Women and peace in Iraq:opportunities, challenges, and prospects for a better future

Women in Iraq have a lot to say about peace and what they say should be listened to. This research project tried to do just that. We talked to 91 women (and some men) activists, civil society representatives, journalists, legal experts and academics in Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Kirkuk, Najaf and Nineveh. We listened to what they had to say about peace and justice, existing challenges to achieving these, and how the challenges can and should be overcome. We adopted a lens that focuses on women and gender and through this lens we looked at the processes of formal and informal peacebuilding and transitional justice.