Activists rally in Al-Sulaymaniyah against violence targeting women
Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
On Sunday, activists marked International Women’s Day with a march in front of the Al-Sulaymaniyah provincial administration building, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, pledging to continue the path of the late activist Yanar Mohammed, Shafaq News correspondent reported.
Shatha Bashir, a member of the March 8 Network, said in a
press conference that the killing of women poses a serious threat to humanity
and represents one of the most brutal crimes against women. She pointed out
that statistics on femicide show women face a real danger and that current laws
are incapable of protecting them.
“Government silence regarding the killing of women has exceeded the limits of irresponsibility,” Bashir said, noting that the statement was directed not only to the government but also to international organizations, the European Union, and the United Nations.
According to March 8 Network member Jemin Omar, women’s liberation cannot be discussed without recognizing the central role of working women. “Female workers in factories, the private sector, educational institutions, and health centers face multiple forms of exploitation under an unfair labor system. They are subjected both to violations of their rights as workers and to discrimination and harassment in the workplace because they are women.”
Read more: Fired for motherhood: The hidden toll on Iraqi women
Representative of the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), Kajal Abdulqader, read a statement stressing that “the best way to honor activist Mohammed is to continue her path of struggle and raise the banner of liberation she carried with determination and strength in the face of the class system, capitalism, conservative political forces, and terrorist groups.” She added that participants in the event remain committed to following Mohammed’s path and continuing to defend women’s rights and freedoms.
The OWFI announced, on March 2, that two gunmen on motorcycles assassinated Mohammed in Baghdad near her residence.
