Iraq
Partners: Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq (www.wafdi.org) and the Iraqi Women's Network (85 Iraqi Women's Groups)
The Global Justice Center is committed to seeing women play a leadership role in the transitional justice and democracy-building processes in Iraq as required by international law. The GJC works to aid women in their efforts to assert their right to participate in the building of their new nation and pursue gender justice.
To further this mission, the Global Justice Center:
- Led two trainings in Baghdad for women parliamentarians, activists and other leaders on CEDAW and the use of international law for women's rights.
- Provided pro-bono legal advice, consultation and other services to (neutral, non-partisan and secular) Iraqi women's NGOs that have formed in the wake of the American invasion in Iraq.
- Worked extensively with the Iraqi High Tribunal (war crimes tribunal) to educate its Judges about gender-based crimes and international jurisprudence on gender.
- Conducted in-depth research on Iraq's obligations to codify women's rights into the law and the Constitution of 2005.
- Coordinated a broad-based international committee, International coordination for Gender Justice In Iraq (ICGJI) to raise awareness and build international support for gender justice in Iraq, including women's inclusion at all levels of government and changes in the laws around gender-based crimes.
- Drafted resolutions and statements that were presented to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the U.S. Department of State on the mandates of international law as they pertain to women's rights.
- Helped to inform women in Iraq about quota systems that have been written into constitutions of other newly-formed democracies. Iraqi women successfully argued for a 25% quota for women in Parliament, much greater than the 14% of women who currently participate in national legislative and judicial bodies in the U.S.
- Organized a training of the judges on the Iraqi Tribunal in gender and war crimes that covered topics such as honor killings and international legal precedents that classify rape as torture.
Iraq is party to the following international treaties:
- CEDAW accession 1986 with reservations to Arts. 2(f) & (g), 9(1) & (2), 16, & 29(1); reservation to Art. 16 related to contradictions with provisions of Islamic shari'a according "equivalent" rights to wives and husbands.
- CRC accession 1994 with reservation to Art. 14(1) relating to children's freedom of religion being a right contrary to the shari'a.
- ICCPR and ICESCR signature 1969, ratification 1971.
View a complete list of International Treaties ratified by Iraq, with the full text of each.