President Barzani: Future hinges on women’s empowerment
Shafaq News – Erbil
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday urged efforts to confront violence and discrimination against women, calling for a society where women can participate freely across political, administrative, and economic life.
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Barzani pledged a renewed commitment to defending women’s rights and promoting a society grounded in freedom, equality, and human dignity.
The president described the protection of women’s rights as central to building a free and peaceful society, adding that progress requires collective responsibility, enforceable laws, and wider social awareness that supports women’s participation in public life.
“The future of the Kurdistan Region depends on empowering women and ensuring active roles across all sectors,” he noted, citing the Region’s efforts to counter violence and extremist ideology, safeguard rights, and create conditions where women can pursue their goals without fear.
لە ڕۆژی جیهانیی نەهێشتنی توندوتیژی دژی ئافرەتاندا، پابەنديى نەگۆڕمان بۆ بەرگریکردن لە مافەکانی ژنان و بنیاتنانی کۆمەڵگەیەک کە ئازادی و یەکسانی و شکۆی مرۆیی تيايدا سەروەر بێت، دووپات دهكهينهوه. له ههوڵدان و كاركردن بۆ ڕووبەڕووبوونەوەی هەموو شێوازەکانی توندوتیژی و جیاکاری دژی…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) November 25, 2025
Official data show that women hold a guaranteed share of parliamentary representation in both Baghdad and Erbil systems. Iraq’s constitution sets a minimum 25% quota in the 329-seat Council of Representatives, ensuring at least 83 seats for women. In the Kurdistan Region, the 100-seat parliament operates under a legal requirement that reserves no less than 30% of seats for female members, a benchmark consistently met in recent legislative cycles.
Despite constitutional rights and recurring calls for equality and reduced violence, activist Shada Bashdar told Shafaq News that 48 women were killed in the Kurdistan Region in 2024, with eight additional cases recorded in the first two months of 2025.
Noting that femicide rates have been steadily increasing since 1991, she pointed to the absence of effective measures to curb the trend, referring to a lack of serious investigations into these crimes, as “many perpetrators remain free, walking the streets and markets without facing justice.”
Nationwide, Iraq recorded 14,000 cases of domestic violence in 2024, the majority of which involved physical abuse. Of these cases, 73% of the victims were female and 27% were male, according to Ministry of Interior statistics.
Read more: Quotas without a cause: Iraqi Women counted, rights discounted
