International women's rights oganization MADRE has just released a new report on gender-based violence in Iraq: Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy.

MADRE has released a groundbreaking report on the incidence, causes, and legalization of gender-based violence in Iraq since the US-led invasion. Amidst the chaos and violence of US-occupied Iraq, women—in particular those who are perceived to pose a challenge to the political project of their attackers—have increasingly been targeted because they are women. Today, they are subjected to unprecedented levels of assault in the public sphere, "honor killings," torture in detention, and other forms of gender-based violence. Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy documents the use of gender-based violence by Iraqi Islamists, brought to power by the US overthrow of Iraq's secular Ba'ath regime, and highlights the role of the United States in fomenting the human rights crisis confronting Iraqi women today.

A re-telling of the Iraq war from the perspective of Iraqi women illuminates the strong links between women's human rights and democratic rights in general and the Bush Administration's clear contempt for both.

Check it out and let me know what you think...

6 Comments

March 8, 2007 2:11 PM

[0+]  Unaiza said:

Riverbend blogs about many things happening in Iraq right now and increasing violence against women is something she posts about too: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com

Honestly, I'm not surprised.

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March 8, 2007 4:00 PM

[0+]  faux-tography said:

Different women, different war...but, you all might want to check out this appalling account of the Japanese Prime Minister's stance on Japanese "comfort women".
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/world/asia/08japan.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Makes me shudder...

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March 8, 2007 6:13 PM

[0+]  Jason Van Steenwyk said:

"Unprecedented?" After Saddam and his rape rooms and state rapists?

These people are idiots. The violence now is distributed differently, and now we have someone besides Saddam's government to keep score, and a reasonably free press in Iraq to report it.

But "unprecedented?"

That's just asinine.

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March 8, 2007 6:18 PM

[0+]  erin said:

Hello,
I felt obligated to point out this article on Salon by Helen Benedict from yesterday about the plight of female U.S. troops.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/index_np.html

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March 9, 2007 1:49 AM

[0+]  Doug S. said:

That Salon.com article makes me want to vomit. Unfortunately I can't think of anything to do about it.

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March 9, 2007 11:48 PM

[0+]  Fenriswolf said:

"Several soldiers I interviewed told me that if a commander won't tolerate the mistreatment of women, it will not happen, and studies back this up."

Uh, yeah. So basically, if anyone gave a f*ck it wouldn't happen

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