Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq
June 2018

 

The imported democracy in Iraq is failing and the last elections have been a testament to this failure. Weeks have passed since the polls closed and yet no final result has been announced.  The effects of this stagnancy on women is a compromised legal status, which already suffers in the face of obstacles like complicated bureaucratic processes and entrenched patriarchy. 

Like many Iraqis who have become disenchanted with the corruption that is so rampant in the country, we in OWFI boycotted the election process. Within our own organization, we remain keen on having democratic governance that is based on progressive and feminist values. We will keep working towards contributing to make Iraq's future a better one than it is today. 

This year in particular we are committing to lobbying structural and legislative changes for women's rights in Iraq. You can help us continue expanding our work to combat the exploitation of women and girls in Iraq in 2018 by sharing our news with your networks. You can support our endeavors by sharing your financial resources. Please join our movement and make a donation today.

We at OWFI are grateful for your generosity and trust.

Yanar Mohammed, President, OWFI

OWFI's leadership, staff, activists and shelter directors.


In This Issue
We have launched our new website! 
Our March 8th statement for International Women's Day entitled "Targeting of women and destruction of Iraqi society made our wealth readily available for post-war theft" can be found here: 
A second conference for the Black Iraqi Community

Since our inaugural conference on the issues faced by Black Iraqis, many internal debates have been sparked about the next steps to move forward. This year in March we launched another campaign to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination dated on March 21st. Our activists decided to have the conference in the county's capital city Baghdad, where a large Black Iraqis community lives in invisible struggle. On March 16th we held a second Black Iraqis Conference in our headquarters in Baghdad. The event had a large turnout from the Baghdad community and from the Basra community. People were able to organize on the national level. More groundwork was laid out in terms of creating a Black Iraqi women's group, as well as a network that confronts the discrimination faced by Black Iraqis in the community. 


12 celebrations for International Women's Day
We held a demonstration at Baghdad's Tahrir Square where we called for women's equal rights and legal status. We were harrassed by the police and eventually forced to leave the square. 
We celebrated International Women's Day in 12 occasions held in our headquarters in Baghdad, and in all 3 branches: Basra, Samarra and Diwaniyah, as well as Najaf, Kirkuk, Mosul and Shergat. 

We congregated in the cultural center at Al-Mutanabbi Street, where our women's activists gave speeches and read poetry, as well as women from the audience who came to talk about what International Women's Day means to them and their communities.

A celebration for Internationl Women's Day was held at one of the shelters in Mosul. The shelter residents, their children and supportive women from the community were invitied.

OWFI activists and our community of supporters celebrated in the afternoon at our headquarters front yard after a long morning of protests and demonstrations for International Women's Day.

At our Samarra branch the women enjoyed a celebration to commemorate this day dedicated to women. 

Our International Women's Day 2018 poster. 

Our March 8th statement entitled "Targeting of women and destruction of Iraqi society made our wealth readily available for post-war theft" can be found here: 
OWFI is grateful for financial support from:
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

The Oak Foundation

 Madre  

Norad

The European Union

Nobel Women's Initiative

Global Fund for Women 
  
 V-Day

    Thaler Foundation

 
Building Feminist Resistance in Iraq since 2003