Human Rights calling for the Iraqi parliament to pass a law criminalizing domestic violence

Human Rights calling for the Iraqi parliament to pass a law criminalizing domestic violence


 Baghdad / term

Called the "Human Rights Watch", on Sunday, the Iraqi parliament to determine the private sanctions to crimes of domestic violence, and the abolition of items that provide the Magistrate to justice, as demanded criminalization of a husband who beat his wife and forwarded to the courts with a protection for survivors of cruelty in their homes.
The organization said in a statement, received the "long" version of it, it 's "with enhanced special protection measures to victims in the Project Against Domestic Violence Act , " adding that " the parliamentary review of the draft law against domestic violence , which was prepared in 2015, Parliament completed substantial amendments then accelerate the adoption of the law. "
The statement quoted from Rotna Bigham competent researcher in women 's rights at Human Rights Watch , as saying: "The presence of particularly strong law on domestic violence would help save the lives of Iraqi women, and the Iraqi parliament to ensure the inclusion of essential items in the final version of the project to prevent domestic violence and protect survivors and the prosecution of offenders. "
The Human Rights Watch has reached in 2006 to one of the displays every 5 Iraqi women of domestic physical violence.
In a study for the Ministry of Planning issued in 2012 to 36 percent at least of married women reported exposure to some form of psychological harm couples, and reported 23 percent exposure to verbally abused, reported 6 percent exposure to physical violence, and 9 percent to sexual violence. While the latest national studies are not available, and women 's rights organizations continue to detect domestic violence in high rates.
And it defended the organization of the Domestic Violence Act, while pointed to the existence of the strengths of it , such as " to provide services for survivors of domestic violence, and the resolutions of the protection (restricted) orders, and penalties for violation of the resolutions, as well as the formation of a committee of several ministries for protection from domestic violence."

Magistrates do not fall prosecutions
The bill calls for the referral of the parties to the committees of domestic peace, and drop prosecutions for perpetrators if reached a reconciliation.
But Iraqi women often face social pressures and huge economic force them to make the family unit to protect them from violence.
" The United Nations Guide" provides for the prohibition of mediation in cases of violence against women in all stages of the legal proceedings, since the mediation issues out of the path of the judicial investigation. And to encourage reconciliation wrongly assumes that both parties have equal authority to negotiate, and assumed that the parties may have sinned Similarly , with regard to violence, and reduces the amount of accountability imposed on the offender.
Bigham said: "With the support of family conciliation as an alternative to justice, the bill undermines protections available to survivors of domestic violence. The government directed the message that spousal beatings would not address amicably in mediation sessions, but it is a crime."
While the draft law defines domestic violence as a crime, it does not provide for penalties for the crime.
And it provides for the cancellation of articles in the Iraqi Penal Code tolerate domestic violence, including materials allowed a husband to discipline his wife and parents to discipline children. Those who commit acts of violence or murder relating to "honor" may alleviate their judgments as the Penal Code provides for reduced sentences in acts of violence including murder the so - called "honorable motives" or if the stunned man 's wife or a female relative in the act of adultery, or in a relationship sex outside marriage.

The duties of the police against domestic violence
and suggested the organization put amendments to the law , including " the imposition of specific duties on public police and specialized police concerned to deal with domestic violence. The police play an important role in dealing with domestic violence and can help to determine the ability of the victim behind the equity in the system seeking the judiciary. "
It also called for "identification of various types of evidence that can be introduced in domestic violence cases. You usually get attacks at home behind closed doors, where there are usually no witnesses only child, who can not witness in many cases."
She stressed the need to "distinguish between the urgent protection decisions and resolutions of the longer - term protection, including to clarify that urgent decisions may be issued in the absence of some of the parties based on the victim 's testimony, while protection can obtain longer - term decisions in full session after reviewing the evidence."
The draft law on the establishment of government shelters, but the law claim in coordination with local women 's rights organizations in the management, training and operation of these centers, and allowed to run shelters operated by private entities for survivors of domestic violence.

Shelters for survivors of violence
and said , "Human Rights Watch", that this is particularly important because women 's rights non - governmental organizations - which provide these shelters - often suffered attacks and threats of aggressors, and faced the enmity of some government officials.
And it called for women 's rights organizations in Iraq years ago to the legislation of domestic violence. Expressly prohibits the Iraqi constitution , "all forms of violence and abuse in the family." But the Kurdistan region of Iraq is the only one who by law confront domestic violence. And demanded all of the "national strategy to combat violence against women in Iraq" (2013-2017) and the "national strategy for the advancement of women in Iraq , " adopted in 2014, the enactment of domestic violence / violence against women.
The organization stressed that "on Iraq 's obligations related to international human rights law, to prevent such violations and to deal with it. There are several international treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against supervisor of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Women (CEDAW), and called for states Parties to legislate concerning violence against women. Iraq and endorsed the Convention in 1986. "
He expressed some lawmakers expressed concern about the possibility that the bill against the Islamic principles. But some of the other House women 's rights organizations met in February 2017 with senior clerics in Najaf, south of Baghdad, and reached to the lack of objections to the project. Also, most Muslim - majority countries outside the Middle East and North Africa adopted similar legislation.
In recent years , some countries also adopted and autonomous regions in the Middle East and North Africa , some legislation or regulations specific to domestic violence, including Algeria, Bahrain, the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. These laws vary in the degree of commitment to international standards. There are other countries , including Morocco and Tunisia are currently examining draft legislation to domestic violence.
Bigham and concluded by saying: "Iraq to ensure that consistent legislation on domestic violence with international standards, as a role model in the region." According to a statement of the organization.



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