Securing Women's Rights in Iraq

Despite the current dangers of everyday life in Iraq, dedicated Iraqi NGOs continue the important work of building civil society and democratic institutions. NED supports organizations conducting programs in several areas of work, including civic education, national reconciliation, and human rights. Women's organizations and networks in particular are using Endowment funds in effective ways to secure the rights of women, combat violence against women, foster reconciliation, and build the capacity of women and women's organizations.

After two successful National Assembly elections and the adoption of a new constitution in 2005, women are seizing the opportunity to shape the constitution, advocate for further protections under the law, and ensure that women are actively involved in upcoming political processes.

One pioneering NED grantee working to explain and uphold women's rights is the National Women's Coalition of Iraq (NWCI), a coordinating network of women's rights organizations. NWCI has already gained significant political influence, demonstrated by the inclusion of 7 of the organization's 10 legislative demands on women's rights in the new constitution.

With NED funding, NWCI conducted an awareness and lobbying campaign on the constitution and women's rights. In November 2006, NWCI hosted a national forum for its member organizations and other civil society leaders to discuss the constitution and specifically the articles and implementing legislation that will affect women's rights. The forum's 100 attendees then launched a national campaign to educate the public and lobby parliamentarians on legislation affecting women's rights. NWCI supported the national campaign with a variety of printed and electronic materials, as well as periodic media briefings and updates.

The Love and Peace Society (LPS) is another group that has used NED support to raise women's awareness about their rights under the constitution and to encourage women's political participation. Established in 2004 in Nasiriyah, in the southern province of Dhiqar, LPS is well positioned to work with the Marsh Arab population that was extremely marginalized during the previous regime. During 2006-2007, LPS carried out 64 constitutional awareness workshops for 1,500 participants throughout Dhiqar, including 800 women of the marsh areas and 400 members of the general public. From these workshops, LPS is preparing a report on recommendations for reform related to women's rights and expected constitutional amendments, which will be presented to provincial and municipal councils in Dhiqar.

In response to escalating sectarian violence, women's groups in Iraq are among the leaders pushing for national reconciliation and ways to bridge the divides among the different segments of Iraqi society. The Baghdad Women's Association (BWA) is dedicated to ensuring the inclusion of women in political, social, and economic processes during Iraq's democratic transition, including the work toward Iraq's reconciliation and unity. In the next year, BWA will focus its year-long series of training workshops on engaging women leaders in the national reconciliation process. The trainings will include women representing NGO activists, students, and government employees.

Reconciliation has also become a focus for the LPS, who works with large communities of internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to leave their homes as a result of both insurgent and sectarian violence. With its 2007 grant, LPS will hold workshops on alternatives to violence and sectarianism, targeting both IDPs and local residents in 20 districts of Dhiqar. After training participants in conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation, LPS trainers will engage them in discussions on preventing sectarian violence. Their ideas will be the basis for a report to local governing councils on ways to combat sectarian strife.

The priority of another grantee, ASUDA for Combating Violence Against Women, is monitoring and reporting on violence against women in Iraq, and building the capacity of other women's organizations. With a renewed NED grant, ASUDA is undertaking a detailed study of violence against women in five cities and will publish the results in its annual report, which it will distribute widely and use as a basis for consultation with the government on how to improve the situation for women in Iraq.

ASUDA has also worked hard to build the capacity of other women's groups. In June 2007 ASUDA trained the leaders of 10 women's organizations in a series of sessions on how to effectively manage their organizations, secure funding, and publicize their efforts. The trainees benefited from practical experiences, including brief internships, site visits, and a workshop in which they developed an advocacy project proposal and work plan. ASUDA used a similar training model with great success in 2006. Now, ASUDA trainees throughout Iraq are helping the organization distribute thousands of posters that feature cases of abuse and an appeal to stop violence against women.

These are just a sample of the many excellent women's groups supported by NED in Iraq. Moving forward with democratic reforms will require the continued dedication and effective work of organizations like these to ensure the protection of women under the law and their participation in political life. NED will continue to make this work a priority in its efforts to provide support to a wide range of grantees who are working for a stable and democratic Iraq.