Interior ministry graduates 490 policewomen

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi interior ministry held ceremonies in Baghdad to graduate 490 policewomen in a first batch of Iraqi female police recruits. “The policewomen will work in the ministry’s traffic, citizenship, civil defense, control, inspection and intelligence departments and will also help maintain security during the provincial council elections scheduled to be held on January 31,” Minister Jawad al-Bulani said in a speech on the occasion. Nawal Majid al-Samarraie, the Iraqi minister of state for women’s affairs, who attended the graduation ceremonies, said the hindering of Iraqi women’s rights for a long time was one of the reasons behind the country’s failure to catch up with progress. “Women’s participation in such a tough sphere is a step on the road to democracy and remove injustice against Iraqi women, who have been suffering for long,” she said. AmR (P) 1