Ending violence against our women and girls across Kurdistan

On Sunday, it was reported that a woman was hanged by her three brothers in Kurdistan Region’s Kalar area.

This was by no means an isolated incident: according to official statistics, more than 5000 cases of violence were reported against women in 2013, rising to over 7,000 in 2018. In 10% of the reported cases victims lost their lives, and over 300 cases dealt with women burnt to death.

As if Sunday’s act of brutality itself wasn’t horrific enough, a significant number shocking comments were then posted on popular Facebook pages — such as ‘there must be cause for this’ or ‘she must have done something dishonourable’. Which begs the question: what can we do to protect our women and girls from this violence?

Simply put, there Kurdistan Region has no comprehensive or effective strategy that combats violence against women and young girls in the region. This has to change. It is unacceptable for our Kurdish politicians to espouse the usual rhetoric and soundbites on an annual basis, without actually doing something about it. These issues are far too serious to just be paid lip service to.

Ultimately, it will take many tests and trials before an effective mechanism and system is established that can work in the interests of women. And this cannot happen if our women themselves, particularly young women, are not at the forefront of this movement. We need them to be actively consulting and lobbying policymakers on guaranteeing our…