Iraqi Kurdistan fails to support domestic violence victims: Amnesty

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— Women and girls experiencing domestic violence in Iraqi Kurdistan encounter significant hurdles when seeking protection from the state, Amnesty International revealed on Wednesday, criticizing authorities for not prosecuting offenders adequately.

A report from the London-based human rights organization described gender-based violence in the autonomous northern region as perpetuated by a criminal justice system that encourages impunity. Amnesty highlighted the authorities’ failure to hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable, including in severe cases involving murder, rape, beatings, and burning.

Aya Majzoub, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, remarked, “Survivors of domestic violence in the Kurdistan region of Iraq are being let down at every stage.” She emphasized the continuous challenges women and girls face from the moment they escape abusive environments, as they strive for protection and justice.

According to Amnesty, state prosecutors seldom initiate criminal cases against abusers. Instead, the responsibility falls on the victims to file criminal complaints, often facing reprisals, threats, and intimidation from the abusers or their families, who pressure them to drop the charges.

Despite the autonomous Kurdistan region’s efforts to showcase relative stability and progress, including passing a law in 2011 that criminalizes domestic violence, Amnesty criticized the law’s limitations. The legislation classifies acts of domestic violence as misdemeanors, carrying a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

Moreover, the Domestic Violence Law mandates a reconciliation process between the survivor and the abuser before a judge determines whether to refer the case to trial. Amnesty has called for the abolition of this process, arguing that judges frequently exhibit bias towards male abusers, prioritizing family unity over the protection of women.

A caseworker quoted in the report noted that many women avoid going to court because they fear being blamed for the abuse they suffered. “Victims should not be questioned about what they did to provoke being beaten, stabbed, or shot,” the caseworker stressed.

Amnesty also urged authorities to enhance support for survivors, particularly in shelters. The report highlighted that once women and girls enter shelters, their freedom of movement and access to phones and the internet are heavily restricted, constituting an arbitrary deprivation of liberty. Additionally, a court order is required to enter or leave these shelters.

Amnesty’s findings are based on thorough research, including interviews with 15 women survivors of domestic violence, aid workers, and government officials, as well as visits to shelters for abused women. The report revealed that the shelters visited were in poor condition—overcrowded, understaffed, and inadequately equipped to meet survivors’ needs.

Official figures cited by Amnesty indicate that at least 30 women were killed in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2023, and 40 in the previous year. However, NGO workers suggest the actual numbers are higher.

The issue of domestic violence extends beyond the Kurdistan region and affects the whole of Iraq.

According to the federal interior ministry, out of nearly 14,000 complaints filed across Iraq during the first four months of 2024, mostly involving women, only about 100 resulted in criminal convictions. Additionally, around 3,000 alleged perpetrators were released on bail, and nearly 4,500 reconciliation processes were recorded.

Amnesty’s report underscores the urgent need for systemic changes to better protect women and girls in Iraqi Kurdistan and across Iraq, ensuring that perpetrators of domestic violence are held accountable and ensuring survivors get the justice and support they rightfully deserve.

Despite commitments from the so-called Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to combat gender-based violence, it remains a pervasive issue in Iraqi Kurdistan, manifesting in severe forms such as sexual violence, domestic abuse, honor killings, child marriages, and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Read more about: Violence against Kurdish women