The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have established a collaboration agreement to strengthen the safety, protection and well-being of women and girls who have survived gender-related violence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The new partnership will facilitate access to high-quality protection services for female victims of violence, including psychological and social support. It will also improve case management and referrals to other services at survivors’ request. The project aims to build capacity in the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Kurdistan’s High Council of Women’s Affairs, and the Directorate General for Combating Violence Against Women. It will also facilitate access to justice through standard operational procedures adopted by the judicial and police authorities.
“The Government of Italy fully supports the need, as a matter of the utmost urgency, to provide assistance to women and girl victims of gender-related violence by restoring basic services. All parties concerned must work to reintegrate the victims in their communities and provide them with tangible support to rebuild their lives”, stated the Ambassador of Italy to Iraq, Maurizio Greganti.
Dina Zorba, UN Women Representative to Iraq and Yemen, thanked the Italian Government for its generous contribution to addressing gender-related violence and inequality and to improving the safety and well-being of women and girl survivors of such violence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The Director of the AICS office in Amman, Emilio Cabasino, underscored that “this project is in line with Italian Cooperation’s priorities in preventing and combating gender-related violence in the country, focusing on immediate recovery and improved accessibility to basic services”.
Lastly, the UNFPA Representative to Iraq, Rita Columbia, stated that: “We are extremely grateful to the people and Government of Italy for their continuous commitment to eliminating gender-based violence, especially in humanitarian settings, and to strengthening the capacities of those working to protect women’s rights and dignity. This support comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased cases of gender-based violence and immediate action at scale is required”.