Women and Girls Empowerment Program

Iraq has experienced significant deterioration in its security situation due to attacks by armed terrorist groups in central and northern regions, as well as sectarian violence. This has resulted in the displacement of thousands of families and the absence of basic protection for the civilian population.
Vulnerable groups are increasingly living in hardship, with no access to essential services such as water, sanitation, health care, and education.
Many marginalized Iraqis—most of them women and children—face significant challenges in accessing the justice system, health care, and education.
Under such circumstances, Iraq lacks responsible, comprehensive, and contextually sensitive socio-legal formal and informal intervention systems. Women and girls remain the most disadvantaged group in an unequal social justice system.
The failure to protect women and girls from broken political and socio-legal systems not only violates their right to access justice, but also entrenches gender-discriminatory structures, allowing abuse and trauma to persist for generations.
The Women Empowerment Support Program works to enhance gender equality values and practices, and to support the development of women so they can effectively participate in decision-making, enjoy their rights, and improve their capabilities to achieve the necessary skills and knowledge.
The program provides technical support services at the psychological, social, and legal levels for women in need of these services.
This is coupled with advocacy efforts to develop and amend legislation, laws, policies, and executive procedures that guarantee and protect women’s rights.
Improving the well-being of women victims of all forms of violence (physical, psychological, social, verbal, and sexual) through professional support services including legal aid, psycho-social support, and family forum.

Providing legal aid to women victims of violence monthly, including consultations, mediation, arbitration, filing lawsuits, representing women before courts, and following up judicial procedures to secure their legal and legitimate rights.

Offering psychosocial support services to women victims monthly, including individual consultations, group therapy, recreational activities, and open days.

Providing a family forum service for separated couples and divorcees to meet their children in a safe and comfortable environment.

Increasing public awareness about all forms of violence against women and their rights as outlined in international conventions.

Enhancing the skills and experiences of professionals working on women’s issues through advanced training courses, benefiting almost 3,000 participants, including women leaders, activists, fresh graduates, social figures, police officers, youth groups, and law graduates. The training covers violence concepts, protection mechanisms, gender, women’s rights, advocacy, alternative conflict resolution, legal protection mechanisms, penal procedures, and personal status laws.

Conducting capacity-building programs to institutionalize traditional interventions by Mukhtars, Imams, and reconciliation committees toward adopting modern approaches that ensure safe reintegration of victims of violence into their communities.