Baghdad, 8 March 2013 — "Securing gender equality and protecting women’s rights is one of the greatest challenges of our times" says Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative in Iraq. On International Women's Day 2013, WHO calls on the government, civil society, women’s organizations, the private sector, the media and individuals to join forces and take responsibility to protect women’s right to live free of violence.
Violence against women (VAW) is a global pandemic that can threaten women and girls at any point in their life cycle. It impacts not only women’s physical and mental health but also has a negative effect on women’s access to health care and education, on their political and economic participation, and on their families.
Different forms of VAW exist in Iraq, primarily stemming from the sociocultural context, misconceived religious beliefs, the poor quality of services and the lack of a legislative framework to protect women against discrimination.
According to the Iraq Family Health Survey 2006/2007, the percentage of married women in Iraq who have experienced at least one form of emotional (or psychological) violence is 33.4%, while 21.2% have experienced physical violence. Hence, the Ministry of Health is taking concrete policy actions to end VAW.
The ministries of Health and Women's Affairs, and other key ministries, along with WHO and the other UN agencies, are taking action on the ground to address the needs of VAW survivors within their programmes through protection, care and referral services.
There is a need to:
- change public perceptions on existing gender power relations, especially those leading to VAW
- encourage institutional and societal ownership of strategies to combat VAW through systematic advocacy and mobilization campaigns at the national and governorate levels
- strengthen government and community service organization data collection efforts regarding the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In December 2012, WHO supported the ministries of Health, Women's Affairs and Higher Education to develop a mapping tool to promote intersectoral coordination on intimate partner violence/gender based violence (IPV/GBV) in Iraq. A rapid assessment was conducted of the readiness of health facilities to strengthen the primary and secondary response to IPV/GBV and to raise awareness on the crucial role of the health sector this. This step will help solidify joint efforts towards strengthening the health sector in the area of IPV/GBV and ultimately towards eliminating violence against Iraqi women as a whole.
WHO is taking the lead to reaffirm the promise set forth on this day by promoting strong laws and policies to ensure the rights of women, maintaining effective implementation of programmes that provide essential services for the victims and survivors of violence, and bolstering efforts to treat women not just as victims of violence, but rather as agents of change.
Baghdad, 8 March 2013 — "Securing gender equality and protecting women’s rights is one of the greatest challenges of our times" says Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative in Iraq. On International Women's Day 2013, WHO calls on the government, civil society, women’s organizations, the private sector, the media and individuals to join forces and take responsibility to protect women’s right to live free of violence.
Violence against women (VAW) is a global pandemic that can threaten women and girls at any point in their life cycle. It impacts not only women’s physical and mental health but also has a negative effect on women’s access to health care and education, on their political and economic participation, and on their families.
Different forms of VAW exist in Iraq, primarily stemming from the sociocultural context, misconceived religious beliefs, the poor quality of services and the lack of a legislative framework to protect women against discrimination.
According to the Iraq Family Health Survey 2006/2007, the percentage of married women in Iraq who have experienced at least one form of emotional (or psychological) violence is 33.4%, while 21.2% have experienced physical violence. Hence, the Ministry of Health is taking concrete policy actions to end VAW.
The ministries of Health and Women's Affairs, and other key ministries, along with WHO and the other UN agencies, are taking action on the ground to address the needs of VAW survivors within their programmes through protection, care and referral services.
There is a need to:
- change public perceptions on existing gender power relations, especially those leading to VAW
- encourage institutional and societal ownership of strategies to combat VAW through systematic advocacy and mobilization campaigns at the national and governorate levels
- strengthen government and community service organization data collection efforts regarding the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In December 2012, WHO supported the ministries of Health, Women's Affairs and Higher Education to develop a mapping tool to promote intersectoral coordination on intimate partner violence/gender based violence (IPV/GBV) in Iraq. A rapid assessment was conducted of the readiness of health facilities to strengthen the primary and secondary response to IPV/GBV and to raise awareness on the crucial role of the health sector this. This step will help solidify joint efforts towards strengthening the health sector in the area of IPV/GBV and ultimately towards eliminating violence against Iraqi women as a whole.
WHO is taking the lead to reaffirm the promise set forth on this day by promoting strong laws and policies to ensure the rights of women, maintaining effective implementation of programmes that provide essential services for the victims and survivors of violence, and bolstering efforts to treat women not just as victims of violence, but rather as agents of change.
