Iraqi women describe threats and barriers to protection from sexual violence

Content note: this report discusses sexual violence without graphic detail. Women and rights defenders interviewed by the the published report in Iraq describe a gap between reporting abuse and obtaining protection. Some use phone recordings to document harassment, but they also describe threats, social stigma and fear of approaching the police. Their accounts are allegations and experiences reported by the the published report, not court findings against every person shown in an online clip.

An activist who shares recordings on behalf of women said the material can preserve evidence when a survivor wants to pursue a complaint. She also described death threats and threats of an acid attack, and said she now restricts her movements. Recording or publishing an encounter can create new risks for the person affected. This report does not advise readers to confront alleged offenders or post identifying footage, and it does not reproduce the clips or survivor images.

The the published report feature includes a mother's account of a long-running court case concerning alleged abuse of her daughter by a family member. It also describes another woman's reports of harassment in public transport and being followed by a car. The accounts illustrate why a complaint may be delayed or abandoned: fear of retaliation, pressure to keep matters within the family, legal costs and doubts about the response from officials. The report does not identify the survivors or repeat details that could expose a child.

Protection, shelters and accountability

The shortage of safe places to stay is another concern raised in the published report. The danger facing those who provide protection was underscored by the killing of women's rights defender Yanar Mohamed in March 2026. In an April 24 statement, UN independent experts said she was shot outside her Baghdad home by unidentified gunmen on March 2 and urged an effective investigation. They said her organisation operated safe houses for women escaping violence. The statement's assessment of a possible link to her work is an attributed expert concern, not a judicial finding identifying the killers.

UN experts also warned that threats and impunity can silence women who defend other people's rights. Their April statement records that the interior minister had announced an investigation after the killing. It does not establish that the case has since been solved. The published report's later interviews describe other activists continuing their work despite intimidation and call attention to legal and institutional barriers, rather than suggesting that victims simply need to speak louder.

The authorities' response and the limits of the figures

An Iraqi interior-ministry spokesperson told the the published report that harassment cases involving police personnel do occur but described them as uncommon. He said offenders can face prison terms of up to 10 years and dismissal, and argued that complaints can be made against officers who fail to act. Those are the ministry's statements, not a guarantee of an outcome for a survivor or independent confirmation of every complaint. They sit alongside the women's accounts of officials failing to help.

The spokesperson said police had received about 300 sexual-violence complaints since the start of the year covered by the report and acknowledged that many incidents never reach them. A complaint count is not a reliable measure of how many women experience abuse, how many cases are proved or how many convictions follow. The the published report says dependable overall statistics are lacking. The central issue is safe access to support and accountability, with survivors' choices and privacy protected rather than blame shifted onto them.