Shafaq News/ Femicide rates in Iraq rise amid widespread impunity for perpetrators, women's rights organizations in Al-Sulaymaniyah warned on Saturday.

Activist Shada Bashdar, representing women’s organizations, said at a press conference attended by Shafaq News that "48 women were killed in the Kurdistan Region in 2024, with eight additional cases recorded in the first two months of 2025."

Bashdar noted that femicide rates have been steadily increasing since 1991, with no effective measures in place to curb the trend. "One of the biggest challenges in addressing this issue is the lack of thorough and serious investigations into these crimes. Many perpetrators remain free, walking the streets and markets without facing justice," she said.

Urging Kurdistan’s presidency, government, and relevant authorities to take stronger action, Bashdar called for bolstering the role of the Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women and Society, increasing its staff, and establishing specialized units to tackle cyber-violence—particularly online blackmail, which has been linked to rising cases of murder and suicide among women.

Notably, Iraq recorded 14,000 in 2024 cases of domestic violence, the majority of which involved physical abuse. Of these cases, 73% of the victims were female, and 27% were male, according to Ministry of Interior statistics.