The United Nation (UN) in Iraq, in a statement, expressed its concern about the rise in gender-based and domestic violence in the country and calls upon the Iraqi Council of Representatives to accelerate the endorsement of Anti-Domestic Violence Law.
On Thursday, April 16, the UN called upon the Iraqi Council of Representatives to quickly pass the Anti-Domestic Violence Law as gender-based and domestic violence is on the rise.
The increasing household tensions, the UN statement says, has resulted from the national lockdown, where people have to stay at their home to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The statement mentions the disabled woman who was raped in Altun Kupri subdistrict, Kirkuk, which drew significant attentions across the country. Numerous committees were formed to investigate into the crime.
The security forces in Altun Kupri on April 7 arrested two persons, who have confessed that they have raped a disabled woman and have filmed the rape. One of them is a policeman, and there is suspicion that more people had been involved in sexual assault.
The UN statement several examples of domestic violence that have happened recently, which include “the rape of a woman with special needs, spousal abuse, immolation and self-immolation as well as self-inflicted injuries due to spousal abuse, sexual harassment of minors, and suicide due to domestic abuse among other crimes.”
These crimes raise the alarm for the endorsement of Anti-Domestic Violence Law, the statement says.
The UN request the Iraqi authorities to make sure that the judicial system puts the criminals on trial and “invest more in hotline and online services, support the role of civil society organizations, keep shelter doors open for women fleeing abuse and punish perpetrators of any gender-based violence.”
The UN wants the government to prioritize the safety of women and gives a quote of United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.
“Many women under lockdown for COVID-19 face violence where they should be safest: in their own homes. Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world. I urge all governments to put women's safety first as they respond to the pandemic,”
The iraqi goverment has enforced a curfew amid at preventing the spread of coronavirus for more than a month and will be in place during the month of Ramadan.
