"More morphine!" screamed Malak's mother, her
20-year-old daughter hospitalized after a marital fight, leaving her badly
burned — the latest victim of domestic abuse aggravated by Iraq's isolation.
Since mid-March, the nationwide lockdown is intended to keep
coronavirus cases down in the country, but has led to a spike in another sad
statistic: domestic violence.
Iraq's community police chief, Brigadier General Ghalib
Atiyah, told AFP that his domestic violence cases have risen by an average of
30% since the curfew came into effect — with some places seeing as much as a
50% spike.
The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) announced in a single
week: "A woman's rape with special needs, spousal assault, immolation and
self-immolation, as well as self-inflicted injuries caused by spousal violence,
sexual exploitation of children, and suicide ...
A 58-year-old doctor killed his wife in Wasit's southern
province after refusing to let him sell land she owned, according to human
rights lawyer Sajjad Hussein. North in Samarra, video of a 10-year-old girl in
tears, ...
"I don't want to see my father anymore, he hits me
everyday," says the boy, identified as Saba. "He asks us to 'educate
us," says her mother, divorced. But Malak al-Zubeidi's case produced
waves. Eight months ago, the kids ...
Eight months ago, the young woman in Najaf's shrine city
married a policeman who sexually abused her and barred her from seeing her
relatives, Malak's mother told Human Rights Watch. He beat Malak so badly on
April 8 that she ...
Her swollen, burnt face video and pained wails in the
hospital went viral, but public attention could not save her: the young woman
died 10 days later. "All Malak wanted to see her children," said Hana
Edwar, a longtime righteous woman ...
Her NGO, Amal (hope in Arabic), during curfew reported a
"dramatic" increase in domestic violence incidents, she told AFP.
"Everyone spends long time together inside the home. The most trivial
thing can turn into a controversy ...
There, many girls are married at a young age and subject to
domestic abuse. According to the UN, 46 percent of married women in Iraq have
suffered some form of domestic violence, a third reporting physical and sexual
harassment. You hav ...
They have few paths for help. A recent International
Organization for Migration survey found that 85% of Iraqi men would bar female
relatives from filing a police report. And 75% of respondents acknowledged
Due to the curfew, Atiyah told AFP, the community police
have work to do to remove the tabou but can not enter communities through their
normal city halls. There are very few shelters available for victims, so it
seems
Article 41 of Iraq's penal code grants men the right to
"punish" their wives and children "within the bounds of law and
customs," a provision also used to dismiss cases brought against
relatives. Many misconduct allegations in tribal courts,
After Malak's public outcry, three of her male relatives
were slapped with six-month prison sentences for "failing to support
anyone in danger." Activists have long forced Iraq's parliament to enact a
more comprehensive law on domestic violence,
After Malak's public uproar, three of her male relatives
were slapped with six-month prison sentences for "failing to help anyone
in danger." Activists have long lobbied Iraq's parliament to enact a
tougher law on domestic violence
Activists have long urged Iraq's parliament to enact a more
comprehensive domestic violence legislation to help protect victims and discourage
future perpetrators.
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