Civil society organizations in the northern province of Sulaimaniya celebrated International Women's Day together, unanimously protesting against the consequences of the amendment to the Personal Status Law in Iraq and the "surge in murder of women."
Bahar Munzir, activist and civil rights defender, was honored with the Equality Award during the ceremony held in Sulaimani on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The event was attended by organizations from the March 8 network and numerous citizens from different sectors of society.
The March 8 Network, established five years ago, comprises women's organizations, human rights groups, media outlets, academics, and advocates. They decided to present the Equality Award on International Women's Day to an advocate who has made significant contributions to the cause.
This year, Bahar Munzir, a women's rights activist and director of the People for Development Organization (PDO), was the recipient. She has been actively involved in various civil society and women's rights initiatives in Kurdistan for 33 years.
"Receiving this award is a source of energy, support, continuity, and added responsibility for me," Munzir expressed to KirkukNow, emphasizing that the award is a collective achievement for all those who work together and persevere in their efforts.
Prior to Munzir, Dr. Choman Hardi and Dr. Karin Maldokh were also honored with the award in previous years.
Sulaimaniya, March 8, 2025: Women protest against the amendment of the Personal Status Law in Iraq. KirkukNow
The March 8 network has committed to organizing joint celebrations on International Women's Day annually and voicing their stances on women's rights issues. This year, they expressed concerns about the rising cases of killing women and the recent amendment to the Personal Status Law affecting the Jafari Shiite Muslim sect.
"The beginning of this year was a bad sign for the situation of women in the Kurdistan Region, especially the issues of murder that we have been facing for years," Hana Shiwan, a journalist and head of the Women's Media and Culture Organization, told KirkukNow.
She says there are huge gaps in the work of government institutions, in addition to tribal thinking, which is "a major reason for the killing of women and the impunity.”
More than eight women have been killed since the beginning of this year and over 35 women last year, according to Shwan.
Shiwan recalls a story of a woman's case that she will never forget; When they visited her in Sulaimaniya, she was burned to death by her husband. “She was speaking with a burnt body. She looked at us very deeply and said, 'My life is lost. Please make sure to get my rights.”
Advocacy organizations in Sulaimaniya this year focused on the consequences of the amendment to the personal status law, which they fear "gives religions authority for personal issues such as marriage and divorce, etc. This paves the way for out-of-court marriages Prepare a draft to prevent the implementation of this law in the Kurdistan Region through the Kurdistan Parliament.
The amendments to Iraq's 1959 Personal Status Law, No. 188, came into force in February this year, allowing the Jafari Shiite Sharia rules to be followed in marriage and personal status issues, but does not apply to Sunni Muslims.
On International Women's Day, a number of civil society organizations, women's rights advocates and media institutions within the framework of the project "Citizenship", by the Wadi German-Iraqi NGO, and a number of local partners, emphasized in a statement "the adoption of the amendment to the Iraqi Personal Status Law has caused great concern and raised serious questions about women's rights, child marriage and the rule of law."
The amendment keeps the marriage age unchanged and does not allow nine-year-old girls to be married, as part of a series of other changes, following public outcry and protests both domestically and internationally.
