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Democracy House Organization In cooperation with Foreign and Commonwealth Office, project was implemented : Support Women and Girls Affected by Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Resulting from Conflicts

The project deals with providing participants with knowledge and skills related to the protection of women and girls affected by sexual and gender-based violence, in order to ensure effective participation, the protection of women, and the effective implementation of the Iraqi National Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security and increase the chances of obtaining support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Mr. Salem Dawood, Executive Director of Democratic House Organization , explained that Women and girls make up half of the population in Iraq and they have a right to live free from fear and violence and be free to fulfill their fullest potential and he said: “Ending violence against women and girls is not a choice, it is rather a long-term commitment and should become part and parcel of Iraqi society through joint efforts from all of us. We should do everything possible to support women and girls to have a life full of dignity and prosperity.”

Democratic House Organization DHO, in cooperation with the British Embassy in Baghdad, holds the final conference of the project to activate international treaties and human rights mechanisms in Iraq

This conference was implemented within the program of activating international treaties and human rights mechanisms in Iraq, which is implemented by the Democratic House Organization DHO in cooperation with the British embassy in Baghdad, and the executive director of the organization indicated that patterns of violations still occur repeatedly in Iraq despite the ratification by Iraq of many agreements The International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, considering that this happens “as a result of the weak awareness of human rights among those who implement the law on the one hand, and among many groups within Iraqi society on the other hand.”
Participants in the program received lectures on international covenants and conventions on human rights and international humanitarian law as well as national, regional and international protection mechanisms focusing on the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council. The courses also covered how to obtain information related to human rights through the Internet, and how to submit complaints to the special rapporteurs of the Human Rights Council via the Internet


Women’s Access to Justice in Iraq , with Participation of parliamentarians in workshops to support women’s legal rights in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation


Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Democratic House Organization DHO hold WORKSHOPS IN BAGHDAD , KARBALA AND DIWANIYAH

The Iraqi society, and with it, Iraq’s administrative and legal systems, are still largely dominated by men. Therefore, vulnerable and marginalized women often face challenges when trying to access justice and find their way through the administrative system. In September and October 2016, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation KAS Syria/Iraq Office and the Democratic House Organization organized a series of workshops in Baghdad , Karbala and Diwaniyah Governorate to train women on their rights and on how to access them.
Migrant women, widows, divorced women, as well as victims of domestic violence and forced marriage are particularly vulnerable and marginalized groups in the Iraqi society, who often face particular difficulties when demanding their rights. This is both due to their lack of knowledge about those rights, as well as because of the patriarchal inclinations of the Iraqi society, especially among police officers and government employees. The goal of the project was to raise awareness among these vulnerable groups about their legal rights, the solutions and ways available for them, as well as the legal representation citizens with low-income are entitled to receive free of charge. In addition, the discussions during the workshops were aimed at countering cultural and patriarchal prejudices against women. More than 240 participants, around half of which were women from vulnerable groups, participated in the training’s. The male participants included seven Shia and Sunni clerics, as well as a large number of government and court employees, members of parliament, and police officers. During each workshop, around 30 participants were trained by two or three trainers. The program included lectures on women’s rights in inheritance, on women’s rights in the Iraqi Constitution and on the personal status law in Iraq.