Child rape and security forces’ behavior spark outcry in Iraq
Violent crimes perpetrated against Iraqi women and girls has led to outrage and renewed calls for women to have greater representation and decision-making opportunities in the country, as all-male government formation talks continue.
ERBIL, Iraq — The recent case of a teenage girl whose face was deformed in an acid attack, allegedly by a would-be suitor, and the rape of a young girl, allegedly by a government official, sparked indignation across Iraq in December after years of scant attention to violence against women and girls in the country.
A video made by the Interior Ministry in a hospital showed the young girl who had been raped. It claimed that the perpetrator was her neighbor and had been arrested. The video was circulated on Dec. 26 among journalists prior to the blurring of her face, which is generally considered a violation of victims’ rights.
An Iraqi human rights organization noted on Twitter that, according to their sources, the perpetrator had allegedly raped another girl before and that the other girl had been killed by her family in a so-called “honor killing” as a result. It also stated there were reports that the rapist was an employee of the Interior Ministry itself.
An Interior Ministry official in frequent contact with the media had not responded to a request for information about the case and the video — which had been sent to this journalist — by the time of publication.
