INTRODUCTION
Years of dictatorship, international sanctions, and armed conflict have affected Iraq’s social fabric and contributed to a deterioration in the lives of Iraqi women. As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Government of Iraq (GoI) is committed to improving gender equality and women’s rights. Moreover, the United Nation’s Security Council Resolution 1325 as well as Millennium Development Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women both underline the importance of progress in the status of women in attaining human rights and development objectives. As such the protection and empowerment of women was identified as a priority in the GoI’s National Development Plan (2010-2014), as well as in the Development Assistance Framework (2011-2014) developed by the UN in close cooperation with the GoI.