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Successful project strategies in Iraq’s Kurdistan region: Holistic approach, the key to effective initiatives
Doug Green
Program Associate, Leadership Council for Human Rights
444 North Capitol Street, Suite 841
Washington, D.C. 20001
202-638-0066, doug@leadership-council.org
Reconstruction in Iraq is an endeavor fraught with tremendous challenges. The ongoing conflict has impeded basic service delivery and infrastructure development. And heightened ethnic and sectarian tensions continue to compromise prospects for future progress. However, by collaborating with community activists who are determined to secure a brighter future for their country, but often lack the resources necessary to do so, meaningful change can be realized. The Leadership Council for Human Rights, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on the unique concerns of women and ethnic minorities, understands the immense potential that these grassroots leaders hold and has formed partnerships to carry out home-grown, community-level interventions that will have a far-reaching impact.
In northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region, LCHR is working with local staff on the ground to build literacy; increase dialogue on women’s rights, human rights, and everyday challenges; preserve cultural heritage; and strengthen the cross-cultural understanding that is vital for the future of the country. Local women and men coordinate LCHR’s pioneering mobile library project, which makes thousands of books and human rights related publications available to underserved individuals in rural areas near Halabja – an area devastated by the 1988 chemical attacks carried out by Saddam Hussein against the Kurds. They also lead seminars on a variety of topics, from understanding basic rights to women’s health issues, in the villages served. The project was modeled after UNICEF’s mobile library in Bam, Iran, and a literacy project conducted in the past by an Iraq-based organization. As part of a related initiative in the region, LCHR has partnered with local women for the production of an Arab-language newsletter on women’s rights and democracy. In addition, LCHR is currently pursuing a project concept, “Kurdistan’s Treasures,” that would transcend geopolitics and create pride of place, as well as economic opportunity, by focusing on the archaeological wealth of the region. All three of these initiatives are bound together by a common emphasis on meeting community needs holistically.
Iraq’s Kurdistan region was chosen as the initial site for LCHR’s Iraq projects based on several factors. First, the Kurds have historically been marginalized in Iraq, having suffered through extreme hardships during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Thousands of Iraqi Kurds were killed or displaced in genocidal chemical attacks, many had relatives who were forcibly deported to Iran, and virtually all have suffered through severe limitations on basic rights and access to education and other needed services. Iraqi Kurds continue to struggle with the lingering effects of these brutal, targeted policies, and as members of an ethnic minority group in the Middle East, they still face ongoing discrimination on a regional level. Kurdish women, while they enjoy more rights on the whole than other Iraqi women, have been to an extent twice victimized – once for their gender and again for their ethnicity. Second, the region’s vibrant civil society sector is well established, thanks to more than a decade of democratic governance by the Kurdistan Regional Government, and could serve as a fertile framework for expansion. Third, LCHR Founder and President Kathryn Cameron Porter has long worked on issues of concern in the region and, through the relationships forged during her numerous fact-finding missions to Kurdistan, she established a strong network of local contacts active in civil society that could be readily drawn upon to assist in project development. Fourth, from a logistical standpoint of project implementation, security concerns in the region are not as pervasive as elsewhere in Iraq, as Kurdistan has to a large degree – with the exception of Kirkuk – been spared the sectarian violence that has plagued much of the rest of the country.
Empowerment through Literacy
With all of these factors in mind, LCHR partnered with local human rights activists to implement the mobile library project, the first of our on-the-ground initiatives in region. In 2006, the initial stage of the project was set into motion, when mobile library van service began in three rural villages near Halabja. The villages initially served by the project are all agricultural communities with extremely limited access to educational resources of any kind. (Indeed, LCHR’s president saw that old scraps of newspaper were being used in these areas to teach basic reading skills during a 2006 fact-finding mission.) Initial site visits built trust and generated excitement among participants. Mobile library staff visited villagers’ homes, schools, and markets to introduce women and youth – both boys and girls – to the project and invite them to borrow books. The mobile library vehicle made weekly trips to each village served by the project, and in each village a monitor was assigned to register the names of borrowed books and handle the book return process. Library materials include a range of genres, from fiction and poetry to the sciences, as well as newspapers and magazines. Themes emphasized in these materials include traditional democratic values, women’s rights, and civil society development. At its inception the mobile library attracted 400 participants and this number has steadily grown.
During the first months of the project’s operation, LCHR received an overwhelmingly positive response; and in early 2007 three new villages were added to the areas served, making the literature available to several hundred additional participants. These villages had been dominated by the Islamic fundamentalist group Ansar al-Islam until recently and consequently have seen serious abuses to women’s rights. Women were forbidden from participating in public life; according to our local staff, even smiling and laughing were banned. LCHR is now exploring expanding the project to other towns in Iraq, including Khanaqueen and Lurs – areas largely untouched by government support both under Saddam Hussein and since his ouster.
By late 2006 library staff had begun conducting informal literacy clinics with interested individuals as an offshoot of the mobile library visits. The sessions are advertised by word of mouth and have been run both in a donated classroom space (which doubled as a resource center) and in women’s homes. The generous donation by private individuals of rooms to serve as permanent resources centers has greatly complimented LCHR’s efforts. It also shows the commitment of the participating villages to work cooperatively to increase the scope and impact of the project. In addition to serving as clinic sites, the resource centers have become much needed spaces for women and youth to talk about quality of life issues and their visions for the future.
Another project component, training seminars on selected issues of concern, began early in 2007. Extensive interviews conducted with project participants enabled LCHR to identify discussion topics for the seminars. These topics include preventing violence against women, civil rights, cultural exchange and understanding, the environment and conservation, and women’s health topics, particularly breast cancer awareness. The first seminars addressed women’s health issues and were led by two health specialists. One of the most fundamental human rights violated by Saddam Hussein was the health of the Kurdish people. Those who survived the chemical attacks in Halabja and surrounding villages still struggle with the aftereffects – both physical and mental health problems. Approximately thirty to forty women attended each of the two initial seminars. Feedback from participants was positive and project staff reported that the material covered was very useful because of the lack of health care in rural areas; it was the first time such a workshop had been offered in their villages.
LCHR’s mobile library project has already had a major impact. The lending services and seminars have fostered increased literacy skills, youth participation, and a stronger sense of community in the areas served. The project has successfully promoted dialogue between staff and participants on social and family issues, with participants indicating that the borrowed literature has helped them to reflect and think critically about these matters.
The project’s provision of educational services to underserved segments of the population helps fill a pressing need. Substandard access to education throughout the country not only compromises employment prospects, it also severely undermines the development of a new generation of leaders, posing a grave threat to Iraq’s future. Troublingly, most Iraqis have not attained even the most basic levels of education. Only 40 percent of Iraqis are literate, according to the latest figures available from the CIA World Factbook (2003) (Iraq CIA, 2007). When broken down by gender, the statistics are even more alarming: while roughly 56 percent of Iraqi males can read and write, only 24 percent of the country’s females can do the same.
UNICEF’s Executive Director, Ann Veneman, said at a 2006 speech commemorating International Women’s Day: “Education must be a critical area of focus. When women are educated, their own health improves, and the survival of their children improves. Literacy rates increase, and families are lifted out of hunger and poverty.” (Veneman, 2006).
Indeed, literate women are able to educate themselves about their rights, and that knowledge translates into power. Literate women are also more independent than their illiterate counterparts. They do not have to rely on another’s interpretation of their rights; rather, they can learn what protections and freedoms to which they are entitled for themselves. They, in turn, can help other women, and their children, to develop literacy skills and expand the project’s circle of influence. By educating their daughters and sons about traditional democratic values – human rights for all, civic rights and responsibilities, and that regardless of gender they can accomplish their greatest aspirations, whatever they may be – women pave the way for future generations that honor and practice these ideals. In a region in which women’s worth still needs to be reinforced, literacy and human rights awareness are important steps toward greater gender equality.
In addition to the project’s educational component, the fact that the training seminars have become safe spaces for dialogue on women’s needs and challenges is key, as women in the region, like so many of their counterparts throughout the world, face tremendous obstacles to advancement. The ongoing conflict has raised the threat of abduction, rape, and assault. Additionally, gender based violence – including honor killings and female genital mutilation – and related problems such as self immolation continue to plague the villages served by the project. We believe that our seminars will go a long way towards confronting and combating these practices.
The results of a recent survey completed by LCHR’s local partners in Kurdistan demonstrate the urgent need for these types of interventions. The survey indicated that nearly 70 percent of women who were subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) lived in rural areas, like the ones served by the project. A strong correlation was found between level of education and FGM – only seven percent of women interviewed who had attended university had undergone the practice. Ninety percent of surveyed women described their experiences following FGM as bad or very bad, and many are still experiencing psychological trauma as a result.
FGM is a dangerous practice known to be physically and psychologically scarring. In much of the world, FGM is performed by midwives more often than doctors (Strobel & v. der Osten-Sacken, 2006). Instruments are rarely sterilized and can be crude, sometimes consisting of nothing more than broken glass (Strobel & v. der Osten-Sacken, 2006). Anesthesia is rarely administered, and victims can be as young as four (Strobel & v. der Osten-Sacken, 2006). Complications are common, and death by bleeding has been known to occur (Strobel & v. der Osten-Sacken, 2006). Long-term consequences are also a major concern. Lasting emotional trauma is almost always an aftereffect, and studies have directly linked FGM to both higher infant mortality rates and greater incidences of complications during childbirth (United Nations News Service, 2007). Roughly 135 million women world-wide have already been affected by this practice and an additional two million girls are potential victims each year (CARE, 2007).
Honor killings are also a major problem in the region. In these crimes, women and girls are murdered by those close to them for the perceived shame that that they have brought to their family by engaging in certain acts. Victims of sexual assault, individuals who commit adultery or seek a divorce (Human Rights Watch, 2001), and women who pursue a relationship outside of their religion or ethnicity are all at risk of being targeted. Indeed, in early April in the village of Bashiqa, a 17-year-old Kurdish girl of the Yazidi faith was publicly stoned to death by her own relatives for pursuing a relationship with a Sunni Muslim (Susman, 2007). A little over a month later, a 19-year-old Kurdish mother was tortured and then shot dead by her husband and his family after an unknown number was discovered on her cell phone (Kurdistannet.org, 2007). While honor killings had occurred less in Kurdistan, incidents are now increasing, as demonstrated by these recent attacks.
Self immolation – suicides in which individuals set themselves afire often in a desperate effort to escape torturous personal circumstances – also occurs with far too great a frequency in the region. The prevalence of this particular type of suicide in Kurdistan has been linked to the availability of cooking fuel over other potential tools, as well as the symbolism associated with this method. During a 2006 fact-finding mission to Kurdistan, Ms. Porter learned that 400 cases of self immolation were recorded between January and May of 2006, and that some of these cases were likely honor killings made to look like suicides. For instance, a study conducted by the Kurdistan Women’s Union and presented to Ms. Porter during her trip indicated that the number of immolation cases in the region had risen significantly between 2003 and 2005, with young women accounting for the overwhelming majority of the incidents. However, most of these cases were described as accidents, as the authors of the study indicated that underreporting is rampant because of the stigma associated with suicide. In general, the accuracy of statistics on gender-based violence is difficult to validate, as the sensitivity of the subject matter deters full disclosure.
Still, by opening up forums for discussing these sensitive issues we can further contest these crippling stigmas, as well as the damaging beliefs that underlie the perpetration of gender-based violence. Kurdish women have already made significant headway in these efforts and LCHR’s projects can build upon their good work. Through their efforts, they have called attention to manifestations of bigotry that have, for so long, gone unaddressed. Women’s organizations in the region have developed ground-breaking public education campaigns against FGM and advocated for legislation aimed at combating the practice. Honor killings have also been a major point of emphasis for Kurdish women right’s groups, and in 2002, thanks to their sustained pressure, the Kurdistan Regional Government created new legislation that defined the act as homicide and stipulated that perpetrators be treated as any other murderer. In addition, there are a greater number of services available to at-risk women in the area. There are two women’s shelters for victims of domestic violence in Suleimaniyah, and one each in Erbil and Duhok.
Still, many Kurdish women are convinced that an attack on their lives is imminent. A local physician has informed LCHR that many of the women at the shelters are plagued by depression and hopelessness and live in a constant state of fear, unable to envision a day when they will lead a normal existence.
Though LCHR’s initiatives are at a grassroots level, the space that they give local women is a vital one. Through the opportunities provided by our mobile library services, participants are able to air their concerns and fears, discuss personal circumstances, and verbalize their hopes and dreams. Through peer-to-peer expression of these issues in a safe environment, we are hopeful that LCHR’s project can help to ease these tensions. Furthermore, the awareness and self-confidence engendered by the forums may spur some participants on to further advocacy.
Arab-language Women’s Publications
In addition to our literacy project, LCHR has also begun to provide support to local staff for the production of a publication on women’s rights and democracy. After working with the project coordinator, a prominent women’s rights activist in Kurdistan, to develop the concept, production began in the spring of 2007. In addition to its emphasis on rights and the empowerment and advancement of women, the magazine is intended to foster cross-cultural dialogue. Kurdish women are our local staff, but the publication is written in Arabic and distributed throughout the country – including, Suleimaniyah, Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, Baghdad, Alrumadi, Naja, and Basra – to foster unity between Iraqi women of all backgrounds. As such, the publication will address women’s issues in central and southern Iraq; create dialogue between Kurdish and Arabic women that will highlight the work of women activists to all Iraqis in the fields of politics, economics, and social services; and cultivate homegrown women leaders across the country.
The issues will be approximately 150 pages in length, with an anticipated circulation of 1,000 copies per issue. Circulation will be tracked and any feedback from readers received will be collected as indication of success in disseminating information on democracy and women’s rights. The first edition is scheduled to be completed this summer.
As civil strife continues to ravage the country, the necessity of bringing together and promoting dialogue and cross-cultural understanding among all Iraqis has become increasingly apparent. LCHR believes that the publication can help to address these crucial issues.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s Treasures
Home to what some say is the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city (Erbil), Kurdistan is rich in treasures of antiquity deserving of international recognition and protection. The region is the birthplace of agriculture, and is home to numerous prehistoric cave paintings as well as ancient sacred sites. Kurdistan’s archaeological treasures transcend geopolitics, and are invaluable to the cultural legacy of all humankind. The region’s some 3,500 archaeological sites are tremendous sources of historical knowledge, and, if recognized, archaeologically authenticated, and protected, these sites can build political cohesion and create pride of place and international prestige for the region and the country at large.
Troublingly, many of these sites are littered with landmines and unexploded ordinance – the remnants of years of conflict. While Kurdistan has made progress in clearing these areas with the help of various international organizations, additional demining funding is sorely needed. LCHR is confident that increased exposure of these sites will lead to expanded assistance for this effort.
In light of these circumstances, LCHR is working to create strong partnerships with international institutions to safeguard these archaeological treasures. Iraqi Kurdistan has the potential to be an extremely important center for the study of the history of humankind; if Kurdistan’s sites are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, archeologists will give the region its due recognition and tourism and accompanying microenterprise initiatives will flourish. These ventures would create new jobs for local citizens and greatly benefit the Iraqi economy. The U.S. government has already targeted northern Iraq as a prime platform for foreign investment in its recently launched business gateways project, and our Kurdistan’s Treasures initiative could complement this new effort.
Replicability and Sustainability of LCHR’s Iraq Initiatives
Through the promotion of locally-run initiatives that can be implemented with modest amounts of capital, yet have a far-reaching impact, our projects in northern Iraq can serve as replicable models for other regions of the country. In spite of the security concerns, both development practitioners and local citizens have bravely persevered in their efforts to improve the lives of all Iraqis, and by building partnerships that strengthen local capacity and advance the established efforts of community leaders, this goal can be realized.
Some potential donors are reluctant to fund LCHR’s projects due the inherent risk of working in Iraq. Still, we are firmly committed to continuing our work on the ground in Iraq with real people, especially women, who care not about the continuity of governments, but about something even more fundamental: the continuity of generations. The education and empowerment of women and other marginalized Iraqis will ensure a brighter future for the country.
References
CARE: Defending dignity, fighting poverty. Female genital cutting. Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.care.org/newsroom/specialreports/fgc/index.asp?source=170740370000&WT.srch=1
Human Rights Watch. (2001). Item 12 – Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: Violence against women and “honor” crimes. Human Rights Watch Oral Intervention at the 57th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Retrieved May 22, 2007 from http://hrw.org/english/docs/2001/04/06/global268.htm.
Iraq. (2007). CIA World Factbook. Retrieved May 21, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html.
Kurdistannet.org. (2007, May 24). Shawbo Ali Rauf, a 19 year old victim of ‘honour’ killing in Kurdistan. Retrieved May 29, 2007 from http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2007/5/kurdlocal361.htm.
Strobel, V. & v. der Osten-Sacken, T. (2006, May). Female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan [Electronic version]. Paper presented to the conference: 1ère Journée Humanitaire sur la Santé des Femmes dans le Monde, Paris. Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.wadinet.de/scripte/print.php.
Susman, T. (2007, May 22). Iraqi girl’s horrific death. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved May 25, 2007 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-stonemay22,1,7741366.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true.
United Nations News Service. (2007, February 5). ‘Medical’ trend with female genital mutilation disturbs UN agency. Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.un.org/apps/news/printnews.asp?nid=21456.
The Leadership Council for Human Rights
444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 841
Washington, DC, 20001
202-638-0066
www.leadership-council.org
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