No to killing women; art exhibition in Sulaimaniyah on violence against women

Fifteen medical students from the University of Sulaimaniyah organized an art exhibition titled ‘No to killing women’. The exhibition displayed over 40 paintings that portray the reality of women in local community who are suffering from gender-based violence and other hardships.

The purpose of the exhibition is to send a message to stop violence against women, which has escalated recently in Kurdistan Region, especially in Sulaimaniyah. There are increasing demands for the violence against women in Iraq to stop.

The World Health Organization announced in February 2022 that it formed with the Iraqi Health Ministry its first action plan on gender-based violence to be gradually implemented in all of Iraq including Kurdistan Region.

Statistics show that 1.23 million people in Iraq are susceptible to gender-based violence. The number of women and teenage girls adds up to more than 75% of that segment.

77% of gender-based violence cases are related to domestic violence. The Iraqi government has signed CEDAW agreement (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) that constitutes equality of women in all fields political, economic, social, cultural and civilian.