The Center for Women’s Studies held a scientific conference to present the first report of the National Observatory for the Worst Types of Gender-Based Violence in Iraq in conjunction with the 16 days of campaign to combat gender-based violence with the participation of representatives of the ministries concerned with gender-based violence, international and local organizations and academics. The conference curriculum included the presentation of a documentary film about the National Observatory for the Worst Types of Violence, then a theatrical presentation was presented by a number of professors and students of the Academy of Fine Arts, and the head of the Department of Empowerment Research and Capacity Building, Prof. Dr. Asmaa Jameel, presented the results of the first report to monitor the worst types of violence leading to death.
The conference aimed to present the data issued by the authorities responsible for producing data related to the murders and suicides of women for discussing them by experts, academics and representatives of women’s rights organizations, revealing the difficulties and challenges facing the statistics of femicides, identifying deficiencies and gaps in the available data on femicides in order to improve them, alert and guide decision-makers and women’s rights organizations to the seriousness of violence leading to death and the need to give priority to improve the response to violence, as data on the killing of women and girls can provide broader knowledge on gender-based violence patterns. The conference was attended by a large number of those interested in women’s issues, the former director of the center for women’s studies, Dr. Ibtihal al-Zaidi, MP Suhaila Muslim al-Saadi from the Parliamentary Work Committee, a representative of the National Security Advisory, a representative of the Women’s Empowerment Department, the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, university professors, civil society organizations, ministries, government institutions and directors of research centers.