Data from the Amaz Family Institute indicates that the lack of financial independence is a significant predictor of violence against women, with husbands identified as the primary perpetrators. Social media also emerged as a notable contributing factor.
The Amez Institute, operating under the Kurdistan Women’s Union, released a statistical report on November 26 detailing the cases of women seeking institutional support for violence-related incidents since the beginning of the year.
According to the report, 78 women reported experiencing violence over an 11-month period, with 39 of them (51 percent) being subjected to abuse by their husbands. Furthermore, 68 percent of all reported cases involved women who did not possess financial autonomy.
Marital infidelity accounted for 18 percent of the incidents, including 14 percent involving husbands’ infidelity and 4 percent involving wives’. Social media use was identified as a motivating factor in 13 percent of the cases.
Shad Rizgar, Director of the Amezi Khezani (Family Embrace), explained to Kirkuk Now that cases unresolved within the institute are subsequently referred either to the courts or to the Directorates for Combating Domestic Violence.
Overall, 62 percent of the cases were resolved internally, while 30 percent were transferred to the courts; the remainder were forwarded to the Directorate for Combating Domestic Violence, part of the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG’s Ministry of Interior MOI.
Rizgar also noted that the institute handled 105 cases during the previous year, and although the number has declined this year, some cases required up to 13 mediation sessions.
Coinciding with the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence GBV, the Amezi Khezani Institute introduced the Binawar Project, which offers a hotline and volunteer legal support for women experiencing domestic violence. The institute categorizes violence into three primary types: spousal violence, domestic violence, and digital violence.
Data from the Women’s Legal Aid Organization (WOLA) shows that 13,017 domestic violence cases were documented in the Kurdistan Region last year, alongside 226 complaints involving online abuse.
According to UN Women, 21 percent of women in Iraq have been exposed to online violence, with 43 percent experiencing repeated incidents in various forms. Additionally, 31 percent of men surveyed openly admitted to committing this type of violence.
