This was not the first time that forty-year-old Amal Mahmoud came across the unified emergency number (911) in a television or radio advertisement or on a street sign, but she finally decided to take a step that she had hesitated for many years, by reporting her exposure to domestic violence.
Amal, who for three years endured different types of psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her husband, who is twenty years older than her, felt that she was no longer able to continue, especially after she became a mother of nine children who did not want them to see her exhausted and broken.
But her decision to report her husband, whom she was forced to marry after the death of her parents, was not the end of her suffering, but rather the beginning of a new, more cruel chapter.
Amal says that she was forced to abandon the complaint she submitted to the Domestic Violence Directorate, after she was unable to document the injuries and bruises within the required period, and she did not obtain a medical report proving that she had been exposed to violence, which weakened her legal position and ultimately forced her to yield to pressure and withdraw from the complaint.
The emergency number made reporting easier...but protection is still incomplete
Amal's story is similar to the stories of many Iraqi women who are afraid to report domestic violence, not because of the difficulty of reaching the competent authorities, but rather out of fear of what might happen after filing a complaint.
On January 9, 2025, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior launched the Unified Emergency Number (911) project through the Directorate of Response and Control, with the aim of unifying the various emergency numbers within one window.
Dozens of response substations were also established in various governorates, making reporting easier in practice, especially for women.
However, the ease of reporting does not necessarily mean ensuring protection, as the facts reveal many obstacles that reporting women face after filing complaints.
Social and legal pressures push women back
The reporting process is surrounded by multiple risks, most notably the possibility that the abuser may learn that the complaint has been filed before protection reaches the victim, as well as bureaucracy and delays in legal and security procedures.
The absence of some immediate protection mechanisms, the difficulty of proving cases of violence, and the inability to report it by other parties in many cases make filing a complaint a step that may have a negative impact on the victim.
Lawyer and human rights activist Marwa Abdel Reda believes that the reasons for women’s reluctance to report are divided into two aspects: societal and legal.
She says that Iraqi society still often views a woman's complaint against her husband or a member of her family as a violation of customs and traditions, which puts the complainant under great social pressure.
Complex and bureaucratic evidentiary procedures delay justice
Abdel Reda points out that the lack of sufficient privacy in dealing with complaints of domestic violence, in addition to the large number of administrative procedures and routines, leads to a prolongation of litigation.
It also confirms that the approved evidentiary mechanisms are still traditional, as some cases require witnesses or evidence that is difficult to secure, which places women facing additional challenges to prove their exposure to violence.
The economic cost is an obstacle for abused women
The lawyer explains that reporting women also face financial burdens, as legal procedures often require transportation fees or the use of a lawyer.
Women who experience violence are often in a vulnerable economic situation, which makes access to justice more difficult.
She stresses the importance of spreading legal awareness among women, increasing the number of female investigators in domestic violence directorates, and training them to deal with victims.
The Law on Protection from Domestic Violence...a draft that has been on hold since 2019
In light of these challenges, calls are increasing to legislate a law protecting against domestic violence in Iraq. Despite the completion of the amendments to the draft law, the project has remained in place since its draft was published by the Presidency of the Republic in September 2019, without the House of Representatives having approved it yet.
Activists: The law protects the entire family, not just women
Women's rights activist Israa Salman says that the draft law represents the minimum required to protect the Iraqi family.
She emphasizes that the law does not only aim to protect women, but also includes men, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, and provides a legal umbrella for all family members.
Salman believes that campaigns questioning the law contributed to obstructing its approval, by portraying it as contradicting societal values or allowing socially unacceptable practices.
Political opposition obstructs the passage of the law in Parliament
According to activists and human rights organizations, the need for the law is increasing in light of the high rates of domestic violence, but it faces continuing political obstacles.
Salman adds that neglecting the draft law over the past years, in exchange for proceeding with other controversial legislation, has reinforced the feeling of frustration among women’s rights defenders.
It also confirms that the demand to approve a law on protection from domestic violence is consistent with the principles of the Iraqi constitution, and does not conflict with them.
In its current session, the Iraqi Council of Representatives abolished the Women, Family and Children Committee and referred its files to the Legal and Human Rights Committees. Although there are attempts by some representatives to put the draft law back on the agenda, the chances of its approval are still limited.
According to parliamentary sources, the forces that reject the law are still more influential than the parties that support it, which makes the enactment of the law in the foreseeable future uncertain, and leaves thousands of women with limited options in the face of domestic violence.
