A Humiliating approach to the Iraqi women’s rights

The article was published in the newspaper Al Sabah and on permission by the author translated from Arabic to English by Kvinna till Kvinna.

This is not the first time, and I guess would not be the last for us to see a retreat in the government’s approach towards Iraqi women. 

Once again, a very vital and influential governmental body slaps us women with its shocking regulations that humiliate women and present them as incapable and unworthy.

In articles 3-6 of the Nationality Law issued recently by the ministry of interior:  for an Iraqi woman to earn her right in an Iraqi Passport, she needs the approval of a male guardian regardless of her age or marital status; this applies to all single, married, divorced, and widowed women. 

Articles of the law states that:
3 -  A single Iraqi woman needs the consent of her male guardian to be able to acquire a Passport; the guardian  should contact the Passport office in person, submit all needed papers and documents, and have his palm prints scanned as part of the procedures. 

4 - A married woman needs the consent of her husband to be able to acquire a passport; the husband should contact the passport office in person, submit all needed documents and papers, and have his palm prints scanned as part of the procedures.

5 - An underage Iraqi girl needs the consent of her male guardian to be able to acquire a passport; the guardian should contact the passport office in person, submit all needed papers and documents, and have his palm prints scanned as part of the procedures.

6 - For a divorced or widowed woman to be able to acquire a passport, her male guardian should approve that and he is to contact the passport office in person, submit all needed documents and papers, and have his palm prints scanned as part of the procedures”.

If we carefully look at the above articles, we would notice their disagreement with articles in the Iraqi constitution on the “freedoms and rights of the citizens”.

Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the constitution confirm equality for all citizens in front of the law; they state that women are as capable as men and have equal rights in every aspect of the life. The constitution on the other hand, recognizes and is committed to the international declaration on human rights (1948), and the declaration on elimination of all discrimination against women (1979). Most important, The Iraqi government since 2003 have been proudly claiming to be moving towards building true democratic society; the step is regarded to be very progressive when compared to the deteriorating democracies in other countries of the region.

Away from the Iraqi laws and international treaties, one would only be puzzled if he knows the true status of Iraqi women on the ground. Here we are in a country where women lead several ministries and have 25% participation in the Parliament and in most influential governmental institutes. This is happening while Iraq is going through the most important and historic stage of its life, and is also taking place in all Iraqi governorates and localities.

Where was the ministry of interior when women participated in the elections and in the political activities of their parties? What about women physicians, consultants, and engineers? How are these women seen by the law, and how do the laws trust them in the tasks given to them?

When a woman physician or surgeon is saving the lives of our men, is she asked to bring her guardian to approve what she does? What about the women engineer that is trusted to construct bridges and buildings that might endanger the lives of thousands of people every day? What about those proud widowed women that is left to struggle alone to provide for their children while serving tea and coffee for taxi drivers from sunrise to sunset? What do we say to the woman that lost her father, brother and husband, and is determined to devote the rest of her life to finding the bodies of her beloved ones, in order to honor them, bury them properly, and pray for them?

Have anybody asked the woman that raises and educates our children to acquire her guardian permission before doing what she does?

It is appalling to find ourselves, women so confused and bewildered between reality and the dream in this particular period of our country’s development.

While we need to recharge all capacities and involve all citizens to be able to meet the challenges and dangers that are awaiting our country, short sighted regulations pop out to discriminate against women and marginalize their roles and accomplishments.

It seems as if some of the law-makers are provoked and feel threatened to see their women as equal in rights and obligations.

Have any of those men ever thought to exclude women from being killed by the explosives that does discriminate against women. Have these law- makers ever thought that women are the most injured by the street wars, weather they are killed or survived to moan their beloved family members?

For all those, I say, our women are still living with persistence and strong faith. They are determined to work for a better life, full of love and optimism in order to rebuild our beloved Iraq.

I wonder if when issuing the articles 3-6 of the nationality law, the ministry of interior thought of the women who lost their guardians in the war and thought of supporting them and provide for them. May be the ministry is unaware of the huge loss our women had to deal with? If so, allow me to tell them that our women have always been patient regardless of the prices they paid and are still paying every day.  

Today, and while getting ready to the parliamentary election, and while feeling proud to witness the automation of our governmental system that would secure issuing of ID cards and travel documents easily and efficiently to the public, the articles of the ministry of interior on the women status came to shatter our dreams.

Behind closed doors, liberal state’s men would whisper and say that those written regulations are not applied in real life. But if this the case, why have them in the first place? Why provoke women and insult them day after day? Why place those regulations on the webpage of the ministry that is led by a figure known to us as a fighter for human and women rights.

Are we to start questioning all the talks and speeches on the new democratic Iraq !!!

 Sundus Abbas Husain
Head of the women leaders’ institute