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in Germany.<ref>http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/ehrenmorde-tatmotiv-kultur-1213953.html</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4345459.stm</ref><ref>http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/weltgeschehen/article13504056/So-brachte-Ayhan-Sueruecue-seine-Schwester-Hatun-um.html</ref>
{{POV|date=April 2016}}
{{women in society sidebar}}

'''Kurdish women''' ({{lang-ku|Jinên/Afiretên Kurd}}) have traditionally played important roles in Kurdish society and politics.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kurdish women’s movement reshapes Turkish politics – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/03/turkey-women-in-middle-east-figen-yuksekdag.html#|accessdate=23 April 2016|work=Al-Monitor|language=en-us}}</ref> Depended on the country in which they live, Kurdish women's rights have differed significantly. Kurdish women's rights have improved dramatically since 2000. However, despite the progress, Kurdish and international women's rights organizations have reported problems related to ], ], ] and ] (FGM), mainly in Iraq and Iran, where women's rights have been threatened by Islamic influence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Begikhani|first=Nazand|date=24 January 2015|title=Why the Kurdish Fight for Women's Rights Is Revolutionary|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-nazand-begikhani/kurdish-women-rights-fight_b_6205076.html|accessdate=8 March 2016|agency=Huffingtonpost}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=COMPARING IRAN AND TURKEY IN TERMS OF WOMEN RIGHTS|url=http://www.academia.edu/6519589/COMPARING_IRAN_AND_TURKEY_IN_TERMS_OF_WOMEN_RIGHTS|accessdate=3 April 2016|work=www.academia.edu}}</ref><ref name="fds">{{cite news|last1=survival|first1=cultural|title=Law and Women in the Middle East|url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/law-and-women-middle-east|accessdate=3 April 2016|work=Cultural Survival}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Shahidian|first1=Hammed|title=Women in Iran: Gender politics in the Islamic republic|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31476-6|url=https://books.google.com/?id=uXnmC1UPykQC&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=women%27s+rights+have+been+threatened+by+Islamic+influence+in+iran#v=onepage&q=women's%20rights%20have%20been%20threatened%20by%20Islamic%20influence%20in%20iran&f=false|language=en|year=2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Charter for the Rights and Freedoms of Women in the Kurdish Regions and Diaspora|publisher=Kurdish Human Rights Project|isbn=978-1-900175-71-5|page=8|url=https://books.google.com/?id=76JxDqTUG98C&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=kurdish+women+rights+in+different+countries#v=onepage&q=kurdish%20women%20rights%20in%20different%20countries&f=false|language=en|year=2004}}</ref>

== Historical accounts ==

=== In politics ===
] giving a speech at Newroz celebrations, Diyarbakir, March 21, 2007.]]
] received the 2014 International Pfeffer Peace Award in ] in October 2014]]
], who is considered the first female rabbi in ] history by some scholars, is believed to be the first known influential Kurdish woman in history. She wrote many letters and published several publications in the 17th century.

Knowledge about the early history of Kurdish women is limited by both the dearth of records and the near absence of research. In 1597 (16th century), Sharaf ad-Din Bitlisi's wrote a book named ], makes references to the women of the ruling landowning class, and their exclusion from public life and the exercise of state power, wrote that the Kurds of Ottoman Empire, who follow ], took four wives and, if they could afford it, four maids or slave girls. This regime of polygyny was, however, practiced by a minority, which included primarily the members of the ruling landowning class, the nobility, and the religious establishment. Sharaf ad-Din Bitlisi's also mentioned three Kurdish women assuming power in ] after the death of their husbands in order to transfer it to their sons upon their adulthood.<ref>Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures: Family, Law and Politics, Brill Academic Publishers,, 2003</ref> While generally referring to women using degrading words, Bitlisi extols the ability of the three women to rule in the manner of males, and calls one of them a “lioness”.<ref>Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures: Family, Law and Politics, Brill Academic Publishers,, 2003, p. 358ff</ref> In the court of
the powerful ] (region in Turkey), Kurdish women were not allowed into the marketplace, and would be killed if they went there, but women did occasionally assume power in Kurdish principalities after some Ottoman authorities had made some exceptions by accepting the succession in those principalities by a female ruler.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Citation
| last =
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| editor-last =Joseph
| editor-first =Suad
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| editor2-last =Najmābādi
| editor2-first =Afsāneh
| editor2-link =Afsaneh Najmabadi
| title =Encyclopaedia of women & Islamic cultures
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In the late 19th century, Lady Halima Khanim of ] was the ruler of ''Bash Kala'' until she was forced to surrender to the ] government after the suppression of ] in 1847. A young Kurdish woman named Fatma became chief of the Ezdinan tribe in 1909 and she was known among her tribe as the queen. During the ], Russian forces negotiated their safe passage through tribal territory with ''Lady Maryam'' of the famous Nehri family, who according to Basile Nikitine, wielded great authority among her followers. Lady Adela, ruler of Halabja, exerted great influence in the affairs of Jaf tribe in the Shahrazur plain on the Turco-Iranian frontier. The revival of commerce and restoration of law and order in the region of Halabja is attributed to her sound judgement.<ref>W. Jwaideh, ''The Kurdish national movement: its origins and development'', 419 pp., Syracuse University Press, 2006.(see p.44)</ref>

In 1993, Martin Van Bruinessen argued that Kurdish society was known as a male-dominated society, but we also find instances of Kurdish women becoming important political leaders.<ref>Matriarchy in Kurdistan? Women Rulers in Kurdish History, van Bruinessen, Martin. The International Journal of Kurdish Studies6.1/2 (Fall 1993): 25-D. http://search.proquest.com/openview/f4da197d4db25ff3ba4c392bcfd9408d/1</ref>

=== In society and literature ===
In 1858, the Kurdish writer Mahmud Bayazidi mentioned the life of Kurdish women in tribal, nomadic and rural communities. He noted that the
majority of marriages were monogamous and Kurdish did not veil and they participated in social activities such as work, dancing and singing together with men. When the tribe was attacked, women took part in war alongside men.<ref>{{Citation
| last =Bayazidi
| first =M
| author-link =
| last2 =Rudenko
| first2 =Margarita Borisovna
| author2-link =
| year =1859
| date =
| publication-date =1963
| contribution =
| contribution-url =
| editor-last =
| editor-first =
| editor-link =
| editor2-last =
| editor2-first =
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| title =Customs and manners of the Kurds
| edition =
| series =
| place =
| publication-place =Moscow USSR
| publisher =
| volume =
| pages =
| id =
| isbn =
| doi =
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| url =
}}</ref> In traditional Kurdish literature, both ] and patriarchal tendencies are found. In the ] of "Las and Khazal" (''Beytî Las û Xezal''), female tribal rulers openly compete over a lover, while in patriarchal contexts, women are subject to male violence.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

=== Accounts of Western travellers ===
European travelers sometimes noted the absence of veil, free association with males (such as strangers and guests), and female rulers.<ref>M. Galletti, ''Western Images of woman's role in Kurdish society'' in Women of a non-state nation, The Kurds, ed. by Shahrzad Mojab, Costa Mesa Publishers, 2001, pp.209-225.</ref> ] has reported several cases of Kurdish women running the affairs of their tribes. He met one of these female chiefs named ''Lady Adela'' in the region of ] in 1913. She was known for saving lives of many ] army officers during ] and was awarded the title of ''Khan-Bahadur'' by the British commander.<ref>V. Minorsky, ''The Tribes of Western Iran'', The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, pp.73-80, 1945. (p.78)</ref>

== Kurdish women in Turkey ==
In 1919, Kurdish women formed their first organization, the "Society for the Advancement of Kurdish Women", in ].<ref>{{Citation
| last = Alakom
| first = Rohat
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| publication-date =
| year = 1995
| title = Kurdish women, A New Force in Kurdistan
| edition =
| volume =
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| publication-place = Sweden
| place =
| publisher = Spånga Publishers,
| pages =
| page =
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}}</ref>

During the revolts of 1925–1937, the army targeted Kurdish women, many of who committed suicide to escape rape and abuse.<ref>{{Citation
| last =MacDowall
| first =David
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| publication-date =
| year =2004
| title =A Modern History of the Kurds
| edition =3rd
| volume =
| series =
| publication-place =London
| place =
| publisher =I.B. Tauris
| pages =207–210
| page =
| id =
| isbn =1-85043-416-6
| doi =
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}}</ref> By the mid-1990s, thousands of women had joined the ranks of ], and the Turkish mainstream media began a campaign of vilifying them as "prostitutes". In 1996, Kurdish women formed their own ] associations and journals such as ''Roza'' and ''Jujin''.<ref>{{Citation
| last =
| first =
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| date =
| publication-date =2003
| contribution =Kurdish Women
| contribution-url =
| editor-last =Joseph
| editor-first =Suad
| editor-link =
| editor2-last =Najmābādi
| editor2-first =Afsāneh
| editor2-link =Afsaneh Najmabadi
| title =Encyclopaedia of women & Islamic cultures
| edition =
| series =
| place =
| publication-place =Boston MA USA
| publisher =Brill Academic Publishers
| volume =
| pages =361–362
| id =
| isbn =90-04-13247-3
| doi =
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}}</ref>

] became the first Kurdish woman elected to Parliament of Turkey in 1991. During her inauguration speech, she identified herself as a Kurd and spoke in Kurdish. She was subsequently stripped of her immunity and sentenced to 15 years in prison. She was recognized by ] as a prisoner of conscience and was awarded the ] by the European Union in 1995.

Eight Kurdish women stood successfully as independent candidates in the 22 July 2007 general election, joining the ] after they entered the Turkish parliament.

In 2013, '']'' reported that 'the rape and torture of Kurdish prisoners in Turkey are disturbingly commonplace'.<ref name =gg>{{cite web|author=Meral Duzgun |url=http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/jun/10/turkey-history-sexual-violence |title=Turkey: a history of sexual violence &#124; Global Development Professionals Network &#124; Guardian Professional |publisher=Theguardian.com |accessdate=2013-12-03}}</ref>

In 2015, pro-LGBT and pro-Feminist Kurdish ] publicly announced that they will have LGBT and Feminist candidates. Baris Sulu, the left-wing People's Democratic Party (HDP) candidate, becomes the first openly gay man to run for the Turkish parliament.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet The Pro-Gay, Pro-Women Party Shaking Up Turkish Politics|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/08/turkey-hdp-party_n_7537648.html|accessdate=12 May 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=8 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Turkey now has its first ever gay parliamentary candidate|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/first-ever-openly-gay-parliamentary-candidate-stands-for-election-in-turkey-10274746.html|accessdate=12 May 2016|work=The Independent|date=25 May 2015|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Kurdish women in Iran ==
During ], Kurdish women suffered from attacks of Russian and Turkish armies. In 1915, Russian army massacred the male population of ] and abused two hundred women. ] issued his decree for coercive unveiling of women in 1936. Government treated the colorful traditional Kurdish female custome as ''ugly and dirty'' and it had to be replaced with ''civilized'' (i.e. Western) dress. Kurds called this forced dress as ]i rather than European.<ref>''Violence and culture: Confidential records about the abolition of hijab 1934–1943'', Iran National Archives, Tehran, 1992, pp.171, 249-250, 273.</ref><ref>http://www.utoronto.ca/wwdl/publications/english/mojab_introduction.pdf {{wayback|url=http://www.utoronto.ca/wwdl/publications/english/mojab_introduction.pdf |date=20041103034103 }}</ref>

] encouraged women's participation in public life and ] launched a political party for women which promoted education for females and rallied their support for the republic.<ref>S. Mojab, ''Women and Nationalism in the Kurdish Republic of 1946'' in Women of a non-state nation, The Kurds, ed. by Shahrzad Mojab, Costa Mesa Publishers, 2001, pp.71-91</ref> In August 1979, the Iranian Army launched an offensive to destroy the autonomist movement in ]. Kurdish organizations such as ] recruited hundreds of women into their military and political ranks. Within its own camps, Komala abolished gender segregation and women took part in combat and military training.

Over the years, Kurdish women assumed more roles in the Iranian society and by 2000, a significant number of Kurdish women had become part of the labor force, while an increasing number of females engaged in intellectual activities such as poetry, writing and music. On the other hand, some reports have been made about domestic violence which has led women to commit suicide, most commonly through self-immolation. It is believed that Iran's Islamic culture has been one of the main reasons.<ref>{{Citation
| last =
| first =
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| date =
| publication-date =2003
| contribution =Kurdish Women
| contribution-url =
| editor-last =Joseph
| editor-first =Suad
| editor-link =
| editor2-last =Najmābādi
| editor2-first =Afsāneh
| editor2-link =Afsaneh Najmabadi
| title =Encyclopaedia of women & Islamic cultures
| edition =
| series =
| place =
| publication-place =Boston MA USA
| publisher =Brill Academic Publishers
| volume =
| page =363
| id =
| isbn =90-04-13247-3
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Esfandiari |first=Golnaz |url=http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/2/C43C681F-0AD1-49B6-AADB-3784CA430536.html |title=Iran: Self-Immolation Of Kurdish Women Brings Concern (2006) |publisher=Rferl.org |date= |accessdate=2014-08-26}}</ref>

== Kurdish women in Syria ==
{{Further|Rojava}}
]

Kurdish women have several armed and non-armed organization in Syria, where they are focusing on women's rights.
Kurdish female fighters in the ] played a key role in the defense of ] and in rescuing ] trapped on ], and their achievements have attracted international attention as a rare example of strong female achievement in a region in which women are heavily repressed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/05032015|title=Female Kurdish fighters battling ISIS win Israeli hearts|work=Rudaw|accessdate=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctQFgDabh1U|title=The Fight Against ISIS in Syria And Iraq December 2014 by Itai Anghel|date=22 December 2014|work=The Israeli Network via YouTube|accessdate=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tin.tv/site/show/cat2/fact-2012-uvda|title=Fact 2015 (Uvda) – Israel’s leading investigative show|date=22 December 2014|work=The Israeli Network|accessdate=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rudaw.net/english/world/26122014|title=Kurdish female fighters named ‘most inspiring women’ of 2014|work=Rudaw|accessdate=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/kobani-how-sacrifice-local-knowledge-heroism-kurdish-female-fighters-beat-isis-1487358|title=Kobani: How strategy, sacrifice and heroism of Kurdish female fighters beat Isis|work=International Business Times UK|accessdate=8 March 2015}}</ref>

== Kurdish women in Iraq ==
{{POV section|date=April 2016}}
], 2012]]
]
The prominent Kurdish poet ] denounced discrimination and violence against women. The first journal for Kurdish women, ''Dengî Afiret'' "Woman's Voice", was published in 1953. Following the overthrow of monarchy in 1958, the Union of Kurdish Women lobbied for legal reform in the Iraqi civil law and it succeeded in bringing marriage under civil control and abolishing honor killing. Honor killings was serious problem among Muslim communities until Iraq illegalized it. The first female judge in ] was a Kurdish woman named ''Zakiyya Hakki'' who was appointed by ]. She later became part of the leadership of ].<ref name="Women in the New Iraq">, by Judith Colp Rubin, ], September 2008.</ref>

During the ] campaign in 1988, Kurdish women were kept in concentration camps and rape was used as a form of punishment. In 1994, Kurdish women marched for peace from ] to ] and protested against the civil war in ].<ref name=autogenerated1 /> After the establishment of ], women were able to form their own organizations and several women became ministers in the cabinet of local government. In September 2003, ] was appointed to the 25-member Iraq provisional cabinet as minister of municipalities and public works, and in June 2004, she was among six women named to the 30-member transitional cabinet and in April 2005 was named permanently to that post. As the top Iraqi official in charge of municipal and environmental affairs, Berwari is considered as one of the most important figures in the Iraqi civil administration.<ref name="Women in the New Iraq" />

Women's rights activists have said that after the elections in 1992, only five of the 105 elected members of parliament were women, and that women’s initiatives were even actively opposed by conservative Kurdish male politicians.<ref name="www2.warwick.ac.uk">https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/people/pratt/publications/mjcc_004_03_06_al-ali_and_pratt.pdf</ref> Honor killings and other forms of violence against women have increased since the creation of Iraqi Kurdistan, and "both the KDP and PUK claimed that women’s oppression, including ‘honor killings’, are part of Kurdish ‘tribal and Islamic culture’".<ref name="www2.warwick.ac.uk" /> New laws against honor killing and polygamy were introduced in Iraqi Kurdistan, however it was noted by Amnesty International that the prosecution of honor killings remains low, and the implementation of the anti-polygamy resolution (in the PUK-controlled areas) has not been consistent.<ref name="www2.warwick.ac.uk" /> On the other hand, women rights activists also had some successes in Iraqi Kurdistan, and it was claimed that "the rise of conservative nationalist forces and the women’s movement are two sides of the same coin of Kurdish nationalism."<ref name="www2.warwick.ac.uk" />

In 2015, 20 year-old Kurdish girl ] has become the first "Miss Iraq" since 1972.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kurdish Girl Becomes Miss Iraq|url=http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/culture-arts/agenda/249197}}</ref>
=== Pêşmerge women ===

] forces have a female combat unit called "The ''Pêşmerge'' Force for Women". Kurdish women have struggled hard to prove their worth as tough soldiers in a traditional society and they have earned a reputation for bravery and skill in the battlefield. While they were engaged in previous battles such as capture of ] in 1992, the first official female unit of the Pêşmerge was formed in 1996.

== Diaspora ==
{{Expand section|date=July 2016}}

== Renowned Kurdish women ==
] (center), ruler of ], meeting with Major Soane in 1919.]]
] was among the first female ]s in history. ] (1805–1848) was a Kurdish poet and writer. She is well known for her literary works. ], ], ], Professor Kajal Rahmani anthropologist, founder and president, Kurdistan Justice and Peace Academy in the US, champion for Kurdish rights and ], are among the well known women for their role in the modern Kurdish and ]an politics.

== Status of women ==
{{POV section|date=April 2016}}
Scholars like Mojab (1996) and Amir Hassanpour (2001) had argued that the patriarchal system in Iraqi Kurdistan has been as strong as in other Middle Eastern regions.<ref name="Feminism p70-71">(Mojab 1996:73, Nationalism and Feminism: The Case of Kurdistan, p70-71) fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~mojabweb/publications/0001E478-80000012/NationalismFeminism.pdf</ref><ref>(Hassanpour 2001) Hassanpour, Amir. The (Re)production of Kurdish Patriarchy in the Kurdish Language. 2001. Accessed 5 April 2007. Available from: http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~mojabweb/publications/0001E478-80000012/0695C74C-001257DC.-1/hassanpour_11.pdf page 227</ref>
{{refn|group=note|Pratt writes similarly: "Shahrzad Mojab (2004, 2009), referring to the Iraqi Kurdish context, argues that Islamist-nationalist movements and secular nationalism both stand in the way of transformative gender politics and hinder a feminist analysis of and struggle against gender-based violence and inequalities." https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/people/pratt/publications/mjcc_004_03_06_al-ali_and_pratt.pdf}} In 1996, Mojab claimed that the Iraqi Kurdish nationalist movement "discourages any manifestation of womanhood or political demands for gender equality."<ref name="Feminism p70-71" />
{{refn|group=note|Lasky concluded similarly: "More widely reported are the Iraqi Kurdish nationalist parties’ "disregard of women’s issues and their attempts to suppress women’s organizations", as noted by M. Lasky in 2006." www.iiav.nl/epublications/2006/IraqiWomenReport.pdf}}
{{refn|group=note|], representative of the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, voiced similar criticism in 2004, stating that "the Kurdish nationalist parties have violated women's rights and tried to suppress progressive women's organisations. In July 2000, they attacked a women's shelter and the offices of an independent women's organisation. Both were saving the lives of Kurdish women fleeing "honour" killings and domestic violence. More than 8,000 women have died in "honour" killings since the (Kurdish) nationalists have been in control."http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/08/iraq.gender}}{{refn|group=note|Pratt writes similarly: "There is a link between the Kurdish national struggle and the neglect of women's rights".What Kind of Liberation?: Women and the Occupation of Iraq, Nadje Al-Ali,Nicola Pratt, p.108ff ISBN 978-0-520-26581-3 }} In 2001, Persian researcher Amir Hassanpour claimed that "while it is not unique to the Kurdish case,linguistic, discursive, and symbolic violence against women is ubiquitous" in the Kurdish language, matched by various forms of physical and emotional violence.<ref>(Hassanpour 2001) Hassanpour, Amir. The (Re)production of Kurdish Patriarchy in the Kurdish Language. 2001. Page 257. Accessed 5 April 2007. Available from: http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~mojabweb/publications/0001E478-80000012/0695C74C-001257DC.-1/hassanpour_11.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.iiav.nl/epublications/2006/IraqiWomenReport.pdf</ref>

=== Female genital mutilation ===
{{Further|Female genital mutilation|Prevalence of female genital mutilation by country}}

==== In Iraq ====
]

Female genital mutilation was observed among some Sorani speaking Kurds in Iraq, including Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.<ref></ref> A 2011 Kurdish law criminalized FGM practice in Iraqi Kurdistan and law was accepted four years later.<ref name="almonitorfgm">{{cite news|title=KRG looks to enhance protection of women, children|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/iraq-kurdistan-draft-amendment-violence-women-law.html#|accessdate=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Human Rights Watch lauds FGM law in Iraqi Kurdistan|url=http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/7/state5293.htm|accessdate=8 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="hrw.org"> Human Rights Watch, August 29, 2012</ref> MICS reported in 2011 that in Iraq, FGM was found mostly among the Sunni Arab and Kurdish areas in ], ] and ], giving the country a national prevalence of eight percent. However, other Kurdish areas like Dohuk and some parts of Ninewa were almost free from FGM.<ref>, pp.&nbsp;27 (for eight percent), 31 (for the regions)</ref><ref>
{{cite journal|doi=10.1186/1471-2458-13-809|pmid=24010850|pmc=3844478|title=Female genital mutilation among Iraqi Kurdish women: A cross-sectional study from Erbil city|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=13|pages=809|year=2013|last1=Yasin|first1=Berivan A|last2=Al-Tawil|first2=Namir G|last3=Shabila|first3=Nazar P|last4=Al-Hadithi|first4=Tariq S}}</ref> In 2014, a small survey of 827 households conducted in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah assessed a 58.5% prevalence of FGM in both cities. According to the same survey, FGM has declined in recent years.<ref name="unicef.org"/> {{refn|group=note|A similar 2013 study concluded that FGM rates for Muslim Kurdish women in Erbil city are very high, with a rate of 58.6%. http://7thspace.com/headlines/444240/female_genital_mutilation_among_iraqi_kurdish_women_a_cross_sectional_study_from_erbil_city.html http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-809}} In 2016, the studies showed that there is a trend of general decline of FGM among those who practiced it before. Kurdish human rights organizations have reported several times that FGM is not a part of Kurdish culture and authorities aren't doing enough to stop it completely.<ref>{{cite news|title=Female Genital Mutilation: It's a crime not culture|url=http://www.stopfgmkurdistan.org/html/english/fgm_e.htm|accessdate=8 March 2016}}</ref>

According to a 2008 report in the '']'', the Kurdistan region of Iraq is one of the few places in the world where female genital mutilation had been rampant.<ref name="AmitWP">{{cite news |title=For Kurdish Girls, a Painful Ancient Ritual: The Widespread Practice of Female Circumcision in Iraq's North Highlights The Plight of Women in a Region Often Seen as More Socially Progressive |first= Amit R. |last=Paley |publisher= Washington Post Foreign Service |date=December 29, 2008 |page=A09 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/28/AR2008122802005_pf.html}} Actual quotes: "Kurdistan is the only known part of Iraq --and one of the few places in the world--where female genital mutilation is widespread. More than 60 percent of women in northern Iraq have been mutilated, according to a study conducted this year. In at least one Kurdish territory, 95 percent of women have undergone the practice, which human rights groups call female genital mutilation.</ref> According to one small study carried out in 2008, approximately 60% of all women in northern Iraq had been mutilated.<ref name="AmitWP" /> It was claimed that at least one Kurdish territory, female genital mutilation had occurred among 95% of women.<ref name="AmitWP" /> The ] has strengthened its laws regarding violence against women in general and female genital mutilation in particular,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/iraq-kurdistan-draft-amendment-violence-women-law.html |publisher=Al-Monitor |title=KRG looks to enhance protection of women, children |date=April 20, 2015}}</ref> and is now considered to be an anti-FGM model for other countries to follow.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160620151 |publisher=Rudaw |title=Kurdish FGM campaign seen as global model |date=June 16, 2015}}</ref>

Female genital mutilation was prevalent in ] and among Iraqis in central Iraq. In 2010, WADI published a study that 72% of all Kurdish women and girl were circumcised that year. Two years later, a similar study was conducted in the province of Kirkuk with findings of 38% FGM prevalence giving evidence to the assumption that FGM was not only practiced by the Kurdish population but also existed in central Iraq. According to the research, FGM is most common among Sunni Muslims, but is also practiced by Schi’ites and Kakeys, while Christians and Yezidi don’t seem to practice it in northern Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopfgmmideast.org/countries/iraq/ |title=» Iraq |publisher=Stopfgmmideast.org |date= |accessdate=2015-11-14}}</ref> In Arbil Governorate and Suleymaniya Type I FGM was common; while in Garmyan and New Kirkuk, Type II and III FGM were common.<ref>, WADI, accessed 15 February 2010.</ref><ref>Burki, T. (2010), Reports focus on female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Lancet, 375(9717), 794</ref> There was no law against FGM in Iraq, but in 2007 a draft legislation condemning the practice was submitted to the Regional Parliament, but was not passed.<ref name="stopfgmkurdistan.org">, Stop FGM in Kurdistan, accessed 21 November 2010.</ref> A field report by Iraqi group PANA Center, published in 2012, shows 38% of females in Kirkuk and its surrounding districts areas had undergone female circumcision. Of those females circumcised, 65% were Kurds, 26% Arabs and rest Turkmen. On the level of religious and sectarian affiliation, 41% were Sunnis, 23% Shiites, rest Kaka’is, and none Christians or Chaldeans.<ref> PUK, Kurdistan (May 2, 2013)</ref> A 2013 report finds FGM prevalence rate of 59% based on clinical examination of about 2000 Iraqi Kurdish women; FGM found were Type I, and 60% of the mutilation were performed to girls in 4–7 year age group.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1186/1471-2458-13-809|pmid=24010850|pmc=3844478|title=Female genital mutilation among Iraqi Kurdish women: A cross-sectional study from Erbil city|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=13|pages=809|year=2013|last1=Yasin|first1=Berivan A|last2=Al-Tawil|first2=Namir G|last3=Shabila|first3=Nazar P|last4=Al-Hadithi|first4=Tariq S}}</ref>

Due wars and the unstable situation of country, fighting against FGM has been difficult for authorities of Iraq.

==== Outside of Iraq ====
In Iran, small-scale surveys show that the Type I and II FGM is practiced among Sunni minorities, including Kurds, Azeris and Baloch in the provinces of Kurdistan, Western Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Illam, Lorestan and Hormozghan. The existing studies have found prevalence rates between 40 and 85% in some provinces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopfgmmideast.org/countries/iran/ |title=» Iran |publisher=Stopfgmmideast.org |date= |accessdate=2015-11-14}}</ref><ref>Golnaz Esfandiari (2009-03-10). "Female Genital Mutilation Said To Be Widespread In Iraq's, Iran's Kurdistan". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty</ref><ref>Saleem, R. A., Othman, N., Fattah, F. H., Hazim, L., & Adnan, B. (2013). Female Genital Mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan: description and associated factors. Women & health, 53(6), 537-551</ref> A 2012 study in Kermanshah province of Iran suggested FGM is a common practice in Ravansars’ women, with over 55% of girls had been circumcised less than 7 years age.

In Turkey and Syria, where the vast majority of the Kurds live, FGM is uncommon and rare unlike in Iraqi Kurdistan. Some experts believe that this is because of their religious view. Kurds in Iraq are mostly Sunnis of the ] school of law, while in Turkey and Syria they're mostly ].<ref name="ddg">{{cite news|title=Female Genital Mutilation Said To Be Widespread In Iraq's, Iran's Kurdistan|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Female_Genital_Mutilation_Said_To_Be_Widespread_In_Iraqs_Irans_Kurdistan/1507621.html|accessdate=26 March 2016}}</ref>

=== Honor killings ===

==== In Iraq ====

In 2008. the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has stated that honor killings are a serious concern in Iraq, particularly in Iraqi Kurdistan.<ref>https://www.hrw.org/report/2011/02/21/crossroads/human-rights-iraq-eight-years-after-us-led-invasion</ref> The Free Women's Organization of Kurdistan (FWOK) released a statement on International Women's Day 2015 noting that “6,082 women were killed or forced to commit suicide during the past year in Iraqi Kurdistan, which is almost equal to the number of the Peshmerga martyred fighting Islamic State (IS),” and that a large number of women were victims of honor killings or enforced suicide – mostly self-immolation or hanging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://basnews.com/en/news/2015/03/05/over-6000-women-killed-during-the-last-year-in-kurdistan/ |publisher=BasNews |title=Kurdistan: Over 6,000 Women Killed in 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402140715/http://basnews.com/en/news/2015/03/05/over-6000-women-killed-during-the-last-year-in-kurdistan/ |archivedate=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> Honor killings appear to be particularly prevalent among Iraqi Kurds, Palestinians in Jordan, and in Pakistan and Turkey, but freedom of press in these countries could over-compensate for other countries where the crimes are less reported.<ref name="independent.co.uk">http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-crimewave-that-shames-the-world-2072201.html</ref>

About 500 honour killings per year are reported in hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan, although real numbers are likely much higher.<ref>http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2007/393248/IPOL-FEMM_ET(2007)393248_EN.pdf Kurdish Human Rights Project European Parliament Project: The Increase in Kurdish Women Committing Suicide Final Report Vian Ahmed Khidir Pasha, Member of Kurdistan National Assembly, Member of Women’s Committee, Erbil, Iraq, 25 January 2007</ref> It is speculated that alone in Erbil there is one honour killing per day.<ref>http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2007/393248/IPOL-FEMM_ET(2007)393248_EN.pdf Kurdish Human Rights Project European Parliament Project: The Increase in Kurdish Women Committing Suicide Final Report Reported by several NGOs and members of Kurdistan National Assembly over course of study to Project Team Member Tanyel B. Taysi.</ref> The UNAMI reported that at least 534 honour killings occurred between January and April 2006 in the Kurdish Governorates.<ref>http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2007/393248/IPOL-FEMM_ET(2007)393248_EN.pdf Kurdish Human Rights Project European Parliament Project: The Increase in Kurdish Women Committing Suicide Final Report http://www.uniraq.org/documents/HR%20Report%20Mar%20Apr%2006%20EN.PDF</ref> It is claimed that many deaths are reported as "female suicides" in order to conceal honour-related crimes.<ref>http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2007/393248/IPOL-FEMM_ET(2007)393248_EN.pdf Kurdish Human Rights Project European Parliament Project: The Increase in Kurdish Women Committing Suicide Final Report http://www.uniraq.org/FileLib/misc/HR%20Report%20Nov%20Dec%202006%20EN.pdf</ref> Aso Kamal of the Doaa Network Against Violence claimed that they have estimated that there were more than 12,500 honor killings in Iraqi Kurdistan from 1991 to 2007, and 350 of them in the first part of 2007. He also said that the government figures are much lower, and show a decline in recent years, and Kurdish law has mandated since 2008 that an honor killing be treated like any other murder.<ref name="independent.co.uk"/><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/world/middleeast/21honor.html?_r=1</ref> A medical officer in Sulimaniya reported to the AFP news agency that in May 2008 alone, there were 14 honor killings in 10 days.<ref name="independent.co.uk"/>

==== In Turkey ====

There have been reports about honor killings in Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honor killing perpetrators welcomed by society, study reveals|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=147349&bolum=101|publisher='']''|author=Murat Gezer|accessdate=15 July 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080719085429/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=147349&bolum=101 |archivedate = 19 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Feminist Analysis of Honor Killings in Rural Turkey|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitsream/1807/17543/1/cultureofhonour.pdf|publisher='University of Toronto'|author=AYSAN SEV’ER|accessdate=2 January 2015}}</ref>

In one of the most extremists cases, a young girl was buried alive by relatives for befriending boys in Southeast Turkey; her corpse was found 40 days after she went missing.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.montrealgazette.com/Girl+buried+alive+honour+killing+Turkey+Report/2521342/story.html|title=Girl buried alive in honour killing in Turkey: Report| work=AFP | date=4 February 2010 | accessdate=25 June 2010}}</ref> Turkish courts have in some rare cases sentenced whole families to life imprisonment for an honor killing, in 2009 where a Turkish Court sentenced five members of a Kurdish family to life imprisonment for the honor killing of 16-year old Naile Erdas, who got pregnant after she was raped.<ref>http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=e6256f9e-e8e4-4f58-af6f-46c19bcc6423</ref><ref>. BrisbaneTimes (13 January 2009). Retrieved on 1 October 2011.</ref>

==== In Iran and Syria ====

According to LandInfo, in Iran, honour killings occur primarily among tribal minority groups, such as Kurdish, Lori, Arab, Baluchi and Turkish-speaking tribes. Discriminatory ]s, articles in the Criminal Code that show leniency towards honor killings, and a strongly male dominated society have been cited as causes of honor killings in ].<ref>http://www.landinfo.no/asset/960/1/960_1.pdf</ref>

Amnesty International noted in 2008 that the extent and prevalence of violence against women in the Kurdish regions of Iran is impossible to quantify, but "discrimination and violence against women and girls in the Kurdish regions is both pervasive and widely tolerated".<ref>Amnesty International (2008, July). Human Rights Abuses against the Kurdish Minority. London: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/088/2008/en/d140767b-5e45- 11dd-a592-c739f9b70de8/mde130882008eng.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE13/088/2008/en/ page 15</ref> According to the UN, discriminatory laws in both the Civil and Penal Codes in Iran play a major role in empowering men and aggravating women’s vulnerability to violence. The provisions of the Penal Code relating to crimes specified in the sharia namely, hudud, qisas and diyah, are of particular relevance in terms of gender justice. Many Kurdish organizations have reported that Kurdish women rights in Iran are threatened by Islamic influence.<ref>Amnesty International (2008, July). Human Rights Abuses against the Kurdish Minority. London: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/088/2008/en/d140767b-5e45- 11dd-a592-c739f9b70de8/mde130882008eng.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE13/088/2008/en/</ref> UNICEF’s 1998 report found extremely high rates of forced marriage, including at an early age, in Kordestan, although it noted that the practice appeared to be declining.<ref name="amnesty.org">Amnesty International (2008, July). Human Rights Abuses against the Kurdish Minority. London: Amnesty International. Available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/088/2008/en/d140767b-5e45- 11dd-a592-c739f9b70de8/mde130882008eng.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE13/088/2008/en/</ref> In 2008, self-immolation, "occurred in all the areas of Kurdish settlement (in Iran), where it was more common than in other parts of Iran".<ref name="amnesty.org" /> It was reported that in 2001, 565 women lost their lives in honor-related crimes in ], of which 375 were reportedly staged as self-immolation.<ref name="amnesty.org" />

==== Kurdish diaspora ====

Some honor killings have also been reported among the Kurdish diaspora in the West.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honor Crimes in Britain Far More Prevalent than Formerly Thought|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/260740/20111203/uk-honor-crimes-killings-iranian-kurdish-indian.htm|publisher=International Business Times|author= Palash R. Ghosh|accessdate=2 December 2011}}</ref> According to an article on honour-based violence in the diaspora, published in 2012, "n Europe, many, but by no means all, of the reported honour killings occur in South Asian, Turkish or Kurdish migrant communities".<ref>{{cite journal|title='Honour'-based violence in Kurdish communities|first1=Aisha K.|last1=Gill|first2=Nazand|last2=Begikhani|first3=Gill|last3=Hague|journal=Women's Studies International Forum|volume=35|issue=2|pages=75–85|year=2012|doi=10.1016/j.wsif.2012.02.001}}</ref>

A report published by the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol and the University of Roehampton in 2010 notes that "it is important to recognize that it is not possible to associate honour-based violence with one particular religion...or culture", but also concludes that "onour-based violence remains prevalent in some Kurdish communities in different locations". The report, which focused on Iraqi Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora in the UK, found that "the patriarchal or male-dominated values that underpin these communities often conflict with the values, and even laws, of mainstream UK society. This makes it particularly hard for second or third generation women to define their own values...Instances of HBV often result from conflicting attitudes towards life and family codes".<ref name=Begikhani>{{cite web|url=http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/uploadedFiles/Pages_Assets/PDFs_and_Word_Docs/Staff_Profiles/Aisha-Gill/Report_HBV_IK_UK_KurdishDiaspora_MCopy_December_webcirculationonly.pdf|title=Final Report: Honour-based Violence (HBV) and Honour-based Killings in Iraqi Kurdistan and in the Kurdish Diaspora in the UK|first1=Nazand|last1=Begikhani|first2=Aisha|last2=Gill|first3=Gill|last3=Hague|first4=Kawther|last4=Ibraheem|publisher=Centre for Gender and Violence Research, University of Bristol and Roehampton University|date=November 2010|accessdate=19 May 2016}}</ref> ], a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurd woman from Mitcham, south London, was killed in 2006, in a murder orchestrated by her father, uncle and cousins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11716272|title=Banaz Mahmod 'honour' killing cousins jailed for life|work=BBC News|accessdate=20 April 2015}}</ref> Her life and murder were presented in a documentary called '']'', directed and produced by ]. Other examples include the first honour killing to be legally recognised in the UK, which was that of Heshu Yones, who was stabbed to death by her Kurdish father in London in 2002 when her family discovered she had a Lebanese Christian boyfriend,<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n21/jacqueline-rose/a-piece-of-white-silk|title=A Piece of White Silk|first=Jacqueline|last=Rose|journal=London Review of Books|volume=31|issue=21|pages=5–8|date=5 November 2009}}</ref> and the killing of Tulay Goren, a Kurdish ] Muslim girl who immigrated with her family from Turkey.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/6832862/Honour-killing-father-convicted-of-murder-of-Tulay-Goren.html | location=London | title=Honour killing: father convicted of the killing of Tulay Goren | first=John | last=Bingham | date=17 December 2009 | work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> In Germany in March 2009, a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey, Gülsüm S., was killed for a relationship not in keeping with her family's plan for an arranged marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/2009/03/11/ehrenmord/erschlagen-weil-sie-schwanger-war.html|publisher=Der Bild|title=Erschlagen, weil sie schwanger war? – Killed, because she was pregnant?}}</ref> Two well-known cases from ] are the case of Fadime and of Pela. 26-year-old Kurdish woman ] was killed by her father, a Kurd of the Catholic faith, in 2002.<ref name="Kurd killing sparks ethnic debate">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/02/04/sweden.sahindal/|title=Kurd killing sparks ethnic debate | work=CNN | date=5 February 2002 | accessdate=4 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="Kurd killing sparks ethnic debate"/><ref name="etn.sagepub.com">http://etn.sagepub.com/content/8/3/385.short</ref><ref>vgs.univie.ac.at/_TCgi_Images/vgs/20080527171708_HSK27_Wikan.pdf</ref> Kurdish organizations were criticized by prime minister ] for not doing enough to prevent honour killings.<ref name="etn.sagepub.com"/> Pela Atroshi was a Kurdish girl who was shot by her uncle in a honour killing in Sweden.<ref>http://www.news.com.au/national/australian-links-to-brutal-honour-killing/story-e6frfkp9-1111116166086</ref> Turkish-Kurdish ] was murdered at the age of 23 in Berlin, by her own youngest brother, in an honor killing, an incident which led to major public debates in Germany.<ref>http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/ehrenmorde-tatmotiv-kultur-1213953.html</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4345459.stm</ref><ref>http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/weltgeschehen/article13504056/So-brachte-Ayhan-Sueruecue-seine-Schwester-Hatun-um.html</ref>


== See also == == See also ==

Revision as of 08:32, 4 November 2016

in Germany.

See also

Notes

References

  • Hassanpour, Amir. The (Re)production of Kurdish Patriarchy in the Kurdish Language, In: Mojab, S. (2001). Women of a non-state nation: The Kurds. Costa Mesa, Calif: Mazda Publishers.
  1. http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/ehrenmorde-tatmotiv-kultur-1213953.html
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4345459.stm
  3. http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/weltgeschehen/article13504056/So-brachte-Ayhan-Sueruecue-seine-Schwester-Hatun-um.html

Further reading

External links

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