Global Health Update: GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Rape as a Weapon in Iraq
Up to 10,000 women and girls in Iraq have been abducted or trafficked for sexual slavery, according to a ** new report by the Minority Rights Group International and the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights (http://jhsph.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0a43ad874dbe00d8f0545cfef&id=4f0669e912&e=9c1fcebfa3)
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The numbers are difficult to quantify because of taboos that deter reporting of sexual violence. Trafficking has intensified in recent years with the militant Sunni group Islamic State (ISIS), while mass displacement, economic desperation and the breakdown of law and order all contribute as well. "ISIS has introduced and legitimised the practice of sexual slavery on an unprecedented scale," according to the report.

The report calls on for Iraq to take a tougher approach to protects women. "The silence of the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities on this issue must end,” said Miriam Puttick, a civilian rights officer at Minority Rights Group.
** Thomson Reuters (http://jhsph.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0a43ad874dbe00d8f0545cfef&id=da267860ca&e=9c1fcebfa3)


Related: What will it take to stop Isis using rape as a weapon of war? – ** The Guardian Global Development (http://jhsph.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0a43ad874dbe00d8f0545cfef&id=23d6005a0d&e=9c1fcebfa3)