UNAMI calls on Baghdad to pursue accountability for gender-based crimes
"UNAMI further calls for the enactment of a law that explicitly criminalizes gender-based violence, in accordance with international human rights standards."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) –The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) in a press release on Tuesday called on Baghdad to enact a law that explicitly criminalizes gender-based violence.
Expert panel hosted by @UNIraq #humanrights discusses legal & institutional reform needed to enhance the protection of women in #Iraq, calls for repealing articles 41 & 409 of the Penal Code & enactment of an Anti-Domestic Violence Lawhttps://t.co/6l1tQE84mA #StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/SRVXOAa2dZ
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) December 6, 2022
Recently, a expert panel was held in Iraq as part of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
During the panel the institutional and legal reform was discussed needed to strengthen the protection of women and girls from gender-based violence, UNAMI and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a joint press release.
Experts during the panel highlighted that impunity for domestic violence often results from the application of provisions included in the Iraqi legal framework, such as Article 409 of Iraq’s penal code which provides mitigating factors for so-called “honour killings”.
"Equally problematic is the common practice of referring domestic violence cases for reconciliation, as enabled by Article 41 of the Penal Code which provides the legal right to husbands to “discipline” their wives," the press release said.
UNAMI in the statement urged the Iraqi Council of Representatives to repeal Articles 41 and Article 409 of the Penal Code.
Moreover, UNAMI called "for the enactment of a law that explicitly criminalizes gender-based violence, in accordance with international human rights standards, together with improved services for survivors and those at risk."
Read More: PM Barzani condemns gender-based violence
The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani in an earlier statement reaffirmed his support for women’s rights on the launch of the annual international campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
At Let’s Talk, @UNFPA @UNHCRIraq @unwomeniraq @WFP_Iraq @SEEDKurdistan marked #16DaysOfActivism by sending messages of collective action to end all forms of #GBV & advocate for women’s empowerment & freedom to exercise their rights to ensure that no one is left behind. pic.twitter.com/9ZIyp25564
— UNFPA Iraq (@UNFPAIraq) November 30, 2022
During the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s annual “Let’s Talk” conference in Erbil this year on Nov. 28, the US Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski "urge leadership in Baghdad and Erbil to make progress on reforms to promote the role of women and combat GBV."
"Gender equality drives prosperity and leads to good outcomes for all,” she added.
The conference was jointly hosted by UNFPA, UN Women, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and SEED Foundation, with support of the Kurdish and Iraqi government.
“The Kurdistan Regional Government has always worked to eliminate violence against women and any form of gender-based discrimination, and on this day, we emphasize the same unwavering position of the government," Minister of Transport and Communications Ano Abdoka, said during the event.