Killing In The Name Of Honor In Kurdistan

In an exclusive interview, Zhiar Jalal, the director of social care at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in Sulaymaniyah, claimed that despite Kurdistan’s alliance with the West, violence against women still plagues Kurdish society.

“We women first came into the world as human beings but then society and its traditions produced gender discrimination and created a world of injustice and threats. They put social bonds on women’s necks, which in reality not only deprived women of their rights and freedoms, but plagued all levels of society at the social, economic, administrative, political and cultural level. It stagnates our society, which is part of eastern societies that are largely influenced by this gender discrimination. This is the bitter truth.”

According to her, “We work as much as we can to investigate the cases of threatened women who take refuge in our shelters and try to protect their lives. We rely on available statistics. For example, in Sulaymaniyah in 2021, there were 242 cases of threatened women who were sheltered. We know that it is important, but at the same time, we need to know that these attempts do not address the level of the injustice and threats women face. On a daily basis, women are killed, commit suicide under duress, face disrespect, threats, physical and psychological torture. Most of it occurs within the walls of their homes and inside their families. It does not get media attention.”