Arrests and Jail for Violating Family Values - ‘Morality’ Prosecutions of Women in Egypt
New Age Islam News Bureau
17
Aug 2020
•
UK's First Muslim Female Referee Talks Learning English, Discrimination and
Career Goals
•
Egypt Approves Law to Protect Identities of Women Reporting Sex Abuse
•
Empowerment of Women and Youth Government’s Top Priority, Says Saudi Governor
•
Iraq’s Government Needs More Female Voices To Fight The Pandemic
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/arrests-jail-violating-family-values/d/122647
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Arrests
and Jail for Violating Family Values - ‘Morality’ Prosecutions of Women in
Egypt
August
17, 2020
TikTok
became Egypt's latest battleground against women
(L-R)
Mawada al-Adham, Menna Abdul Aziz and Haneen Hossam have all been arrested.
[Twitter]
------
(Beirut)
– Egyptian authorities have since late April 2020 carried out an abusive
campaign targeting female social media influencers on charges that violate
their rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and nondiscrimination, Human
Rights Watch said today.
The
authorities have arrested at least 15 people, including a 17-year-old girl
after she posted a video about being beaten and raped, on vague charges such as
violating “public morals” and “undermining family values.” Three of those
arrested are men accused of aiding two of the women. Many of the women were
arrested based on what authorities said were “indecent” videos on social media
applications, particularly the TikTok app. Yet in the majority of the videos
and photos, the women appear fully dressed, at times singing or dancing. Those
prosecuted have large followings on social media in the hundreds of thousands
or millions.
“Arresting
women and girls on very vague grounds simply for posting videos and photos of
themselves on social media sites is discriminatory and directly violates their
right to free expression,” said Rothna Begum, senior women’s rights researcher
at Human Rights Watch. “Policing women’s peaceful conduct online smacks of a
new effort to control women’s use of public spaces.”
These
prosecutions appear to be the first use of morality charges under the 2018
cybercrimes law. Statements by the prosecutor general indicate that these
criminal proceedings, in some cases, began after “social media users”
complained about the videos on the prosecution’s Facebook page.
Courts
have already sentenced 2 of the women and the 3 men to 2 years in prison and 2
more women in separate incidents to 3 years. The remaining 7 women and the 1
girl face ongoing prosecutions. The Interior Ministry’s Morality Police have
been involved in several cases.
The
first arrest, on April 21, was of Hanin Hossam, 20, a university student and
social media celebrity with hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and
Instagram. The prosecution’s main evidence against her was a video she posted on
TikTok, which Human Rights Watch reviewed, inviting her women followers to use
another video-sharing platform, Likee, telling them they can earn money by
making live videos for Likee that get more viewers.
Other
arrests followed a May 2 statement by the Office of the Prosecutor General that
said “forces of evil” were abusing the “new virtual electronic space” to
“destroy our society, demolish its values and principles and steal its
innocence.”
Prosecutors
on June 11 referred Hossam for a criminal trial before Cairo’s Economic Court,
which oversees cybercrimes, media reports said. The prosecution reportedly
charged Hossam with “undermining family values and principles.”
In
the same case, the authorities charged another woman, Mawadda al-Adham, 22,
arrested on May 14, as well as three men they said assisted al-Adham and
Hossam. The authorities also charged al-Adham with “undermining family values
and principles” by publishing “indecent” videos and creating and managing
websites for that purpose. All were sent to pretrial detention.
On
July 27, Cairo’s Economic Court convicted al-Adham and Hossam, sentenced them
to 2 years in jail, and fined them 300,000 Egyptian pounds (EGP) (almost
US$19,000) each. Defense lawyers appealed the verdict. The court convicted two
of the men for assisting Hossam. The charges and the sentences are based on the
2018 cybercrime law, several provisions of which mandate up to five-year prison
sentences and/or large fines for online content deemed to violate undefined
terms such as “family values” or “public morals.” The third man was convicted
of managing al-Adham’s account and possessing unlicensed software.
The
authorities arrested Aya, 17, known on social media as “Menna Abdelaziz,” on
May 28. She had posted a video on May 22 in which her face appeared bruised. In
it, she says she was beaten by a group of young men and women, and that the men
also raped her, filmed the acts, and then blackmailed her with the footage. On
May 30, the Office of the Prosecutor General issued a statement saying
prosecutors ordered her detained pending investigation as a victim of sexual
assault but also as a suspect in morality-related offenses for her videos
generally.
The
statement confirmed Aya’s allegations of the assault and rape and said she was
examined by forensic authorities. Three men, a boy, and two women were arrested
in connection with the assault and rape.
On
June 9, the prosecution moved Aya to a government-run women’s shelter where she
would receive psychological and social rehabilitation while the investigations
continued. On July 26, the prosecutor general referred the three men and two
women to criminal trial on charges of beatings and sexual assault. The boy was
reportedly referred to a children’s court.
On
June 29, the Cairo Economic Court sentenced Sama el-Masry, 42, a well-known TV
personality, actress, singer, and dancer, to 3 years in prison and a fine of
300,000 EGP for “public indecency.” A public prosecutor’s statement on April 27
said authorities had ordered el-Masry detained for publishing “sexually
suggestive” videos on YouTube and other social media platforms. She is
appealing the verdict. The prosecution also referred el-Masry for a separate
trial for “inciting debauchery,” which began on July 6.
The
authorities should drop prosecutions and quash convictions based on arbitrarily
vague laws that interfere with freedom of expression and privacy, Human Rights
Watch said. They should immediately release Aya from detention, while ensuring
her safety and that she receives appropriate care. International law prohibits
the detention of children except as a last resort and for the shortest
appropriate period of time.
These
Egyptian laws and government practices violate the right to privacy, freedom of
expression, and the prohibition of discrimination against women, including
social and cultural discrimination, under international human rights law.
Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law and the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights require that any limitations to freedom of
expression must be proportionate, stated in a precise manner, and be necessary
to protect national security, public order, public health, or morals in a
democratic society. Morals must not be derived from one set of traditions,
religion, or culture, but rather in light of the diversity of a society. Any
limitations on these rights should respect the principle of nondiscrimination.
Any criminal law should be so clearly defined as to allow anyone to predict
what conduct will be a crime.
The
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to
which Egypt is a state party, requires state parties to “take all appropriate
measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public
life” and “to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and
women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and
all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the
superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.”
The
recent arrests of women take place against the backdrop of a #MeToo social
media campaign in which dozens of Egyptian women are speaking out on platforms
such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about their experiences of gender-based
violence, assault, and rape.
“These
serial arrests of women send a chilling signal about the state of women’s
rights in Egypt,” Begum said. “Instead of tackling pervasive domestic violence,
sexual harassment, and violence, Egyptian authorities appear intent on
reinforcing societal discrimination by persecuting women and girls for how they
appear online or what they say.”
Abusive
‘Morality’ Laws
On
July 29, the prosecutor general said in a statement that it “is necessary to
protect national societal security” and that the general prosecution’s role
requires not only prosecuting criminals but also acting as “a guardian of
social norms.”
Several
Egyptian laws restrict the right to privacy and freedom of expression. Among
these overbroad laws that target women and girls in discriminatory and
disproportionate ways are several Penal Code provisions that criminalize acts
of “public indecency,” “inciting debauchery,” and the possession or
distribution of materials deemed to violate “public decency.” The law does not
define “public decency,” “debauchery,” or the acts that are punished.
In
2018, Parliament passed a cybercrimes law that restricts online content deemed
to “undermine public morals” (article 26) or “family values” (article 25). The
government is required to adopt and publish implementing regulations (or
bylaws) within three months of passage, which it has not yet done. Article 27
criminalizes the use of the internet to “commit any other criminalized
offense,” such as those in the Penal Code.
The
recent trials were conducted by the economic courts, established in 2008 and
consisting of appeals courts judges. Their jurisdiction includes violations of
the 2018 cybercrimes law and the 2003 telecommunications law.
Human
Rights Watch reviewed a 30-page court verdict with its reasoning in Hossam’s
and al-Adham’s case as published by local news websites and also reviewed media
reports and statements by the prosecution regarding these cases.
The
court invoked articles 25 and 27 of the cybercrimes law and other Penal Code
provisions about the complicity in helping al-Adham as a fugitive before her
arrest and not reporting offenses.
In
some recent “morality” prosecutions, such as those of Hossam, al-Adham, and
el-Masry, the initial prosecutorial statements leveled broader accusations
against them that could be interpreted as relating to sex work.
Such
accusations do not appear in the actual charges and verdicts but led to
heightened media coverage, in which commentators pressed the authorities to
punish the women and girls. Pro-government media heavily covered the
prosecutions, including publishing photos of the women and their full names.
In
many of these recent arrests, the prosecutor general’s statements said that
investigations were initiated after receiving “complaints” by “social media
users” through the prosecution’s Facebook page or after “lawyers” filed
complaints. Human Rights Watch reviewed several videos on YouTube posted by
people calling for the women’s arrest for “immoral content,” following which
some of the women were arrested.
Egyptian
law allows hisba complaints (accountability based on Islamic Sharia) by members
of the public for a wide range of acts, such as a journal article, a book, or a
dance performance that the person believes harmed the society’s common
interest, public morals, or decency.
The
authorities have acted upon such complaints for years to prosecute peaceful
journalists, writers, and activists who appear to challenge government politics
or societal norms. In 2015, a TV presenter, Islam al-Beheiry, received a
five-year prison sentence on charges of “defaming religion” based on his
criticism of some Islamic scholars and teachings. His sentence was reduced on
appeal to one year and he was released in November 2016 after a presidential
pardon.
Regarding
the recent multiple arrests of women, the prosecutor general, Hamada al-Sawy,
has publicly acknowledged acting upon such complaints.
Hanin
Hossam and Mawadda al-Adham
On
April 23, two days after Hossam’s arrest, the Office of the Prosecutor General
issued a 13-page statement detailing the Interior Ministry’s Morality Police
investigation into her case. The statement said authorities found “evidence,”
including written and audio communications and bank transfers, that they claim
indicated that Hossam was involved in a network aimed at recruiting women and
girls to join certain social media platforms that allow them to offer paid
online chat and video services.
The
Cairo Economic Court’s verdict on July 27 says that the prosecutor general
received several complaints about the women, including from a lawyer named
Abdel Rahman al-Gohary. The main evidence cited in the court’s reasoning are
Hossam’s video in which she invites women to join Likee, saying that they can
earn money by making live videos that get more viewers, as well as bank
transfers and two social media accounts of Hossam’s and four of al-Adham’s on
Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
The
court said in its reasoning for al-Adham’s prison sentence that she “undermined
family values” by posting social media videos aiming at “seducing young men” to
gain more viewership and followers to gain more money through advertisements.
The court also said she appeared in the videos “in revealing clothes dancing in
an immoral way in public places.”
The
court said the three men – named in the verdict as Mohamed Abd al-Hamid Zaki,
Mohamed Aladdin Ahmed, and Ahmed Sameh Ateya – were employees of Likee and Bigo
Live, another Chinese app, and sentenced them for assisting al-Adham and Hossam
in managing their media accounts, and possessing and using encrypted channels
of online communications, a criminal offense under the 2018 cybercrimes law.
The
court rejected the defense lawyer’s request to have the Constitutional Court
review and define acts that violate “family values.” The court claimed that
such laws do not restrict free expression but are necessary to address “deviant
ideas” and “moral degradation.” The court also said that parents should monitor
their offspring and restrict their access to online content that changes their
“identity, traditions and morals.”
Press
statements by al-Adham’s lawyer say that the prosecution asked her to undergo a
“virginity test,” which she rejected. The authorities may have subjected at
least one other woman and the girl to such virginity testing.
“Virginity
testing” is recognized internationally as a violation of human rights, regarded
as a form of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, gender-based violence,
and discriminatory. The World Health Organization has said that “virginity
tests” have no scientific validity and that healthcare workers should never
conduct them.
In
December 2011, Egypt’s Administrative Court condemned forcing detained women
protesters to undergo virginity tests ordered by army generals, including Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi, then-head of military intelligence. The court ruled that
virginity tests “constitute a violation to women’s body and an assault on their
humanity and dignity.” Despite the ruling, Egyptian rights organizations have
documented the authorities’ continuing use of such tests.
Egyptian
prosecutors and judicial authorities should immediately cease this abusive
practice and Egyptian legislators should pass a law making it illegal, Human
Rights Watch said.
Manar
Samy
On
July 1, the authorities arrested Manar Samy, 30, a popular TikTok and Instagram
content maker with more than 250,000 followers, following a hisba complaint
submitted by a lawyer, Ashraf Farahat, saying that she had been “publishing
sexually provocative videos on TikTok.” The prosecution ordered Samy detained
for using her social media accounts in a way that “undermined the values and
family principles of the Egyptian society.” A judge sent her to pretrial
detention.
On
July 29, Tanta’s Economic Court convicted Samy as charged, sentenced her to 3
years in prison, and fined her 300,000 EGP. On August 9, Samy was released on
bail of 20,000 EGP (US$1,250) pending her appeal.
During
a detention renewal hearing on July 5, the prosecution in Qaliubiya governorate
ordered the arrest of Samy’s father, brother, and sister, media reports said, after
an argument arose outside the courthouse over whether Samy could see her
3-year-old daughter. On August 5, the prosecution renewed the 3 family members’
detention for 15 days on charges of attacking a police officer.
The
2010 United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and
Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules) provide that “women
prisoners’ contact with their families, including their children, and their
children’s guardians and legal representatives shall be encouraged and
facilitated by all reasonable means.”
Sherifa
Refaat and Noura Hisham
In
early June, the authorities arrested Sherifa Refaat, 46, and her daughter,
Noura Hisham, 24, a popular mother-daughter duo on TikTok and Instagram with
more than 100,000 followers, for “undermining the family values of Egyptian
society.” In a video posted on YouTube on April 30, one person who had made
several complaint videos said that the authorities should arrest Refaat and
Hisham “to send them where they sent Sama el-Masry.” A few weeks later, the
Interior Ministry’s Morality Police arrested the two at an apartment in Cairo’s
Heliopolis neighborhood. The person who made the complaint video was the first
to announce the news of their arrest on June 10.
Prosecutor
General Hamada al-Sawy said on June 12 that the prosecution’s “analysis and
monitoring” unit “received several complaints calling for their arrest” and
that the prosecution staff “monitored the anger of social media users” over
videos published by the two women.
Media
reports said prosecutors accused the two of posting “sexually suggestive”
pictures and videos “amounting to incitement to prostitution.” On June 27, a
judge renewed pretrial detention for both. Their trial began on July 29 before
Cairo’s Economic Court.
Menatullah
Emad
On
July 1, police in Cairo’s Dokki neighborhood arrested “Renad” (her real name is
Menatullah) Emad, 20, in a café. Prosecutors ordered her detained pending
investigation over charges of posting “indecent” content on TikTok. Emad is a
social media influencer on Instagram and TikTok with over 2.3 million followers
on both platforms. Both accounts appear to have been deleted.
Hadeer
al-Hady
On
July 6, Giza’s Morality Police arrested Hadeer al-Hady, 23, who has more than a
million followers on TikTok and Instagram, for posting “indecent” videos
online. They confiscated al-Hady’s laptop and phone and, on August 4, renewed
her pretrial detention until August 18. Media reports indicate that the
authorities might subject her to virginity testing.
Basant
Mohamed
Morality
Police arrested Basant Mohamed, a 20-year-old student from Alexandria, on July
10, regarding her video content on TikTok. Mohamed, who has almost one and half
million followers on TikTok and Instagram, was released on July 11 pending an
investigation.
Discrimination
and Violence Against Women, and Media Censorship
The
recent “morality” arrests of women are taking place in an environment in which
media and human rights organizations have been reporting escalating government restrictions
aimed at “reshaping” artistic and cultural expression. For President al-Sisi’s
government, the red lines are not just about political dissent but also “public
morals” and societal norms. President al-Sisi has made several statements in
which he criticized media that “has harmful effect on the society.”
In
2018, Human Rights Watch reported a campaign to crush artistic freedoms in
Egypt, including arresting pop singers, writers, and belly dancers. The
authorities prosecuted several for alleged “indecency.”
“Morals”
prosecutions frequently affect women disproportionately as they revolve around
women’s clothes or behavior, reinforcing the deep-rooted societal
discrimination women face compared to men. Most of the recently prosecuted
women appeared in videos and photos – which constituted the basis for their
arrest – in regular clothes that are common in Egypt. Many of the women social
media influencers targeted also reportedly come from poorer social and economic
classes.
These
arrests are taking place against the backdrop of a #MeToo social media campaign
in which dozens of Egyptian women are speaking out on platforms such as
Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about their experiences with gender-based
violence, assault, and rape. Egyptian security and judicial authorities often
fail to pursue men accused of sexual harassment or assault.
The
government also has failed to prioritize a draft law stalled in parliament
since 2017 that would define and criminalize domestic violence. The UN
estimates that almost a third of Egyptian women experience intimate partner
physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Weak implementation of a recent
law that criminalizes female genital mutilation allows for the practice to
remain highly prevalent.
In
addition to squeezing online space for women, the authorities have waged
against independent women’s and human rights groups, making it difficult for
them to work without facing retaliation and prosecution. The authorities have,
for the past five years, prosecuted and banned from leaving the country leading
independent women’s rights activists, including Mozn Hassan, head of Nazra for
Feminist Studies, and Azza Soleiman, head of the Center for Egyptian Women’s
Legal Assistance. Nazra had to shut down their offices in March 2018 as a
consequence of a years-long asset freeze in connection with the ongoing
prosecution.
The
National Council on Women, a government entity tasked with empowering women and
ending discrimination, has not issued any statements or taken any action to support
women’s rights activists facing prosecution and travel bans or the women caught
in the government’s serial arrests targeting social media content makers.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/17/egypt-spate-morality-prosecutions-women
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UK's
First Muslim Female Referee Talks Learning English, Discrimination And Career
Goals
August
17, 2020
Here
Jawahir referees at a Dulwich Hamlets ground, south London, during a game with
educational charity Football Beyond Borders
------
"People
will always be negative, but take nothing to heart."
The
UK's first Muslim female referee says she is aiming to officiate at the highest
level, and she has encouraged other women to follow her path.
Jawahir
Roble was just 10 when she took refuge in London with her family after fleeing
civil war in Somalia.
Living
in the shadow of Wembley Stadium and playing football in primary school were
the first steps on her journey to becoming a referee.
In
an interview with BBC Sport, the 25-year-old discusses learning English, how
she handles discrimination and her career goals.
'I
wanted to play for England'
Roble,
also known as 'JJ', arrived on British soil not speaking any English.
She
recalls her primary school classmates being "confused" as she
struggled to communicate, but she was able to settle in quickly because of her
shared love of a different language.
"I
didn't speak English but football was there from day one," she said.
"I would bring my own ball and whoever has the ball at primary school is
at the top. All the boys and girls would play with me and it was the best
feeling.
"In
the classroom, it was all grammar and I was so confused but the only time I was
actually trying to speak was when I was playing with the kids. I would say
'please pass me the ball', 'thank you' and 'shoot'.
"Words
would just come out naturally and I was like, damn, I'm speaking English."
Roble
says she dreamt of representing England as a professional footballer, but her
parents encouraged her to pursue a "normal" career.
"I
wanted to play for England but my parents were like it was never going to
happen," she said. "They wanted me to study and get a normal job like
girls do.
"The
transition from wanting to become a player to a referee happened just because I
wanted to try something new, and volunteered for the local girls league.
"Trying
new things is the best thing you can do."
'At
first, I was wondering why they were shocked... Now I can't wait to say it'
Having
taken charge of both women's and men's amateur matches while wearing a hijab,
Roble says what she used to find shocking has now become an amusement.
She
said: "When I first go to the ground I do not wear my kit, and so I go to the
groundsman and say 'hello sir, I'm the referee today, please can you give me a
changing room?'
"Then
it's usually: 'Are you?'
"At
the beginning, I was wondering why they would be surprised, but now I can't
wait to say it and you get used to it. I like the shock."
Her
steely resilience also extends to the players.
"If
I ever receive abuse I would stand up," she added.
"During
a game, some players might say things like 'this is a man's game'. I say it's a
man's game and a woman's game. You just missed the goal and you are having a
mare so focus on yourself.
"After
the game finishes they usually apologise."
'It
doesn't change anything about me'
Despite
saying her unique position as the only Muslim female referee is a "title
that does not change anything about me", Roble recognises her importance
in inspiring the next cohort of women referees.
Roble,
who is the subject of a Uefa 'We Play Strong' mini documentary, says the
development of female officials has to be encouraged.
"In
terms of increasing the level of female referees, I would say celebrate each
one and support them," she said.
"The
women's game is growing and referees have to progress alongside it. Encourage,
encourage, encourage."
Asked
how far she would like to take her career, Roble said: "Refereeing a
women's final or men's final and as high as I can get.
"I
have completed university and I would classify myself as a full-time athlete,
so watch out for me, I'm coming."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53767540
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Egypt
Approves Law to Protect Identities Of Women Reporting Sex Abuse
August
16, 2020
CAIRO:
Egypt approved a new law on Sunday to protect the identity of women who come
forward to report sexual harassment or assault in a move that aimed to
encourage women and girls to report cases of sexual violence.
The
law, which will give victims the automatic right to anonymity, comes as
hundreds of women have started to speak up on social media about sexual assault
in a #MeToo movement in Egypt where women have long felt disadvantaged.
Female
parliamentarian Ghada Ghareeb said the law was a step “in a long road of
issuing regulations that preserve women’s rights.”
“The
government had noticed that there was a sharp decline in women being able to
report cases of sexual assault they have been subjected to because they fear of
social stigma,” Ghareeb told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Ghareeb
expected the approval of the law would increase reporting of sexual assaults in
the coming months in the conservative, Muslim-majority nation.
The
bill was approved by the cabinet early in July and submitted to parliament
after being presented by the Ministry of Justice.
It
followed a widely-published case in July of a university student from a wealthy
background who was arrested and accused of raping and blackmailing multiple
women. Investigations are continuing.
The
case triggered a #MeToo wave in Egypt with the National Council for Women
saying it received 400 complaints mainly about violence against women within
five days of the case being made public and hundreds of women started to share
stories online.
The
debate escalated further after an Instagram page revealed a gang rape case in a
Cairo hotel, with the six men involved believed to be from powerful, rich
families.
The
state-run National Council for Women said it stood beside every woman and girl
who was exposed to any form of threat by providing the necessary support.
The
council urged any women who had face such attacks to come forward to both the
council and the public prosecution, and to report the incident quickly through
official reporting mechanisms.
A
2017 Thomson Reuters Foundation poll found Cairo to be the most dangerous
megacity for women, and 99% of women in Egypt interviewed by the United Nations
in 2013 reported sexual harassment.
An
outcry over attacks on women near Tahrir Square during President Abdel Fattah
El-Sisi’s inauguration celebrations in 2014 prompted a new law punishing sexual
harassment with at least six months jail but many activists saw this as too
weak.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1720376/middle-east
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Empowerment
of women and youth government’s top priority, says Saudi governor
August
17, 2020
AL-QASSIM:
Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Mishaal was briefed on an initiative by the Qudra
National Women’s Association to train young Saudi men and women and promote
self-employment. The “Barista” project aims to provide training in coffee
making and enable the youth to start their own businesses.
The
governor was informed about the mechanism through which the association engages
the local community and empowers people. More than 1,000 people have so far
applied for the two-month program.
Prince
Faisal praised the initiative and stressed the importance of such projects for
the socioeconomic development of the country. The governor said that the
empowerment of youth and finding employment for them is a government top priority.
In
a separate meeting, the region’s education officials called on the governor and
briefed him on the measures the education department was taking to ensure
uninterrupted education by using the latest technology during the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) pandemic
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1720546/saudi-arabia
--------
Iraq’s
government needs more female voices to fight the pandemic
by
Hanar Marouf
AUG
17, 2020
Day
in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Iraq
is in a precarious condition. It has faced major challenges on multiple fronts,
including political instability, a drop in oil prices, and the economic fallout
amid the coronavirus outbreak. While the government deliberates protection
measures, the capacity of hospitals and staff remain limited. The rampant spread of the virus, with an
average of 3,000 daily infections, has only been exacerbated by a lack of
concrete emergency plans. Up to mid-August, Iraq had 150,000 cases and 5,400
deaths.
One
aspect that has been largely ignored during the COVID-19 outbreak is the plight
of Iraqi women. Preventative measures against the virus have negatively
affected Iraqi women, threatening years of advances in access to education,
mobility, healthcare, financial support, and decision-making.
Around
the world, the pandemic has caused an increase in domestic violence, including
in Arab countries like Iraq. The United Nations Population Fund released a
report in March testifying that pandemics increase gender-based violence. The
exposure of abusive behavior is more predictable when a family is under
lockdown and this has forced many women to remain at home with their abusers.
Both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have
separately put in place preventive measures in order to limit the coronavirus
spread, but lack input on preventing gender-based violence and coordination. In
March, with the gradual spread of the virus, the KRG rapidly imposed a
month-long lockdown, similar to the Iraqi government’s imposing of multiple
lockdowns . With this in mind, gender-based violence is a risk for many across
Iraq and requires serious attention.
According
to Suzan Arif, head of the Women Empowerment Organization, the Iraqi
government, even prior to the pandemic, lacked a large-scale emergency response
that deals with domestic violence. In addition, coping with COVID-19 has also
affected nongovernmental organizations’ (NGO) ability to deliver their services
to manage gender-based violence. As communications are conducted through
electronic devices and online methods, there is an associated cost for many
Iraqis who do not have access to technologies like the internet or even a cell phone.
Still, the free 119 helpline for domestic abuse reported a call decrease during
the lockdown, according to Iraqi civil society organizations. Many victims lack
privacy and fear being caught on the phone by their male relatives. Similarly,
organizations with social media accounts, such as Peace and Development
organization, saw victims sometimes deleting their messages after the initial
post, fearing reprisal from their abusers.
Interestingly,
NGOs are also facing difficulties with online case management according to
Behar Munzir, the head of the Peace and Development Organization. Case managers
and social workers demand capacity building in order to adapt to receiving and
dealing with cases online. Mental health and social support, a critical part of
the response, have come under serious strain as well. Munzir said that
lifesaving services have been affected too. For example, in the beginning of
the lockdown, shelters in the Kurdistan region of Iraq accepted sensitive cases
conditionally fearing drawing crowds in the shelters, thus imposing preventive
measures on those most at risk whom escaped their families to find second homes
should have been treated differently.
Domestic
violence during the lockdown isn’t the only problem plaguing Iraqi women. After
years of striving for equal participation in all facets of life and
contributing to Iraq’s socio-economic development, women are under threat of
losing much of these gains because they are forced to stay at home due to the
virus. Iraqi women, who contributed to their household by working a job or
several jobs, find themselves back in their traditional role of housewife and
are expected to prioritize taking care of their family.
Another
issue is the role of women in the Iraqi healthcare system. Iraqi Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi admitted that Iraq does not have a viable health system.
With the rising cases of coronavirus since May, there has been reduced access
to medical facilities across the country. Most hospitals are dedicated to
COVID-19 cases, limiting capacity to receive other types patients. Female
doctors play a critical role alongside their male colleagues. However, they
lack support and occasionally receive threats from patients’ families out of
fear of not conducting their work properly. Some families remain reluctant to
even allow their female family members to face such harsh conditions. A female
doctor from Basra told me that her father barred her from working before
hashing out a solution to continue her work duties. There are also concerns
regarding quarantining women who carry the virus, as some families refuse to
let female members remain in quarantine unaccompanied due to religious or
cultural beliefs.
These
issues are largely being ignored due to limited female representation in the Iraqi
and KRG governments, as it is still not common to give decision-making
positions to women. It’s worth noting, however, that even before the pandemic,
community decisions lacked women’s participation and most of the
decision-making bodies were made up of men. According to the Women in
Parliament report in 2019, Iraq ranks sixty-seventh out of 192 countries in
giving a high proportion of seats to women. When it comes to decision-making
and cabinet positions, there is an even larger gender deficit and women’s
participation is very limited.
Women’s
political presence in Iraq still remains a challenge structurally and
culturally with barriers in equal participation. As a result, the few female
representatives that do exist have had little to no say in gender-sensitive
concerns. A recent study by Oxfam in June shows that half of the women that
were surveyed in Kirkuk have stated that they were not involved in discussions
regarding coronavirus-related decision-making. Prioritizing women’s
participation can positively influence the implementation of prevention plans,
as their insights will have gender-sensitive methodologies that consider
women’s needs. Involving civil society and women’s rights NGOs is an
indispensable safeguard to their equal representation and satisfaction of their
needs.
It’s
worth mentioning that, for their part, Iraqi media outlets and prominent social
media accounts have not been constructive in spreading awareness regarding the
gender sensitive obstacles that have come with the pandemic. The ultimate focus
of media outlets has remained on preventive measures, the spread of COVID-19,
the economic crisis, and political announcements. Gender sensitive issues,
healthcare barriers with dedicating the majority of hospitals in Iraq to
COVID-19 response, and access to education are not familiar areas of discussion
on Iraqi TV channels. A palpable sense of what women go through and face amid
the coronavirus crisis should be included in media programs. This is an
opportunity to be inclusive, to give a limelight to women’s voices across Iraqi
media, to welcome their perspectives, their concerns, and meet their needs.
If
such opportunities are not met, the repercussions will have grave ramifications
for the future of Iraqi women. Since it’s unclear how long the coronavirus
pandemic will last, gender sensitivity and women’s voices need to be introduced
in all decision-making processes and heard across Iraqi communities. Otherwise,
the gains women activists have fought for in recent decades will eventually be
erased.
Hanar
Marouf is a PhD candidate in politics and international relations, and a
Millennium Leadership Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/iraqs-government-needs-more-female-voices-to-fight-the-pandemic/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/arrests-jail-violating-family-values/d/122647