How far has the occupation of Iraq pushed back the position of women?
Iraq’s minister for women's affairs, Nawal al-Samaraie, has resigned from the government saying she lacked the resources to implement her plans to help improve women's lives. Her resignation she says is a warning to the government and a protest against its inability to evaluate the needs of women, frustrations echoed by other prominent women's rights activists in the country. Sexual violence against women and girls has increased since the start of the war, as have female suicide rates and honour killings. So how far has the occupation of Iraq pushed back the position of women, and what needs to be done to safeguard their rights?
