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About this brief
Women empowerment to build peace during the transitional justice period in Iraq after 2003
Brief about:
Report with Individual Authors (2022)
Written by:
This research focused on the transitional justice programmes in Iraq since 2003 to now. But it has not been successful, since we still have victims and survivors who have not experienced justice or resolution. Women’s empowerment is a key focus of the research, as gender norms and restrictions on women’s rights have been exacerbated by extremism and long periods of conflict.
We still have victims and survivors who have not received justice from the Ba’arth regime, and the issues resulting from this conflict are yet to be resolved.
Reparations are only being seen as a financial compensation, and how to give money to the victims. And are not being seen as any other type of reparation. Demobilization Disarmament Reintegration (DDR) strategies are not being included with how transitional justice programmes deal with the military. There is no rehabilitation to integrate these military groups back into civil society in Iraq.
The current law is focusing on peoples identity. The identity of the victim and the identity of the perpetuator. Which is increasing discrimination between people, because people cannot access their rights if they are of a certain identity. And this was an issue before Daesh. But after Daesh, the law has been very slow and not focusing on the reparations that the people need – and especially what marginalised people need. And they also focus on the identities of the perpetuators.
Many issues are not being addressed, because it’s not the right perpetuator. And this is especially so, if there is a political orientation. All of the transitional justice programmes after Saddam and after ISIS have been designed to be good to the current politicians – it was a tool by the politicians not to achieve justice, but instead how to continue to protect their political power and protect their interest in Iraq.
My family lost our house because of the war, and after five years we still did not receive any compensation. I also heard sad and terrible stories from my friends and relatives who experienced the same, and most of them still have not received reparations. It feels like the government do not seem to care about the situations of the victims or their losses, and this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
And so when we think about peacebuilding, we also need to review what happened, what are the programmes of peacebuilding? Why all of these laws and all of this programmes didn’t attain what they said they would?
Key findings
- The whole programme of transitional justice programmes after Saddam's regime and after ISIS were designed to serve the political interests of politicians and protect their power, rather than addressing the problems faced by victims and survivors of the conflicts.What it means
The real goal was not to build peace and eliminate discrimination.
- There are problems with the legal definition of terrorism and the criteria used to determine who is a terrorist.What it means
This has led to discrimination against certain groups, particularly Sunni people, minority groups and women.
- Many laws related to transitional justice in Iraq have articles that discriminate against certain groups.What it means
Compensation and reparations are discriminatory based on the military group a person is associated with. Those associated with the popular crowd, for example, receive different compensation than those associated with other military groups
Proposed action
- When we want to have the goal of justice and peacebuilding then actors need to stop working based on people's identities
Get rid of the discrimination within the laws.
- We need institutional reform which is about all the transitional justice programmes processes and for the media
Implement real institutional reform for all the institutions in Iraq.
- We also need to reform women's rights and youth rights in order to be able to pave the way for transitional justice
- We need to change the government's mentality about priorities
Rather than solely focusing on extremism and stopping weapons, they need to centre civil rights.
- We also need to work for truth
We still half half-a-million who have disappeared, and we need to address this issue and find the people. And not just the people who disappeared under Daesh, but to also search for the others. There are a huge number that disappeared during the liberation, or after Daesh.
- People need to have access to IDs ( for women and for children too)
Because this is what is needed to get reparations, to be able to access education, and to be able to access other services. And a lack of IDs has caused many families to face big problems to be able to access their rights, and creates daily struggles to daily life. For children who do not have IDs, then they are assumed to be children of Daesh. Many are not related to Daesh, but they do not have their ID because of the outcome of conflict.
- And not only ID's, but other official documents that people need to access reparations
For example, the official documents of real estates so that people can prove that they had this house when it has been destroyed.
- Rather than dealing with people according to their ethnic or religious identity
People should be seen as Iraqi. The idea of an Iraqi identity needs to grow. It should not matter their religion, sect or ethnicity. Laws should be the same for everyone and related to civil ideas and in line with a human rights approach. But the discrimination starts from the top, then it trickles to civil society level. So it starts with the laws not discriminating. If you are Iraqi, that should be enough to be able to access your rights and protection. Currently to access rights, you need to find an identity that will allow you to (a connection with a militia group), being Iraqi should be enough.
- While the governments have their strategies and plans to work with civil society and have strong points related to gender approach and human rights approach, it is not implemented
The lack of implementation is due to the the different directions and orientations between political parties. They are different identities and have different international supports. We need one vision for Iraq, that unites all. We can't change the political parties, but we might be able to unite their vision using a human rights approach. As this is better for them, for their situation and for the Iraqi people.
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Women empowerment to build peace during the transitional justice period in Iraq after 2003
Cite this brief: Ghassan, Reem. 'Women empowerment to build peace during the transitional justice period in Iraq after 2003'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/women-empowerment-to-build-peace-during-the-transitional-justice-period-in-iraq-after-2003/
Brief created by: Dr Reem Ghassan | Year brief made: 2024
Original research:
- Ghassan, R., Women empowerment to build peace during the transitional justice period in Iraq after 2003. –
Research brief:
This research focused on the transitional justice programmes in Iraq since 2003 to now. But it has not been successful, since we still have victims and survivors who have not experienced justice or resolution. Women’s empowerment is a key focus of the research, as gender norms and restrictions on women’s rights have been exacerbated by…
We still have victims and survivors who have not received justice from the Ba’arth regime, and the issues resulting from this conflict are yet to be resolved.
Reparations are only being seen as a financial compensation, and how to give money to the victims. And are not being seen as any other type of reparation. Demobilization Disarmament Reintegration (DDR) strategies are not being included with how transitional justice programmes deal with the military. There is no rehabilitation to integrate these military groups back into civil society in Iraq.
The current law is focusing on peoples identity. The identity of the victim and the identity of the perpetuator. Which is increasing discrimination between people, because people cannot access their rights if they are of a certain identity. And this was an issue before Daesh. But after Daesh, the law has been very slow and not focusing on the reparations that the people need – and especially what marginalised people need. And they also focus on the identities of the perpetuators.
Many issues are not being addressed, because it’s not the right perpetuator. And this is especially so, if there is a political orientation. All of the transitional justice programmes after Saddam and after ISIS have been designed to be good to the current politicians – it was a tool by the politicians not to achieve justice, but instead how to continue to protect their political power and protect their interest in Iraq.
My family lost our house because of the war, and after five years we still did not receive any compensation. I also heard sad and terrible stories from my friends and relatives who experienced the same, and most of them still have not received reparations. It feels like the government do not seem to care about the situations of the victims or their losses, and this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
And so when we think about peacebuilding, we also need to review what happened, what are the programmes of peacebuilding? Why all of these laws and all of this programmes didn’t attain what they said they would?
Findings:
The whole programme of transitional justice programmes after Saddam’s regime and after ISIS were designed to serve the political interests of politicians and protect their power, rather than addressing the problems faced by victims and survivors of the conflicts.
The real goal was not to build peace and eliminate discrimination.
There are problems with the legal definition of terrorism and the criteria used to determine who is a terrorist.
This has led to discrimination against certain groups, particularly Sunni people, minority groups and women.
Many laws related to transitional justice in Iraq have articles that discriminate against certain groups.
Compensation and reparations are discriminatory based on the military group a person is associated with. Those associated with the popular crowd, for example, receive different compensation than those associated with other military groups
Advice:
When we want to have the goal of justice and peacebuilding then actors need to stop working based on people’s identities
- Get rid of the discrimination within the laws.
We need institutional reform which is about all the transitional justice programmes processes and for the media
- Implement real institutional reform for all the institutions in Iraq.
We also need to reform women’s rights and youth rights in order to be able to pave the way for transitional justice
We need to change the government’s mentality about priorities
- Rather than solely focusing on extremism and stopping weapons, they need to centre civil rights.
We also need to work for truth
- We still half half-a-million who have disappeared, and we need to address this issue and find the people. And not just the people who disappeared under Daesh, but to also search for the others. There are a huge number that disappeared during the liberation, or after Daesh.
People need to have access to IDs ( for women and for children too)
- Because this is what is needed to get reparations, to be able to access education, and to be able to access other services. And a lack of IDs has caused many families to face big problems to be able to access their rights, and creates daily struggles to daily life. For children who do not have IDs, then they are assumed to be children of Daesh. Many are not related to Daesh, but they do not have their ID because of the outcome of conflict.
And not only ID’s, but other official documents that people need to access reparations
- For example, the official documents of real estates so that people can prove that they had this house when it has been destroyed.
Rather than dealing with people according to their ethnic or religious identity
- People should be seen as Iraqi. The idea of an Iraqi identity needs to grow. It should not matter their religion, sect or ethnicity. Laws should be the same for everyone and related to civil ideas and in line with a human rights approach. But the discrimination starts from the top, then it trickles to civil society level. So it starts with the laws not discriminating. If you are Iraqi, that should be enough to be able to access your rights and protection. Currently to access rights, you need to find an identity that will allow you to (a connection with a militia group), being Iraqi should be enough.
While the governments have their strategies and plans to work with civil society and have strong points related to gender approach and human rights approach, it is not implemented
- The lack of implementation is due to the the different directions and orientations between political parties. They are different identities and have different international supports. We need one vision for Iraq, that unites all. We can’t change the political parties, but we might be able to unite their vision using a human rights approach. As this is better for them, for their situation and for the Iraqi people.