After 5 parliamentary sessions... Have Iraqi women imposed their presence politically and in decisio

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[size=52]After 5 parliamentary sessions... Have Iraqi women imposed their presence politically and in decision-making?[/size]

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2024-08-23
Five parliamentary sessions, the last of which is about to end, as it has only one year left, and Iraqi women were present in all of them. Before that, there was the Governing Council and the interim and transitional governments, in which they also participated. However, according to those concerned, throughout this period of about twenty years, women were not decision-makers or able to change or amend a law.[/size]
[size=45]Women and decision making[/size]
[size=45]The Director General of the NGO Office in Iraq, Ashraf Al-Dahan, said at the Middle East Forum 2023 “Addressing Iraq’s Urgent Priorities” held on October 10-11, 2023, that “the Iraqi government pays great attention to the women’s empowerment file, as it established the Women’s Empowerment Department in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, with branches in all ministries and governorates.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “The government has developed policies and plans that support women’s participation in society, including the National Strategy for Iraqi Women 2030 in cooperation with the United Nations.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Dahan believes that “statistics indicate the existence of 298 effective organizations concerned with women’s affairs in Iraq, 73 of which are headed by women,” stressing that “these organizations play a prominent role in empowering Iraqi women and bringing about change in the reality of women in Iraqi society.”[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, MP Nour Nafeh said in an interview, “In terms of numbers, women’s representation in parliament is good, but the problem is with gender representation, which is very low due to the presence of some who are not empowered and who are controlled by their parties.”[/size]
[size=45]She points out that, “In fact, there is a problem with women supporting women. What is happening is the opposite. Women support men, and even women who run for elections receive more support from men than women.”[/size]
[size=45]Iraq’s Feminist “Gap”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding women’s empowerment and their real participation in political life, former MP Nada Al-Jubouri explained in an interview, “The women’s file in Iraq is one of the most important political files par excellence, and when we reviewed the Republic of Iraq’s report on the Beijing 2024 Platform for Action, we found many gaps, the most important of which is the lack of representation of women’s leadership in the three presidencies and even in the Supreme Judicial Council. The presence of women does not rise to what the constitution guarantees nor to what the population census will show for the size of women. There is great injustice and discrimination in participation in decision-making.”[/size]
[size=45]She stresses that “the most important issue is the international agreements that Iraq has ratified, including Resolution 1325, which stipulates women’s participation in political decision-making, as the constitution guarantees women’s representation in legislative councils by 25%, but this is not enough, as executive decisions are limited to male leaders, and these are the most important gaps.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Jubouri continued, “The presence of female leaders will lead us to achieve sustainable development with its 17 goals in the year 2030, and it will also not make us enter into what we are going through now in terms of attempts to amend Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 and the major differences between the street and the decision-maker.”[/size]
[size=45]The former MP explained that “without amending this discrimination in the presence of women and their competence in executive decision-making, this will affect societal cohesion and delay the issuance of legislation that serves the interests of society, children, and the elderly before women.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Jubouri, a doctor, pointed out that “there is another file, which is the file of women’s health, and I believe that it is not enough for it to be managed by the Ministry of Health alone, with all due respect to it. There should be a higher committee headed by a female specialist concerned with women’s health, reducing deaths during childbirth, early detection of breast cancer, and cervical cancer vaccines. These are important matters that I find to be among the most severe forms of violence against women.”[/size]
[size=45]She believes that “poverty has also become feminine, and this is unacceptable due to the lack of equal opportunities in work,” indicating that “the optimal and sound solution for the advancement and progress of society is for there to be credibility for what Iraq has ratified and signed by all Iraqi governments.”[/size]
[size=45]The draft amendment to the Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 has sparked widespread controversy in the halls of parliament and on the Iraqi street, and it is still ongoing. Parties, most notably Islamist parties, seek to legislate it, while female parliamentarians and civil society organizations outside parliament demand the cancellation of this proposal, with mutual accusations between the two parties, most notably the accusation that the parties supporting the legislation are marrying girls at the age of 9 years, and that the draft law will return Iraq to the “age of concubines,” according to the objectors.[/size]
[size=45]On the number of fingers[/size]
[size=45]For his part, political analyst Mukhallad Hazem said in an interview, “Through our follow-up of the role of women in parliament over the past 20 years, we see that it was very limited, and there were a few names that could be counted on the fingers of one hand who had a role in laws, legislation, objections and interpellations, and we did not witness a real role for women in parliament.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Many female representatives ascended to parliament through the political bloc to which they belong, and they cannot deviate from the path of their bloc and are subject to the will of their leaders. Therefore, we have not heard a real opposition voice from them that pushes towards providing what serves the public interest.”[/size]
[size=45]He believes that “most of the current parliamentarians, both men and women, belong to political blocs, and the heads of these blocs follow their interests, relationships, and connections. This is why we have not witnessed a real democratic reality in parliament and the executive authority.”[/size]
[size=45]Women Empowerment between Baghdad and Kurdistan[/size]
[size=45]According to observers, women have emerged within the Kurdish parties, contributing effectively to political work and peace-building in the Kurdistan Region. They have been significantly involved in party work and have participated in decision-making positions. In the period from 1992-2004, the percentage of women’s representation in the Kurdistan National Council of Iraq reached 7%. Women have also participated in the Kurdistan Regional Government, as the first female minister, Kafia Suleiman, was appointed Minister of Municipalities in 1996. Many female ministers, undersecretaries, and female district governors and judges have been appointed.[/size]
[size=45]The percentage of women’s representation in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament was legally set at only 30%, compared to the Iraqi Council of Representatives, which set the percentage of women’s representation at 25%. The number of female representatives reached 29 out of 111 in the Kurdistan Parliament. As for the executive authority, the percentage of women in the current government cabinet is represented by three female ministers out of a government consisting of 40 ministries.[/size]
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