Duhok – 16 days of activism against gender-based violence

As part of the global campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence the Ninewa Human Right’s Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI HRO) facilitated a discussion in Duhok.

Participants included seven women and eight men, from Ninewa Governorate, including representatives from the police Family Protection Unit, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, lawyers, judges, newly elected Council of Representative, women rights activists and other civil society actors.

UNAMI HRO screened the advocacy short film ‘Breaking the Silence’, illustrating the plight of survivors of domestic violence, the obstacles faced when seeking support and highlighting the need criminalize domestic violence.

During the discussion participants emphasized the pressing need to strengthen the Iraqi legal framework as a crucial step to counter gendered misconceptions and reluctance to address societal norms and behavior to criminalize violence in the family by enacting the draft Anti Domestic Violence Law and to hold perpetrators of gender-based violence accountable. In addition, participants shared their experience in supporting survivors, identifying opportunities on how to strengthen the existing protection mechanisms for survivors, including the need to establish government run shelters.

Join the global campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: watch the film ‘Breaking the Silence’ and sharing the short advocacy film on social media platforms.

To mark the end of this year’s global campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Iraqi civil society organizations, UNFPA, UNWOMEN and UNAMI HRO issued a joint statement advocating for the enactment of anti-domestic violence legislation.