The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said, “The family violence in the country has turned from cases into a phenomenon that is threatening children and women in particular, and has also become a source of community concern as a result of the large number of girls fleeing from their families because of this violence.
The observatory added, “The stories of girls working in the nightclubs and cafes all indicate that they had to flee from their families because of the violence of their parents against them, this is a major societal threat that will have a great impact on the lives of Iraqis unless it is dealt with".
The Human Rights Commission in Iraq said, “It has been diagnosed with a high rate of family violence in Iraq, and violence against women is the top, The Ministry of the Interior has set up a special department for family violence to receive women's complaints. However, what hinders the reduction of violence against women are societal norms and pressures, indicating that the directorates recorded many cases by women and then they go to withdraw claims and cancel the complaints.
The official of family violence file of Observatory for Human Rights said, “The severity of family violence lies in the different reactions that may result in victims, such as damage to physical health such as fractures, head injuries, ruptures, and internal bleeding. These are some acute effects that require medical, psychological and mental care and chronic physical health problems.
The official added, “We conducted a survey on violence against women in 2015, which showed that one out of every six Iraqi women is subjected to verbal and physical violence, the majority of them are married, which is a serious and worrisome number, There are entire families disintegrated because of family violence".
"The rates of family violence in Iraq are rising, especially against women," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said, "Social networking sites have helped to show the stories of children in homes and schools who have been brutally beaten and tortured and women rarely show up to talk about their abuse, but in fact there are many women who face violence and keep silence. And their voice, opinion or marriage is suppressed by coercion".
The civilian activist, Jumanah Mumtaz, said to the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights, "She is a witness to many cases of family violence and violence against women after she conducted a number of media investigations with women who found themselves in the street and lost their future".
She added, “men have reasons according to their claims, that they have not abused a woman in their lives, There is a culture of violence among all levels of society, wars are one of the causes, women and men, educated and uneducated, and this culture must be fought and limited by society and women in particular".
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said, “While there are no recent national studies on cases of family violence, humanitarian organizations continue to reveal high rates of family violence, as well as cases of assault that are never counted on children by a parent within the Iraqi family, which recorded in the records of Personal and criminal conditions courts".
Most of the detainees for cases of family violence are tried according to the Penal law of 1969 and the Personal Status Law because there is no law for family violence, especially the Family Violence Law has been disabled in Parliament since 2013 despite the completion of the first and second readings.
However, Iraqi women defend their rights and organize protest and demonstrations in order to push for the adoption of the family violence law, which is still in the Iraqi Council of Representatives. In the first serious Iraqi women's initiative since 2003, an initiative was launched in Baghdad on the occasion of International Women's Day to support Iraqi women in demanding their rights and pressure towards the adoption on protection law from the family violence.
Family violence is defined as family abuse and is a form of abusive behavior by one or both partners in a marital or family relationship, including physical assault (such as beating, kicking, biting, slapping, throwing objects, etc.), or psychological threats such as sexual assault, Emotional abuse, domination, tyranny, intimidation, persecution or stalking, or negative abuse such as neglect or economic deprivation.
Family violence may be accompanied by conditions such as addict alcohol and mental illness, and not only physical abuse, but also other matters such as danger or forced criminality, abduction, unlawful imprisonment, infiltration, prosecution and harassment.
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said, “The political blocs in the Iraqi Council of Representatives try as much as possible to block the adoption of the law, there are notes of Islamic parties do not meet the standards of human rights and obligations of the Iraqi state".
