XOFRAN EL-RADÎ

Baghdad – In June, a proposal to amend the “Iraqi personal status law” was submitted to the Iraqi parliament. According to the proposed Article 57 of the law, divorced women are deprived of many rights. Women and human rights defenders criticize the proposed law. Esra Mehmud Selman, the co-founder of the Coordination for Women, Children, and Society, spoke to NuJINHA about Article 57 of the Iraqi Personal Status Law no. 188.

“We reject the amendments”

Noting that the mothers have the right to child custody, Esra Mehmud Selman said, “According to the article, women have more right to custody of their children after parents’ divorce. The mothers are also financially supported to send their children to nursery. But there are several points that we reject. The divorced women are financially supported to send their children to nursery, but if they remarry before their children turn seven, they lose this support.”

“We provide legal support to women”

Pointing out that men don’t face such things, Esra Mehmud Selman said, “We, as the Coordination, organize awareness-raising courses for parents. We also provide legal support to women. We have a team of lawyers to follow their cases. Discriminatory laws deprive women of their rights so we carry out works to stand by women.”

“Laws are patriarchal”

Referring to the current Iraqi laws, Esra Mehmud Selman said that the current laws are patriarchal. “Some articles are a great danger for women and children. Two of them are Article 41 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which gives a husband a legal right to punish his wife within certain limits prescribed by law or custom, and Article 409 of the Iraqi Penal Code permits 'honor' as mitigation for crimes of violence committed against family members. Dozens of women are killed in Iraq in the name of “honor” and their killers are released after serving several months or a maximum of three years in prison.”

“If rapists marry their victims, they are released”

Speaking about Article 398 of the Iraqi Penal Code, Esra Mehmud Selman said, “This article allows a perpetrator of rape to escape punishment by marrying the woman he raped. While women suffer from trauma, they face more psychological trauma because they have to live with their rapists.”

“We need equal laws”

Emphasizing that they demand the abolition of the laws against women, Esra Mehmud Selman said, “We push the parliament to abolish or amend the laws. We need equal laws.”

Petition

Human rights defenders and activists launched a petition against the amendments of the Iraqi personal status law. A number of parliamentarians have reportedly signed the petition.