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Stabroek News

Iraq women and war
published: Monday | April 14, 2008

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

As the war continues in Iraq, the daily lives of millions of Iraqis have been uprooted by violence. Women have become the main victims of abuse, rape, honour killings and economic sanctions.

Dr Nadje Al Ali from the Centre for Gender Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in her presentation at the University of the West Indies on March 31, gave some insights on the myths and misconceptions that have been debated about Iraqi women. Dr Al Ali has studied Iraq as a socio-anthropologist and recently published the book: Iraqi Women: untold Stories from 1948 to the present.

She notes that during the '70s Iraqi women were the most educated in the region. With the Kuwait invasion in 1990, things took a turn for the worst. "Humanitarianism affected women and Iraq became the only country in the world that the literacy rate drop drastically, no books, magazines, etc, could enter the country."

The 2005 United States-led invasion did not help. Dr Al Ali notes that women's lives are just deteriorating. "Everyone is killing for food, oil, water, petrol, etc." She added that women and children are forced to stay home out of fear. She said that before there was one Saddam, now there are 90.

There is also a rise in extremism, kidnapping, honour killings and sectarian hatred. Women are the biggest losers.

Nigerian women and abortion

Figures show that about 10,000 Nigerian women die each year from unsafe abortions, carried out by untrained people in insanitary conditions. There are 27 deaths every day.

In Nigeria, abortion is illegal unless the life of the woman would be at risk if she were to give birth. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that more than 456,000 unsafe abortions are done in Nigeria every year.

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