VZCZCXRO9988
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #1576 1421702
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211702Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7481
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001576 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI IZ
SUBJECT: NINEWA COUNCILWOMEN UNITE TO EMPOWER IRAQI WOMEN 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) PRT Ninewa recently initiated a series of discussions 
with several prominent female local government leaders to 
discuss obstacles and ways forward on women's empowerment 
issues, including institutional discrimination and 
traditional attitudes regarding gender roles.  Recognizing 
the need for more awareness of these issues and leadership 
training, the women offered several suggestions for an 
upcoming U.S. military-sponsored women's conference.  PRT 
intends to continue facilitating such discussions in pursuit 
of broader U.S. objectives.  End Summary. 
 
Female Leaders Face Institutional Discrimination 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (SBU) PRT members participated in an initial meeting on 
April 28 and a May 8 follow-on meeting hosted by seven female 
elected and appointed provincial government officials. The 
women were from the province's Sunni Arab, Sunni Kurd and 
Christian communities.  The participants discussed the 
systemic gender discrimination that they face from their male 
peers.  One lawyer and newsletter editor observed that the 
male-dominated council regularly discounts ideas presented by 
women but, when presented by men, the same ideas are 
immediately pushed forward.  Another woman, who works with 
the women's education and economic empowerment in rural 
Ninewa, similarly noted that she is not greeted with the same 
respect as males during her visits to local districts in 
spite of her rank. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Another woman, who works with reconstruction and 
election issues, attributed discrimination to national 
political trends and asserted that the Iraqi parliament would 
consist of significantly less than its current twenty-five 
percent women if there were not USG pressure for women's 
participation.  She elaborated that men in parliament often 
step forward publicly with democratic ideas and support for 
women's rights but still privately believe women should only 
be mothers and homemakers.  A woman who works with education 
generated some discord by expressing sympathy for this 
traditional view of gender roles.  Referring to the Koran, 
however, she agreed that women should be "full partners" in 
political and economic decision making long as they "know 
their limits." 
 
Ways Forward: Media Campaigns and Leadership Training 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Moving beyond these differences and calling for 
action, one woman insisted that it is not enough for women to 
understand their rights -- men also need to know that women 
can be equal partners.  Her colleagues generally concurred 
with her contention that the most effective way to counter 
the root causes of gender bias, such as the relative absence 
of strong role models for young Iraqi women, is to work 
through local media to conduct awareness raising campaigns. 
They also agreed on the importance of establishing a women's 
"watchdog" NGO which would focus on how laws affect women's 
rights. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) All the women agreed that for these programs to be 
effective women must have more training opportunities like 
the upcoming Multi-National Division-North women's 
conference.  Many women said they were particularly 
interested in additional focus on legal obstacles to women's 
rights, including legislation banning women from serving as 
judges, the government's failure to protect women from 
so-called "honor killings," and guarantees of education to 
young girls.  In addition, they said they are interested in 
practical training in leadership, budgeting, public speaking 
and economic empowerment. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The PRT's series of meetings with women leaders 
highlighted both the capacity and the courage of Ninewa's 
women.  Their refined suggestions for future training 
programs will serve as a jumping off point for PRT efforts to 
facilitate opportunities for women in the province and 
encourage networking across ethnic and sectarian boundaries. 
 
CROCKER