UN launches 16 days of activism to end violence against women in Iraq
The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani during the conference to launch 16 days of activism to end violence against women campaign. Photo: UNWomen
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A conference was held last Sunday to launch the campaign for 16 days of activism to end violence against women, under the auspices of the Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, according to a press statement issued by the United Nations.
The campaign is in collaboration with the Department for Women’s Empowerment at the Council of Ministers, and in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNWomen), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The conference highlighted the decisive role of Iraqi women in public life, through government positions, civil society, and human rights movements in preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls, the statement mentioned.
The conference advocated for the ratification of relevant laws, namely the Anti-Domestic Violence Law, the statement elaborated.
In addition to Al-Sudani, the conference was attended by Iraqi MPs, members of the parliamentary women’s committee, the High Judicial Council, ministries of Labor, Interior, Social Affairs, and Health, as well as experts and academics, the statement explained.
Additionally, representatives of the international community attended including the Swedish and French ambassadors, and the Finnish Deputy Ambassador.
The conference was initiated by the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Hamid Naeem Al-Ghazi, who mentioned that combating violence against women is among the main priorities for the government.
Al-Ghazi affirmed that the development of the Second National Strategy for Iraqi Women (2023-2030) is an important step to providing legal and social protection to women, in line with the Iraqi constitution and governmental plans, according to the statement.
Al-Sudani expressed his government’s commitment to further promoting gender equality, and ending violence against women, referencing the importance of the National Iraqi Strategy to Combat Violence against Women (2018-2030).
Al-Sudani cited the unprecedented appointment of a female minister to a key ministry in his government, Tayf Sami as the Minister of Finance, as an important step to empower Iraqi women.
The Iraqi Prime Minister emphasized that economic reforms cannot be successful without the inclusion of women, and combating corruption can only be possible with women’s support and contribution, the statement added.