Challenging narratives of fate and divine will: access to justice for gender-based violence in Iraq

This study draws on data collected from 34 interviews to examine access to justice for gender-based violence (GBV) in the family and criminal law systems of federal Iraq. It finds that it remains near impossible for women to access effective protection, with the government of Iraq (GoI) falling short of every one of the six components identified by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) as essential for women’s access to justice. It highlights the urgent need for the GoI to work with civil society to enact the draft anti-domestic violence law. It also recommends that the GoI take broader, longer-term holistic measures, including tackling high-level and petty corruption and providing gender-sensitivity training to all law enforcement professionals, highlighting the detrimental impact of gender stereotyping on the impartiality and independence of justice systems and the rule of law.