Rights of Women in Iraq

In Iraq, women have had many rights, but they may be in peril.muslim woman image by DXfoto.com from Fotolia.com

Middle Eastern culture is tied to the Muslim religion in many peoples' minds. The Muslim religion, also in many opinions, is linked to a lack of rights for women. In spite of Iraq's mostly Muslim population it has historically had a liberal policy on women's rights. However, government instability in the last two decades has led many to fear women's rights in Iraq are in danger.

The Ba'ath Party

The Ba'ath party staged a coup d'etat (taking over of a government) in Iraq in 1968, which ushered in a period of secular government and legislation that promoted women's rights and equal rights in general throughout the country. In 1970, the Iraqi Provisional Constitution was drafted. This document formally guaranteed equal rights to women and specifically supported women's right to vote, attend school and run for political office.

The General Federation of Iraqi Women (GFIW) was created by the new Ba'ath government to help usher in and secure the rights of women in Iraq. The GIFW organization eventually ran more 250 rural and urban community centers that offered education, job training and other social programs for women. Throughout the mid to late 1970s more legislations were passed, such as the eradication of illiteracy act that created literacy centers throughout the country to ensure that all citizens, including women, knew how to read. During this time women entered the work force and were active participants in jobs formerly held by men.

Legislation changed in 1978 that allowed divorced women to have custody of their children until the age of 15, an extension from previous age 10, at which time the child could choose who he wished to live with. In 1980 women were given the right to vote and run for political office.

Due to Iraq's involvement in the Gulf war in the 1990s, the United Nations placed economic sanctions on the country, which depleted its resources. When families could only afford to send one child to school, they often chose the boy. A main interruption to women's rights was Sadaam Hussein's decision to de-securalize aspects of the government and embrace Islamic and tribal traditions. These new policy reforms undid the work of the Ba'ath party and legalized extremist activities such as "honor killings" of women due to religious transgressions. As the health of the economy continued to decrease, the government dismissed women from the work force to allow for room for the men. According to the Human Rights Watch organization, in June 2000 a government law forced all state ministries to enact restrictions on women working outside the home.