Iraq

Iraqi women are facing heightened attempts by authorities to erode their rights, most recently through a January 2025 amendment to the Personal Status Law. This amendment eliminates women’s marital and inheritance protections, which risks trapping women in abusive relationships and increasing the number of women experiencing poverty. Anti-gender backlash is fueling growing threats of harassment and violence toward women activists, while women-led organizations are being targeted by the country’s NGO directorate, which controls civil society and restricts organizations working on women’s and gender issues. Women political candidates also face unique obstacles, including smear campaigns and disinformation. These challenges coincide with hurdles to recognition, accountability, and reparation for violations suffered by women and girls, including those from minority groups. The UN mandate to collect data on Islamic State crimes, including kidnapping and sexual enslavement, expired in September 2024 with no clear alternative pathway to justice. Yazidi women in Iraq still face significant obstacles to recovery and to rebuilding their communities, with no coordinated system to locate the more than 2,500 Yazidis still missing. Women-led organizations, however, have stepped up to fill this gap.

Regional instability remains a threat, particularly the possible resurgence of the Islamic State as US forces accelerate their withdrawal from Iraq. Worsened conflict or a growing threat of extremist violence may distract from regression on gender equality as well as impede access to resources for women and girls. Women’s advocacy remains a vital check to backsliding on rights; mobilization by women recently resulted in the government changing parts of the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law, including keeping the minimum age for marriage at 18 rather than lowering it to 15. Additionally, Iraq launched its Third National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security for 2025 – 2030, which identifies twelve key efforts, including increasing women’s representation in politics, the judiciary, and peacebuilding. Kurdistan also launched the second Regional Action Plan for Implementation of UNSCR 1325 for 2025 – 2029. Feminist organizations, government institutions, and UN Women supported the drafting of both plans. These frameworks provide civil society with a tool to hold the Iraqi government accountable for its commitments to women’s rights.

A September 2025 report documented rising levels of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with women and girls disproportionately targeted. The November 11 elections further amplified these risks, as female candidates experienced online harassment and smear campaigns. TFGBV, bullying, and image-based sexual abuse are increasingly common, reinforcing existing patterns of violence and exposing survivors to psychological, social, and economic harm. Yet critical gaps in Iraq’s legal framework leave victims without adequate protection or recourse.

The Ja’afari Personal Status Code, passed by parliament on August 27, 2025, undermines women’s legal autonomy in marriage and family matters. It builds on the Ja’afari Personal Status Amendment, which gave sectarian courts greater authority to govern family affairs, severely restricting women’s autonomy. The code allows for retroactive application, bypassing existing protections under the Personal Status Law. As a result, husbands can divorce their wives without their knowledge or consent, and fathers automatically gain custody of children after age seven—threatening years of progress on women’s rights in Iraq. 

Iraqi women politicians and activists have launched the first women’s political party in the nation’s history, which seeks to aid women candidates and unite Iraqi women ahead of elections. However, the party faced two years of bureaucratic delays, resulting in exclusion from the ballot in the upcoming November 2025 parliamentary elections.

Rising salinity levels caused by low rainfall and drought in the country’s southern region are causing significant challenges for female farmers. Over a quarter of the women in the region work in agriculture, and the lack of fresh water is harming their livestock and harvest, reducing these women’s socioeconomic opportunities and ability to provide for their families.

Women secured representation in Iraq’s November 11, 2025 parliamentary elections despite low voter turnout. Iraqi law reserves 83 of 329 seats for women, guaranteeing a baseline of representation regardless of electoral outcomes—however, in several districts, women won seats outright. This election cycle also saw a major increase in female candidates: 2,248 women ran—more than double the 950 who participated in the 2021 election—despite financial barriers, patriarchal party structures, and high levels of online harassment. The combined effect of the quota and the surge in candidates bolsters women’s political participation despite continued challenges.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) formally announced on October 26, 2025 that its fighters were withdrawing from Turkey, marking a key step in ongoing peace efforts. On November 2, Iraq’s foreign minister urged remaining PKK fighters in the north to disarm, signaling broader regional efforts to stabilize and create pathways for women and children to return home. With women comprising 40 percent of PKK members, the transition period presents a critical opportunity to integrate gender-responsive disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration planning.

Over 180 Iraqi female journalists and content creators participated in a media literacy training designed to promote safe online communities that protect women and advance peace. Participants drafted ethical frameworks for content creation and discussed media policies to prevent online gender-based violence. Twenty-five Iraqi female officers also engaged in a week-long counter-terrorism intelligence training.

The Food and Agriculture Organization partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and local authorities to host training workshops for female farmers through an initiative called Farmer Field Schools. The workshops are designed to help women—who make up 23 percent of agricultural workers in rural regions—optimize their practices and integrate climate-resilient techniques to make their farms more sustainable.