News
In media coverage of Iraq elections, where are the women?
April 6, 2010
There has been a lot of coverage in the media recently about the elections in Iraq and the continuing sectarian wrangling following the elections. However, coverage of these events in Iraq has omitted any mention that approximately 81 women were elected (official count not yet given) - 25% of all seats. No single party received a majority of 163 seats (out of 325), but the parties now jockeying to form the coalition government should recognize that including women in the ongoing political discussions could break the existing sectarian logjam.
Iraqi women parliamentarians have demonstrated their ability to work across party and sectarian lines, including their role last January in passing of one of the most progressive laws regulating civil society in the Middle East. Iraqi women are key to the future of Iraq and supporting them in Parliament should be central to US policy.
Go here to read more about our work in Iraq, or visit the website of our partner organization, the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq (WAFDI), to learn more about the role of women in Iraq.
The Global Justice Center is a New York based international human rights organization that provides leaders with legal tools and strategies for enforcing human rights law.