7 February 2022, Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Women Empowerment Department, in collaboration with the Arab Women Organisation, organised a two-day conference on 3-4 February to discuss the legal frameworks for female survivors of violence in Arab countries affected by armed conflicts and war.

Delegates from Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Palestine and Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, attended the conference, supported by UNFPA, UNWomen and IOM. The participants discussed and shared the lessons learnt, the road to recovery for survivors of gender-based violence, and the importance of applying the survivor-based approach for effective response to gender-based violence.

Guest panellists from the Arab countries presented their countries’ progress regarding the UN resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Representatives of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region shared the national and regional policies and legislation to help survivors of gender-based violence, including the Law on Support to Female Yazidi Survivors.

Several survivors, including survivors of sexual violence in war, shared their stories. They highlighted the importance and impact of mental health and psychosocial support in their journeys to recovery and reintegration into society.

The meeting resulted in recommendations for strengthening women representation, building platforms for implementing the 1325 Resolution and improving legislation to combat violence against women ensuring survivors centred approach.

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For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Salwa Moussa, Communications Specialist, smoussa@unfpa.org    009647809171035

Musab Othman, Programme Analyst, musab.othman@unwomen.org 009647810728034

IOM Iraq’s Public Information Unit, iraqpublicinfo@iom.int