Please note: this is the English language recording of this event. At times there may be pauses due to the use of an interpreter.

This event was the launch of 'Challenging Narratives of ‘Fate and Divine Will’: Access to Justice for Gender-Based Violence in Iraq' co-authored by Taif Alkhudary, Marwa Abdul Ridah, Anfal Abed and Amal Kabashi as part of the LSE Conflict Research Programme (CRP)–Iraq.

This study draws on data collected from 34 interviews to examine access to justice for gender-based violence (GBV) in the family and criminal law systems of federal Iraq. It finds that it remains near impossible for women to access effective protection, with the government of Iraq (GoI) falling short of every one of the six components identified by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) as essential for women’s access to justice.

The paper highlights the urgent need for the GoI to work with civil society to enact the draft anti-domestic violence law. It also recommends that the GoI take broader, longer-term holistic measures, including tackling high-level and petty corruption and providing gender-sensitivity training to all law enforcement professionals, highlighting the detrimental impact of gender stereotyping on the impartiality and independence of justice systems and the rule of law.

Taif Alkhudary is an Iraq-focused Research Officer at the LSE Middle East Centre. Previously, she conducted strategic litigation on civil and political rights in Iraq and the Gulf.

Marwa Abdul Ridah is a lawyer and founder of Baghdad-based legal advocacy NGO ‘For Her’.

Anfal Abed is Projects Director of Public Aid Organisation (PAO), Iraq. Previously, she worked on gender-based violence in conflicted-affected areas in Iraq.

Amal Kabashi is a feminist activist and the coordinator of the Iraqi Women Network. She is leading the advocacy campaign to legislate an anti-domestic violence law in Iraq.