Women

KRG Ministry of Interior develops application to combat violence against women

The DCVAW, in coordination with several international organizations, created an application called ‘Safe You’, which allows women in the Kurdistan Region to report domestic violence to the authorities.

Kurdistan 24 2023/11/27 21:06

A guide for the Safe You mobile application. (Photo: Submitted to Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan General Directorate of Combating Violence against Women Safe You application

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) General Directorate of Combating Violence against Women (DCVAW) has taken several measures so that Kurdish women can file complaints against violence committed against them.

Safe You has also been deployed in other countries such as Armenia and Georgia.

Fenk Shafeeq the Director General of DCVAW told Kurdistan24: “In the application you can specify categories when filling out the form, such as relatives, police stations, and offices.”

"Citizens can choose their family and friends. Whenever they have been violated, they can notify [the authorities]," Shafeeq added.

“She also said the application has been developed since 2021.”

The 119 hotline is another way in the Kurdistan Region to combat violence. More than 10,000 people have called the hotline this year, most of whom were under the age of 18.

Raz Fria, spokesman for the DCVAW in Sulaimani province, told Kurdistan 24: “The 119 hotline has become a good solution for women.”

The counseling center is another center used by the DCVAW to assist people who have experienced violence.

In just two months in 2022, the Kurdistan Region witnessed an alarming total of nine honor killings, prompting Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to publish a statement expressing his concern about the increasing number of incidents of violence against Kurdish women.

"I'm deeply troubled by recent violence towards women in Kurdistan Region. I reiterate what I have said; there is no honor in honor killing," he said in Feb. 2022.