On the anniversary of the international campaign to eliminate violence against women
Ending femicide and all forms of Gender based violence
Women, life, Freedom
For all the people of Kurdistan,
Only in this year, 2022, 35 women were killed in the Kurdistan Region in less than 11 months!!!
Over the past 12 years, more than 2,700 women and young girls have been killed, more than 220 women are killed or forced to commit suicide or burn themselves every year! Some of them were brutally shot or burned in public places in front of the people and their families!!
Every year, thousands of women, or more than 6,000 women reporting police against violence and domestic violence. These statistics are very dangerous, concerning and the government, parliament and president of the Kurdistan Region must be convinced that this is a threat to the Kurdistan national security!!
Femicide and Violence against women have increased in such a way that concerning women, human rights and women organizations at the local, national and globally. Unfortunatly, we are wondering if the Kurdistan Regional is a safe place for women!!!!
At the same time, during the 16-day campaign to eliminate violence against women, the Federal Court of Iraq issued a decision that Article 18 of Law No. 15 of 2008, the amended personal status in the Kurdistan Region is unconstitutional!!! This decision is a dangerous initiative on the Kurdistan Regional Government’s constitution, which adhere to the constitutional rights of the region and on the other hand is a clear violation of women’s rights that deprives her of the right to separate (divorce) when the man marry other women without her consent. While this law has been implemented in the Kurdistan Region for 14 years without any problems.
What has made us more concerned is the lack of serious and indifference of the relevant authorities to this decision of the federal government to the phenomenon of violence, femicide and forgiveness of criminals who are protected through reconciliation and interference, increase in killing of women.
What worries us more is the lack of serious and indifference of the relevant actors to this brutal phenomenon and forgiveness of the perpetrators who are protected through reconciliation and interference of those who have power and weapons that protected and not brought to justice.
To prevent killing of women, the following should be done:
First: The government must take serious measures to protect women and young girls from cyber-harassment and exploitation in the workplace.
Second: The Kurdistan Parliament should seriously monitor the implementation of laws related to combating violence and discrimination against women.
Third: Amend the laws that directly or indirectly facilitate violence against women or murder, such as polygamy, child marriage, harassment, sexual assault, etc.
Fourth: The KRG must implement all plans and strategies to eliminate violence against women.
Fifth: Provide the necessary financial, human and technical resources to all public and private institutions working to promote and combat violence against women.
Sixth: The rule of law must prevail and there must be no interference in the affairs of the courts and the end of the patriarchy mentality in the judicial system in Kurdistan.
Seventh: The media should play an effective role in raising awareness of the dangers of violence and killing women on the family and society, and cover the issues of violence and murder of women in a responsible manner.
Eighth: People should not be allowed to have weapons at home, and even those working in the security sector, police or Peshmerga should only carry weapons while working.
Ninth: Implementation of the laws, decisions and agreements that the Kurdistan Region as a region belonging to the federal government must comply with, such as 1325 resolution and CEDAW.
Tenth: Implement the law on Yazidi women survivors from ISIS and try to find and return the missing.
Eleventh: Protecting women’s activists and organizations from defamation and threats, because these are an important human capital and valuable official institutions of Kurdistan society.
Twelfth: We reiterate that 20/2/2022, when Shinyar Huner was burned, should be consider the day of eliminating the killing of women in Kurdistan (femicide). (Shnyar Hunar is a symbol for all women who have been burned or brutally killed in the past)
Thirteenth: The Parliament and the Presidency of Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) should take the necessary measures against the decision of the Federal Court as soon as possible.
Fourteenth: – The Kurdistan Women’s Alliance calls on all relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Region, academic institutions, human rights organizations and international institutions to stand together against the decision of the Federal Court and declare that the Kurdistan Region will not be subjugated.
Finally: We reiterate that all parties must work together to eliminate femicide.
Together to end the femicide
Together to end violence against women
Kurdistan Women’s Alliance
25/11/2022
Kurdistan Region/ Erbil