Decades of suffering, now women deserve better

Testimonials of women's experiences in Iraq under Saddam Hussein and during the American-led invasion

Produced by: Amnesty International (AI) , 2005

This paper examines women's experiences of Saddam Hussein's regime, and how they have experienced the US-led war in Iraq, which toppled this regime. The authors examine the effects of both Saddam's policies and of international sanctions and international offensives to bring "peace" to the region. The paper consists of testimony of individual women's experiences of abuse at the hands of various forces. Topics explored include the experiences of women in armed conflict, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, discrimination in national law, honour killings, political participation, and education.