Media women and organizations condemn the policy of excluding Iraqi media women from international and national conferences and demand the prime minister to open an urgent investigation

Baghdad: iwjf

Iraqi women journalist’s forum and  “Sawtoha”  network for human rights defenders condemn the policy of marginalization and exclusion adopted by the Organizing Committee of the celebration “Baghdad, the capital of the Arab media”, held on Saturday, 27/1/2018, by the inclusion of most of the male war correspondents in the ceremony and the exclusion of the female correspondents from this honoring, regardless of the outstanding role played by the female Iraqi war correspondent, who is considered today as a role model of strength and sacrifice, and the best proof of this is the martyrdom of colleague Rana al-Ajili for standing up for the truth and cut off the terror of ISIS. Despite the size of the sacrifices, no female reporter were honored.

We also express our condemnation for the policy of excluding and not giving the right to be on the platform for our persistent media women and for the second time through conferences with a wide international dimension and give the platform to Arab media women!

Without understanding that the Iraqi media in all its details were the spearhead in defeating terrorism and those who receive the recognition mainly the sons of that land alongside those who we find best support for our cause from the Arab media during the liberation and this is what most countries adopt when they are proud of their achievers and innovators, also, that marginalization contradicts with what Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stated in his speech, from the fight against corruption and equality, that the marginalization is the main source of corruption!

There is a clear exclusion for media women, and that’s what we identified and recorded repeatedly through the meetings held by the prime minister with media figures, we also find no equality in inviting media women and media men.

Thus we call upon the Prime Minister to open an urgent investigation into the celebration of “Baghdad as the capital of the Arab media”, because what the Organizing Committee has done is contrary to the pluralistic nature and equality of the Iraqi constitution, and the marginalization of media women from the honoring is a clear and explicit exclusion for their participation role nationally, regionally and internationally.

Iraqi women journalist’s forum

“Sawtoha” network for human rights defenders

27/1/2018