Local Iraqi Women’s Group Advocates to Protect Women from Violence

The widespread problem in Iraq of violence against women — tolerated in households, schools and businesses— has become the primary focus for a local women’s advocacy organization, Bent al-Rafedain (BROB). It has sought to raise awareness among residents of Babil province, south of Baghdad, that violence against women is not an isolated issue, but a widespread problem that needs to be addressed.

“Violence is not just insulting or beating a woman,” said Alyaa al-Ansari, BROB’s executive director, during a rally for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women last November. “No, it’s expropriation of her rights. Violence is state negligence of women’s issues. Violence is not offering the required services to guarantee her a life of dignity. Therefore, we ask the central government and the local government to guarantee the required protection for Iraqi woman, especially legal protection.”

With help from NDI, BROB began speaking out on the issue and mobilizing support for legislation that would protect women from violence in Babil. BROB’s project was part of NDI’s NGO Sustainability Program, which helps nongovernmental organizations in Iraq advocate more effectively at the provincial and national levels of politics.

To learn about citizen perspectives on violence against women, BROB conducted a study from January to June last year, which included 10 focus group discussions and a public opinion poll of 2,500 women. The results showed that many Iraqi women are subjected to some form of violence in their home, at schools and in the workplace. All of the women polled expressed fear of reprisals for having openly admitted being victims of violence. BROB used the study findings to help draft the law.

Last April, BROB submitted the draft law to the Babil Provincial Council. The measure called for establishment of a provincial directorate responsible for ensuring that female victims of violence receive psychological, legal, and social services. BROB distributed copies of the draft law to local universities, the Ministry of Culture, members of the Babil Provincial Council and the Iraqi Council of Representatives. BROB worked with civil society members, legal experts and council members to get feedback. The organization also distributed newsletters, conducted radio interviews, produced advocacy videos about women’s rights and collected signatures of support from 5,000 citizens.

As part of its advocacy efforts, BROB produced advocacy videos about women’s rights and the scope of violence against women in Iraq.

One video begins with the voice of a woman describing the repression she has experienced in her own family:

“My family forced me to get married when I was 13 years old. [My husband] left me and my children and he doesn’t spend money on them, what should I do? My family won’t let me go outside... Society limits my movement and abuses my reputation always.”

Also watch BROB’s “Farewell to Violence Against Women” advocacy video.

Last fall, BROB brought together 230 local government and civil society representatives, law enforcement officers, university students, and community leaders for 12 meetings to discuss misconceptions about violence against women. At a final conference in November, 120 local government officials and civic leaders gathered to talk about how to foster respect for women in their communities.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Nov. 25, men and women—including widows, police officers, government representatives, and journalists—gathered for a rally at a public square in Babil to raise awareness about all forms of violence against women. At the end of the rally, men lit candles to show their support for women who have been victims of violence.

In December, after a year of advocacy efforts, the Babil Provincial Council voted almost unanimously in favor of the law to create a provincial directorate to help women victims of domestic violence.

“Today is a day of real delight, not only to members of BROB, supporters, and friends, but it's also a delight to all women in the province, because this directorate came from their needs, grew out of their concerns and their problems, and it will be supportive to them,” said al-Ansari on the day the council voted. “It will address many types of domestic violence against them. It is worth the occasion to thank the members of the Babil Provincial Council for standing with us and endorsing the law. That does not mean the job is done—it is the beginning of the mission.”

BROB said it will work to make sure that the law is implemented this year, and that the directorate is established. A recognized expert in its field, BROB has since expanded its outreach efforts, assisting a human rights organization based in Basra province to draft legislation modeled after its own law, and partnering with other Iraqi NGOs to advocate for women’s rights at the national level. BROB has also worked to help civil society groups and local leaders in Tunisia and Libya develop negotiation and conflict resolution skills in its efforts to advance the cause of women’s rights in the region.

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Published April 10, 2013