Women focus groups in Salah al-Din examine the impact of the conflict on women and the mechanisms to reduce it

salah al-Din: sawtuha

Within the Women’s Fund for Peace and Humanitarian Action project, the coordinator of Sawtuha Network in Salah al-Din and in cooperation with the United Nations Women in Iraq held three focus groups for the period 4-9 March 2020, the number of participants ranged from 20 to make the total of the three groups’ 60 women representing different segments of society.

The focus groups discussed the size of the problems and challenges facing women, as a group of female graduates demonstrated the difficulty of obtaining work, and the divorced and widowed segment complained about the difficulty in obtaining the necessities of life related to education and living, and what the criminal gangs represented by ISIS undertook by seizing their money and homes forcibly without any compensation from the authorities responsible.

The women also discussed the importance of activating laws that limit underage marriage, domestic violence, and economic empowerment, in addition to the importance of coordination with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to provide salaries in a way that allows women to be self-sufficient in the conduct of life matters and the consequent change in the social, cultural, educational environment and the advancement of all Levels.

The three focus groups concluded a set of recommendations and policies to be adopted by the relevant official authorities, which will be published through an expanded report.