Iraq advances sexual assault documentation with new guideline
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council is preparing a guideline for documenting sexual assault crimes in cooperation with relevant state bodies and specialized organizations.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the council hosted a joint meeting that included the Judicial Supervision Authority, the Forensic Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health, and the Physicians for Human Rights organization. Participants reviewed progress on drafting the guideline to strengthen legal and medical procedures for documenting such crimes in line with approved standards.
Wider Context
The step comes as Iraq recorded over 10,000 cases of domestic violence in 2024, with the majority of victims being women, coupled with a troubling increase in child abuse incidents.
Violence against women and girls in Iraq predates the 2003 US-led invasion and intensified amid prolonged instability and recurring armed conflict, according to a joint study covering 2003–2018 by the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, a local organization working to combat violence and discrimination, and Impunity Watch. The study linked these patterns to a prevailing culture of “victim-blaming,” amid the absence of a nationwide official tracking framework.
Despite Iraq’s obligations under international conventions, the study identified legal gaps, noting that domestic legislation does not criminalize several internationally recognized forms of sexual violence as defined by the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and by the World Health Organization, nor does it explicitly address conflict-related sexual violence outlined in UN Secretary-General reports. These shortcomings align with documented cases in detention facilities, camps, public spaces, remote areas, and private settings.
WHO estimates show that around 1.32 million people in Iraq face the risk of gender-based violence, with women and adolescent girls accounting for more than 75 percent of those affected. Domestic violence accounts for about 77 percent of reported incidents, while 26 percent of ever-married or partnered women aged 15–49 have experienced intimate partner violence during their lifetime.
Against the backdrop of these challenges, the Iraqi government has established the Higher Council for Iraqi Women, chaired by the prime minister and supported by the National Iraqi Women Department with 72 units across ministries and provinces, and has adopted national strategies on women’s rights, including the national strategy for Iraqi women (2023–2030), the strategy to combat violence against women and children (2018–2030), and action plans to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.
