Dr Ibtihal Al Zaiydi is on a mission to help women in Iraq take big strides in improving their lot. And as the country’s minister of women’s affairs, devoted herself to the task.
The author of several books and an excellent academician, it was Al Zaiydi’s passion and interest in working in civil institutions, coupled with her ambition to participate in the decision-making process, that paved the way for her to occupy a political position. Another advantage was that she had experienced various cultures first hand — she has southern origins, was born in Baghdad and lived for 20 years in Mosul, and then returned to Baghdad.
“During that period I got acquainted with the conditions of women in Iraq and I experienced their sufferings throughout different times, starting with the first Gulf War, the blockade, the second Gulf War, and the post-2003 events,” she told Weekend Review. “It was all out of my interest in women’s affairs, seeking to make real change in women’s lifestyles, to achieve renaissance.”
After she joined civil activity, she contested the 2010 parliamentary elections. That was her first experience in the political process. As an independent academician born to a famous academic family, she assumed the post of Minister of State for Women’s Affairs. “I have been working in this post for three years with all devotion and honesty, and have achieved significant progress during these years,” she said.
Excerpts from an interview:
Do you believe the role of Iraq women is marginalised?
I do not think that the establishment of the Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs in 2004 is considered marginalisation of women. Rather, it is a gain and an important development in the government’s performance towards women’s issues. Regarding the distinction between men and women, it is a global problem and a top concern for the UN. As a result of the growth of this distinction, the UN gathered all the agencies concerned with women in “the UN Women” organisation. There is a culture prevalent in many societies that confines women to specific roles in every stage of their life. This must be changed through the adoption of policies that will change the society and decision-makers’ perception of women and reduce the gap between men and women. The ministry’s efforts are concentrated on this issue, as it is very important and is the key to real change of all women’s conditions.
How do you evaluate Iraqi women’s role in the parliament? Do you think they made a difference when they got 25 per cent of the seats?
The women’s quota of seats has been set in the context of exceptional measures to empower women and make a change in the culture and the vision of the society which believes that the role of women is confined to home, marriage and child-rearing. The presence of women in parliament does not mean that their work will be limited to women’s issues only, but the ministry hopes that women will have greater participation in security, economic, political, educational, health, and social issues so that women will prove to everyone that they are able to make decisions and draw policies that contribute to the development of the country.
What do you think of the new Personal Status Law, which will be passed by the Iraqi parliament? Several groups, parties and civil associations focused only on the issue of the marriageable age for girls, are there any good points in the law?
The ministry believes that the diversity of laws is not in favour of Iraqi women. The ministry expressed its opinion in a statement after the vote on the draft law by the Cabinet. Therefore, the ministry seeks to agree on a unified civil law and to protect women from the multiplicity of laws that might waste their rights.
A UN report on human rights in Iraq indicates that Iraqi women face family and political violence. It also indicates that the so-called honour crimes against women have increased and that women are kidnapped for criminal or political reasons. The report mentions the prosperity of the sex trade associated with women and children in Iraq, and the increasing rate of early marriages, in addition to an alarming increase in poverty levels that adversely affect the lives of women; how do you comment on this?
Perhaps what distinguishes Iraq from many other Arab countries in the region is that it takes necessary measures regarding issues related to violence against women. In this regard, many decisions and pieces of legislation were made over the past three years. Iraq endorsed the national strategy for combatting violence against women in early 2013, and it passed the anti-human trafficking law.
Moreover, a central executive committee was formed; a shelter was opened; safe havens for victims of human trafficking were established; and the ministry submitted a draft law on the protection from family violence which is being reviewed by the Shura Council. Also, the family protection police department, which was established in 2009, was developed. The national strategy for the advancement of Iraqi women and the national plan for the UN Security Council resolution No 1325 on women, peace and security have recently been endorsed so that Iraq will be a leading country in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the UN mission in Iraq.
Also, Iraq discussed a report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in February this year, and approved the national strategy for poverty alleviation. The levels of poverty decreased in the last two years as a result of the application of some targets of this strategy. All this means that we diagnosed the problems and came up with solutions. The UN report talks about many countries, and we hope that all countries will take measures like Iraq did, as the issue of women is interrelated. We assure that there are no politically or intellectually motivated punishments. The human trafficking crimes are contradictory because of the tough measures taken by the authorities concerned, on top of which is the Interior Ministry.
Some say that despite the slight progress achieved by women in terms of political participation and their access to a quarter of the seats in parliament and local councils, according to the quota system, the political decision-making is still concentrated in the hands of leaders of political parties, and that women’s participation in the political process is large in terms of number in comparison with other countries in the Arab region, but the achievements made by women so far do not meet aspirations in light of women’s distance from the political decision-making process and the lack of their representation in the real leading positions in the country. How do you comment on this?
This is a frequently asked question. Through my participation in the political process, I see that the problem of subordination to the leaders of political parties is common among men and women. Those who believe that this problem is suffered by women only are mistaken. As there were prominent male MPs and party leaders, women were also prominent through their participation in the decision-making process. We seek to reduce the gap between the women’s participation in legislative councils and their participation in the executive government. Women have good representation in legislative councils, and we need this to be reflected in their participation in the executive government. However, it seems that this needs a new law that ensures active participation for women.
Tell us about the ministry’s achievements since you took office. Have you made any change in the status of Iraqi women?
I believe that the general policies of countries must meet women’s needs and contribute to reducing the gap between the conditions of women and men. Any other action, such as immediate measures represented in financial aid, material assistance, and others do not tackle the issue. Based on this, I directed the ministry’s work to influence the government performance towards women, aiming to make a real change in the policy of the Iraqi government in a way that will have a significant influence on the lives of Iraqi women, hence the starting point. I prepared and approved strategies, passed a law on the protection of women from family violence, set up gender units in all ministries and some agencies that are not affiliated to the ministry, and formed a national team in this regard. Thus, the Iraqi government policy was geared to meet the needs of both sexes. I firmly believe that Iraq will be among the leading countries in the field of the advancement of women. The strategies, plans, programs and gender units include specific visions and goals with certain time limits. They also include follow-up and evaluation mechanisms. Goals and policies are applied by all government institutions.
I read a statement by you that the Cabinet approved the national strategy for the advancement of women which was presented by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on 13 December 2013. Did the government develop its strategy towards women’s issues? Did it make a real change in the lives of Iraqi women through the development of the most important issues in order to enhance women’s participation in all fields?
This strategy took a long time to prepare as a result of local and international discussions and consulting. The UN participated in the preparation of the strategy and provided technical support for it. We got acquainted with Arab and international experiences. Arab organisations specialised in women’s affairs participated as advisory bodies. Several ministries participated in the preparation, discussion, follow-up, and evaluation of the strategy. So, it is a well-studied strategy that took into consideration the challenges and opportunities. We believe that it is viable and will make a real change in the conditions of women. The main objectives of the strategy are concentrated on the issues of health, education, the labour market and the economy.
