, 4-7 October 2003
The Heartland of Iraq's Women Conference, which was sponsored by US-AID and the Coalition Provisional Authority, took place at the University of Babylon in Hilla, 60 miles south of Baghdad. Over 150 women attended from the five south-central provinces of Babil, Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniya and Wasit, and included women who are engaged in the establishment of women's centers and organizations in these provinces.

The New Iraq - With or Without Women?
Women Without Borders, September 2003
In the sea of downtrodden, passive Islamic womanhood, Iraqi women are an uplifting exception. Courageous, educated, self-confident, they could lead their Middle Eastern sisters in a whole new direction. In better days, the University of Baghdad used to graduate women engineers, scientists and doctors by the score, and in secular Iraq their talents were valued in the workplace and in society. But where are they now? Look at the meetings, in London, in Nasiriyya, and you will look for women in vain. Will this be a repeat of Algeria, where women fought and died for independence, only to land in the jail of fundamentalism? Will Pentagon politics create a woman-less democracy in Iraq?

Letter to Paul Bremer Denouncing Women’s Abductions in Iraq
Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), 24 August 2003
“The four months since your troops have taken over in Iraq, proved to have exploded unprecedented violence against women. Hundreds of women endured the pain and suffering of being kidnapped, raped and sometimes sold. This violence is still a daily occurrence, especially in the streets of Baghdad without attracting the least attention of your troops.”

Climate of Fear : Sexual Violence and Abduction of Women and Girls in Baghdad
Human Rights Watch, July 2003
At a time when insecurity is on the rise in Baghdad, women and girls in Baghdad told Human Rights Watch that the insecurity and fear of sexual violence or abduction is keeping them in their homes, out of schools, and away from work and looking for employment. The failure of the occupying power to protect women and girls from violence, and redress it when it occurs, has both immediate and long-term negative implications for the safety of women and girls and for their participation in post-war life in Iraq.

Iraqis Discuss Their Country's Future: Post-War Perspectives From the Iraqi Street: Challenges For Women in the New Iraq
Findings from Focus Groups with Iraqi Men and Women conducted 29 June – 9 July 2003
Thomas O. Melia and Brian M. Katulis for National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Baghdad and Washington, 28 July 2003

Winning the Peace Conference Report: Women’s Role in Post-Conflict Iraq
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Conflict Prevention Project and Middle East Project and Women Waging Peace, June 2003
Hailing the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime and looking to the future, the Iraqi women, who came from different political, ethnic, and religious groups, cited the notable lack of consideration regarding the participation, concerns, rights, and particular needs of the majority of the country’s population— its women. Discussion focused on the inclusion of women in four vital sectors of Iraqi administration: democracy and governance, economic activity, constitutional law and legislation, and civil society. Over the two-day conference, participants reached conclusions regarding the most important ways to integrate women into reconstruction.

"Please Tell Mr. Bush...": Diaries from Iraq
Zainab Salbi, Women for Women International, 9-20 May 2003
This report was written after a ten-day trip to Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, during which I interviewed many Iraqi women and men from different ethnic, class, and political backgrounds. The purpose of this report is to share what many Iraqis asked of me: Please send this message to Mr. Bush. I was also asked to convey their stories, fears, hopes, and frustration to the world. "Forgive us for talking so much," one woman told me, "but we have not spoken for 35 years and you are the first person to whom we are telling our stories. Please share them with the world. Let the world know what we have been through and what we are going through today." So here I am today trying to act on my promise to share the voices of tens of Iraqi women and men that I met on my trip to Iraq. On a personal level, I left Iraq wanting to appeal to humanity to help the Iraqi people, to do it yesterday if not today. We are on the verge of losing the peace in Iraq if we don’t act as soon as possible.

Winning the Peace Key Findings: Women’s Role in Post-Conflict Iraq
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Women Waging Peace, 21-22 April 2003
This paper reports on the key conclusions and the findings in brief from the two-day seminar.

Iraqi Women's Health Care Needs Urgent Attention
Physicians for Human Rights, Bulletin #3, 18 April 2003
The war has severely exacerbated the health crisis for women in An-Nasiriyah. Before the war, the city had four family planning clinics. One was bombed during the war, while the other three were forced to close when the war began. They have no running water, and electricity from generators is intermittent at best. Since the war began, the clinics have been unable to obtain basic life-saving drugs and supplies. They remain closed. “Women's health services in An-Nasiriyah that were severely compromised are now in crisis,” said Dr. Lynn Amowitz of Physicians for Human Rights, one of the researchers.

Winning the Peace Conference Report: Women's Role in Post-Conflict Iraq
Women Waging Peace, April 2003
The crucial role women can—and should—play in Iraqi reconstruction was the focus of a forum on April 21 and 22, 2003 in Washington D.C. “Winning the Peace: Women's Role in Post-Conflict Iraq”was hosted by the Conflict Prevention and Middle East Projects of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Women Waging Peace, a global initiative of Hunt Alternatives Fund. Twenty five Iraqi women participated in the meeting.

Living in Fear: Protection and Assistance Needs of Iraqi Civilians in Iraq and Jordan
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, February 2003
The Iraqi refugee crisis has already begun. There are over one million internally displaced people within Iraq and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have already fled to border countries and beyond. Providing protection and assistance to this population, as well as to newly displaced people as a result of a war will pose difficult challenges for the humanitarian community. Through interviews with Iraqis who had recently arrived in Jordan, the Women’s Commission documented protection and assistance needs in Iraq and Jordan that require immediate attention, as well as the need for longer-term strategies in the event of a regime change.

No More 11th of Septembers, Not In Iraq or Elsewhere
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 24 September 2002

Conflict Resolution, Communication Skills and Organizational Management - A Capacity-building Workshop for Iraqi Women Leaders
UNFPA, 11-15 June 2007, Istanbul, Turkey
A forerunner in implementing resolution 1325, UNFPA has advocated swift action to bring the resolution from rhetoric to reality. To this end, it has hosted a number of conferences and workshops, beginning with a consultative meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2001, to formulate strategies and tools to ensure that reproductive health programmes and women’s empowerment interventions address the actual needs of women, particularly in conflict and post-conflict situations. This report concerns a workshop that was part of that series of meetings. It reflects the findings and observations of Iraqi women, most of whom were working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), on the challenges facing their war-torn society and on the needs of NGOs and other institutions if they are to contribute effectively to peacemaking and peacekeeping.

Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee Issues Statement on Women in Iraq
UN Press Release, WOM/1520, 26 July 2005
The Committee now urges the Government of Iraq to ensure that the principles of gender equality and non-discrimination, as they are enshrined in the Convention, are fully reflected in the new Constitution of Iraq which will become the basis for the entire legal framework of the country, including the family and personal status laws. The Committee further emphasizes once again the urgent need to take special measures to rehabilitate and reintegrate women and children victims of war.

Report of Secretary-General to Security Council pursuant to paragraph 30 of resolution 1546 (2004)
8 December 2004
The report provides an update on United Nations activities in Iraq since the last report (S/2004/710 and Corr.1 of 3 September 2004). The report also provides a summary of key developments in Iraq and an update on security arrangements for the United Nations presence in Iraq. It focuses on the priority tasks for the United Nations set forth in resolution 1546 (2004). It pays particular attention to the role of the United Nations in the political process, including preparations for the planned elections, and the work of my Special Representative for Iraq.

Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 30 of resolution 1546 (2004)
3 September 2004
The Secretary-General reported that his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) arrived in Amman on 8 August 2004, and proceeded to Baghdad on 13 August. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General included the National Conference to select an Interim National Council and promote national dialogue and consensus-building on the country's future, held 15-18 August 2004. The Secretary-General reported that his Special Representative “had an opportunity to meet with leaders from Iraqi political life, including non-governmental organizations, members of minority groups and women's organizations participating in the Conference.”

Security Council Resolution 1557
12 August 2004
Adopted by the Security Council at its 5020th meeting, the resolutionextends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a period of twelve months from the date of this resolution.

Security Council Resolution 1546
8 June 2004
In a 15-0 vote, the Security Council, “"affirming the importance of the rule of law, national reconciliation, respect for human rights including the rights of women, fundamental freedoms, and democracy including free and fair elections”unanimously “endorses the formation of a sovereign Interim Government of Iraq, presented on 1 June 2004, which will assume full responsibility and authority by 30 June 2004, for governing Iraq."

UNFPA Aid to Iraqi Women
UN Population Fund, 2003

Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 24 of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003)
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 17 July 2003
Adopted during the July 22 Security Council open session on Iraq
In the Secretary-General’s first report to the Security Council on the work of SRSG Mr. Vieira de Mello in Iraq, he briefly outlines the current situation of Iraqi women in post-conflict Iraq, the UN’s position on Iraqi women’s rights and status, and the UN’s efforts to-date to include women and mainstream gender in its work in Iraq. In the report, the Secretary-General emphasizes the importance of the role to be played by Iraqi women in reconstruction. He identifies Iraqi women as a “powerful force for peace, reconciliation and stability, who should be empowered and afforded the opportunity of playing their rightful political, economic and social role.” While praising the SRSG’s efforts to advocate for the inclusion of women in the reconstruction efforts and post-conflict political processes, the Secretary-General also notes that the UN needs to improve its outreach to Iraqi women, since up until now, many of the UN’s meetings have included only a small representation of Iraqi women.

UNIFEM Assessment Mission Report on Iraq
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), 15-19 June 2003

Checklist of Key Gender Dimensions for Iraq by Sector
United Nations Development Group (UNDG), June 2003
The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has compiled this Checklist, from various UN and non-UN sources, for those participating in assessment and fact-finding missions in Iraq. The objective of the Checklist is to ensure that “the gender components of all elements of the peace-building and recovery process are identified and mainstreamed into planning procedures and programme implementation.”

Security Council Resolution 1483 on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait
United Nations Security Council, 22 May 2003
In the fifth preambular paragraph of UNSC Resolution 1483, the Security Council, in encouraging efforts by the Iraqi people to form a “representative government based on the rule of law that affords equal rights and justice to all Iraqi citizens without regard to ethnicity, religion or gender,” recalls Security Council Resolution 1325.

For Iraq, Women Are Key
Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of UNIFEM, International Herald Tribune, 19 April 2003
As Iraqis meet to talk about creating an interim authority to govern their country, they will need to overcome divisive ethnic, religious, tribal and political barriers. Experience elsewhere shows that one sure way to achieve the necessary consensus and compromise is to involve women extensively. Women have the collaborative outlook needed to deal with Iraqi society's complexities and the pragmatic organizing expertise needed to cut through the current chaos.

Fact Sheet: U.S. Policy on Iraqi Women's Political, Economic, and Social Participation
Office of International Women's Issues, US State Department, 17 July 2003
The Office of International Women's Issues in the US State Department has compiled a fact sheet which includes the US government’s actions to-date addressing Iraqi women participation in reconstruction as well as the CPA’s ongoing actions to address the issue.

Letter to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Graham: Canada Needs to take a “Clear and Consistent Position to Ensure Respect for Women’s Rights in Iraq
Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group, Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee, Canada (CPCC), 24 June 2003
The Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the CPCC has sent a letter to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs urging the government “ to take a clear and consistent position to ensure respect for women’s rights in Iraq.” In particular, the Working Group urges the government to put its commitments, such as Resolution 1325, into action in the case of Iraq.

US House Concurrent Resolution 196
Washington D.C., USA, 22 May 2003
Expressing the Sense of Congress that the United States Should Provide Assistance for Women and Women's Organizations in Iraq in Order to Strengthen and Stabilize the Emerging
Iraqi Democracy. Submitted by Representative Eddie B. Johnson (D-TX) and Representative
Hobson (R-Springfield)

House of Lords Address Iraqi Women’s Participation
London, England, 13 May 2003
“My right honourable friend the Minister for Women has met and will continue to meet Iraqi women from a variety of different political and civic groups in this country. A gender expert from the Women and Equality Unit is being seconded to ORHA, and the new UK-funded TV channel in Iraq will shortly begin broadcasting programmes to encourage women to participate in civic and political life in Iraq.”

Letter to General Jay Garner
Joan Ruddock, Labour MP, 15 April 2003, London, England
Ruddock sent a letter to General Garner urging the involvement of women in talks on post-conflict Iraq.

Steps backward: Women’s rights in Iraq (video)
Alive in Baghdad: Iraqi women rights activists targeted by militias
Baghdad, Iraq - Women in Iraq are enduring great hardships. Under Saddam women were considered to be equal under the law. With the collapse of the government after the invasion in 2003, militias have gained greater and greater ground.

Women in Iraq: “Like being inside a big prison”
The plight of women in Iraq is of growing concern, with increasing reports of murders, rapes and kidnappings, as well as general intimidation and oppression. Three Iraqi women give their views on living under the threat of violence.

Iraqi Women Speak Out
Deep Dish Television, the nation's first grassroots satellite network linking producers and programmers, independent video makers, and activists.