Iraqi Kurdistan records 13,017 domestic violence cases in 2024

Iraqi Kurdistan records 13,017 gender-based violence cases — Gona Majid, the legal advocate for the Women’s Legal Assistance WOLA Organization, Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan, June 28, 2025. Photo: Screengrab/video/Rojnews

SULAIMANI,— More than 13,000 cases of domestic and gender-related violence were registered in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region in 2024, a legal rights group said on Saturday.

The Women’s Legal Assistance (WOLA) organization reported that 13,017 cases had been officially recorded by regional authorities last year.

The announcement was made during a press briefing in Sulaimani city on Saturday, held in cooperation with a U.S.-based legal support body.

“The law remains inadequate,” said Gona Majid, WOLA’s legal spokesperson. “Despite economic hardship and political gridlock, the need to address violence within households cannot be ignored.”

Majid cited data from relevant directorates showing the total number included various forms of abuse, including:

2,975 instances of physical assault
2,230 incidents categorized as fights
2,183 recorded threats
63 confirmed cases of sexual assault

Cyberviolence accounted for 226 cases, which included:

99 cases of misuse of communication devices
70 cases of publishing images or videos on social media
57 cases of threats involving visual content online

Cases tracked through Kurdistan’s domestic violence hotline (number 119) reached 2,274, while:

3,774 cases were reported to family counseling centers
3,774 cases were also filed with peace committees
2,482 incidents were recorded based on arrest warrants

In a separate report from February 2025, a coalition of 12 advocacy groups said 48 women were killed in the region in 2024 due to gender-based violence.

Most of the deaths stemmed from domestic and so-called “honor” killings — a term frequently used to describe violent outcomes of familial disputes.

Although the Kurdistan Regional Government has vowed to tackle the issue, rights organizations say enforcement remains inconsistent and support services underfunded.

Activists are pushing for updates to the 2011 Domestic Violence Law, which they argue does not adequately reflect current realities or offer sufficient protection to victims.

“Legislative reform, better implementation, and survivor support systems are urgently needed,” activists said in their recommendations to relevant government bodies.

(With files from Agencies)