Iraqi organization underlines sexual use of displaced women

An Iraqi women's rights organization said on Friday that displaced women were harassed and sexually exploited during the distribution of aids by camps’ officials in the Iraqi province of Salahaddin.

Executive Director of Bint Al-Rafidain rights organization Alia Al Ansari said in a statement that thousands of displaced women in Salahuddin camps are living in difficult conditions in terms of lack of basic needs, lack of safety and security, and lack of suitable environment to keep their rights and dignity. She blamed silence of this sensitive type of violence for the increasing risk of harassment and sexual violence.

She added that the camps in which displaced women live are not adequately qualified to provide protection or even to deter sexual violence against women. She added that the information indicates that there is exploitation of women in the sites of humanitarian aids distribution, as well as exploitation by camp officials of women. She added that the women fear to speak about it due to their inability to deter such persons from losing their sources of strength and protection.

The report issued by the rights organization comes a day after another report issued by Iraqi judicial authorities that revealed the notable increase witnessed in the rates of crimes committed in the province of Najaf during the past year.

Many Experts attributed these high rates of crime to widespread corruption among the security services, the level of militias and high rates of poverty and unemployment in general and southern Iraq in particular. According to a report issued by the judiciary in Najaf on Thursday, there are about 50 kinds of crimes committed in the city, most notably murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud and theft. The main cities in Najaf have been at the forefront of crimes, while reduced in small and remote villages and towns.