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Iraq: Mediating to Prevent Violence Against Women

Gender-based violence in Iraq has several manifestations, and may entail spousal abuse, extended family abuse, threatened honor killing, sexual abuse, human trafficking or forced prostitution. Recently, Iraqi women’s organizations have incorporated the practice of mediation into their efforts to assist victims of gender-based violence. Mediation or negotiation is a method commonly employed throughout the Middle East, and is a deeply entrenched practice used by tribal elders in Iraq where it has been applied as a means to resolve disputes between individuals, families and tribes for centuries. As women’s organizations have proliferated, particularly in northern Iraq, women’s advocates have incorporated the practice of mediation and applied it to a greater variety of cases than those traditionally mediated, such as cases involving adultery. Yet currently there are no standard protocols or practices on how to properly conduct mediation, and social workers who mediate receive no training before they begin mediating. Many women’s organizations accept women into their shelters and programs without fully considering the risks and benefits, only to find that they are not equipped to properly handle the case, or are unsure of how to proceed, or allow breaches of confidentiality which can lead to further problems. Due to the high risk of harm to all parties involved, including the victims, as well as the staff of these organizations, extreme care must be exercised when conducting negotiation to ensure safety, to promote the well-being of shelter residents, and to increase the chances of success.

Summary

With the support of the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and in partnership with an Iraqi NGO, Heartland Alliance has developed a training manual on mediation to prevent violence against women. The manual offers guidelines on using mediation in cases of family violence or disputes, and strategies to employ that ensure consideration of cultural and regional differences, client confidentiality and safety for the staff and clients. It also offers guidelines on empowering clients in the mediation process, working with law enforcement and government agencies during the mediation process, incorporating Iraqi law as a mediation strategy and alternate options to mediation. Research for the manual was conducted with Iraqi Kurdish female social workers and other individuals mediating inside Iraq from a broad and diverse sector of the Iraqi female population, including those living in urban, rural and village areas, as well as those from diverse religious, ethnic and educational backgrounds. This research was combined with well-established mediation principals to provide a resource and training tool for social workers interested in learning the nuts and bolts of gender-focused mediation and best practices for working with victims of gender violence. The project also works to build the capacity of women's advocates and organizations through training, and to facilitate greater cooperation between Iraqi women's organizations by developing a training and mentorship system. 

Activities

To create a successful mediation process for women who are victims of gender-based violence in Iraq, Heartland Alliance has been:

  • Conducting focus groups with women's organizations who work with victims of gender-based violence, including social workers, attorneys and managers;
  • Interviewing those involved in gender-based violence-related mediations, including judges, police officers, security personnel and tribal leaders, to better understand and identify the risks and benefits of traditionally and commonly employed mediation practices which can inform best practices in the context of mediation cases involving gender-based violence; 
  • Researching other, non-Iraqi mediation practices applied when dealing with conflict resolution to incorporate these principles into the manual; 
  • Researching existing laws impacting women affected by gender-based violence, including criminal and personal status laws, to incorporate into the manual and to ensure that those conducting mediations have a basic understanding of the law and legal process;
  • Creating versions of the manual in English, Arabic and the Sorani and Badanani dialects of Kurdish;
  • Training Iraqi social workers and advocates to strengthen their capacity to conduct mediations and to prepare them to be mentors to other social workers and advocates in the field.
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