Official statistics of women's suicides, FGM, and forced marriage in Kurdistan

Shafaq News / Dindar Zebari, the International Recommendations Coordinator within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), unveiled officially documented statistics regarding women's suicides, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision, and forced marriages of girls in the Region.

His statement took place during the second day of the Geneva Conference held at the United Nations headquarters, where the focus was on the Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Zebari emphasized the ongoing efforts to tackle forced and underage marriages, underlining a legislative initiative aimed at amending the Personal Status Law.

The proposed amendments specifically target issues concerning marriages involving individuals under 18, with plans for enactment during the upcoming parliamentary session in the Region.

Moreover, Zebari stressed the implementation of comprehensive awareness-raising strategies within the community. These strategies include a combination of judicial and extrajudicial measures aimed at preventing underage marriages.

In addition to legislative actions, extensive awareness campaigns have been rolled out across various platforms, including media outlets, educational institutions, and universities.

Educational materials, such as informative books, have been distributed to students to equip them with essential legal and health-related information on these issues.

Discussing the statistical trends regarding women's suicides in the Region, Zebari highlighted a notable decline in such cases. From 2017 to 2023, the recorded number of suicide cases significantly decreased, dropping from approximately 110 cases in 2017 to 47 cases in 2023.

Regarding efforts to combat domestic violence, Zebari emphasized the collection of complaint statistics submitted to the Directorate of Combating Domestic Violence until June 2023.

The compiled data revealed a substantial number of complaints, totaling around 96,165, registered within the directorates tasked with addressing domestic violence from 2018 to June 2023.

Zebari also provided specific figures concerning cases of FGM and forced marriages recorded during the same period. According to the data provided, there were five recorded cases of FGM and 81 cases of forced marriages reported within the directorates responsible for combating domestic violence from 2018 to June 2023.