The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have established a collaboration agreement to fight gender-related violence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The partnership, as reported by the Embassy of Italy in Baghdad, aims to strengthen the safety, protection and well-being of women and girls who have survived gender-related violence in this autonomous region of northern Iraq.
In fact, the numbers of femicides and episodes of gender-based violence represent a constantly growing threat in the region. According to Infobae.com, in the course of 2021 45 women were killed, compared to 25 in 2020.
“The Government of Italy fully supports the urgent need to provide assistance to women and girls victims of gender violence, through the restoration of basic services. Every effort should also be taken to reintegrate those victims within their communities and provide them with tangible support to rebuild their lives”, stated the Ambassador of Italy to Iraq, Maurizio Greganti.
As reported by the Embassy, the new partnership will facilitate access to high-quality protection services for female victims of violence, including psychological and social support.
The project also aims to improve case management and referrals to other services at survivors’ request. The project aims to build capacity in the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Kurdistan’s High Council of Women’s Affairs, and the Directorate General for Combating Violence Against Women. It will also facilitate access to justice through standard operational procedures adopted by the judicial and police authorities.
Dina Zorba, UN Women Representative to Iraq and Yemen, thanked the Italian Government for its “generous contribution to addressing gender-related violence and inequality and to improving the safety and well-being of women and girl survivors of such violence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq“.
The Director of the AICS office in Amman, Emilio Cabasino, underscored that “this project is in line with Italian Cooperation’s priorities in preventing and combating gender-related violence in the country, focusing on immediate recovery and improved accessibility to basic services”.
