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Violence Against Women in Iraq: How You Can Help

When the US invaded Iraq, George W. Bush told the Iraqi people, "We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free."

But every time we hear from our friends in Iraq, one thing is abundantly clear—the impact of the US invasion has been anything but prosperous. Rather, the occupation has brought a sharp rise in violence and extreme poverty, making daily life very dangerous for millions of Iraqi women and children.

Drinking water is contaminated. Streets are littered with uncollected garbage. And the price of food staples and cooking fuel has skyrocketed.

Explosions and machine gun fire fill the air every night. Dawn finds the sky over Baghdad filled with black apache helicopters. And suicide bombs claim dozens of innocent civilian lives every day.

But for the women of Iraq, the violence doesn't always come from a helicopter or tank. In every war zone, women face an increase of rape and sexual violence as the established social order breaks down. It is estimated that more than 400 Iraqi women were abducted and raped in the first four months of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The rapes have triggered an increase in "honor killings," in which male relatives murder rape survivors because the attack has �shamed� the family.

Violence and repression has also grown as reactionary religious forces gain power through Iraq. Extremists hostile to women's rights have filled the power vacuum created by the US overthrow of Sadaam Hussein's government. In fact, US authorities helped create the current climate by appointing several reactionary Muslim clerics to the Iraqi Governing Council—against the protests of women's organizations.

As the crisis grows, MADRE is reaching out to the women and children of Iraq, sending support to local community-based organizations. One group, the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), is run by Yannar Mohammed. In the past year, Yanar has risked her life to open three women's shelters—in Baghdad, Kirkuk and Erbil. For the desperate women who knock on the doors in the middle of the night, these shelters are the difference between life and death.

MADRE provided support to help get these three shelters up and running. But much more remains to be done. Here's what we need to do, and how you can help:

• Keep the shelters open to save women's lives. Iraqi women cite a breakdown in security and public order as the number one problem in Iraq since the invasion. Increasing Islamic fundamentalism puts women (especially secular women) at particular risk: in many areas Islamic militants now patrol the streets, beating and harassing women who are not "properly" dressed or behaved. Iraq's economy is in tatters, yet no reconstruction money has gone to help Iraqi women trying to escape spiraling violence against women—whether in their homes or on the streets. As prices for basic necessities continue to rise, the women of OWFI have turned to us for help. MADRE needs your strong support now to help keep the doors open at all three of these vital women's shelters.
• Help Iraqi women gain skills to improve their lives. The women who seek refuge at OWFI shelters may arrive as victims. But OWFI's dedicated organizers are determined to help them walk out the door with the strength and skills they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their families. MADRE needs your help now to continue providing educational opportunities for the women at these three shelters.
• Support Iraqi women working to rebuild their country. In today's Iraq, women have been excluded from political decision-making, jeopardizing their rights for the future. MADRE is proud to stand with the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq to demand full social and political participation for women. Working in partnership with OWFI, MADRE is supporting training programs in journalism, community organizing, public speaking, and human rights to help Iraqi women play leadership roles in their society. MADRE needs your support now to provide Iraqi women with the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives, their communities, and their country.

You and I did not ask our government to go to war in Iraq, but we can do something now to help make things right again for our sisters there. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support MADRE's work with OWFI, click here. If you prefer to donate by check or money order, please send to:

MADRE
121 W. 27th Street, #301
New York, NY 10001

Thank you for your commitment to peace and justice!