Iraq: Treatment of Shi'a women in Iraq (1997-2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 31 July 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ37512.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Treatment of Shi'a women in Iraq (1997-2000), 31 July 2001, IRQ37512.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be4c10.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the treatment of Shi'a women by the authorities in Iraq is scarce.
A 6 March 1997 UPI refers to a German TV program as reporting that the Shi'a minority in Iraq's southern marshes was targeted by Iraqi armed forces and that chemical weapons were used to make sure that they could not return and rebuild their villages. An escaped woman prisoner interviewed in the program said that "guards in Iraqi jails interrogate Shiite women by day, then torture them by night with hose beatings and electric shocks."
No further or corroborating information on the treatment of Shi'a women by the Iraqi authorities could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
United Press International (UPI). 6 March 1997. BC Cycle. "TV Program Accuses Iraq of Repression." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
REFWORLD
Internet sources including:
Amnesty International. Search facility
The Defence Committee for Iraqi Women Rights – Denmark
Gendercide Watch
Human Rights Watch. Search facility
Women in the Arab World
Women Watch
World News Connection (WNC)
