SRSG Jeanine Plasschaert: a society can never be safe unless all its citizens are safe

On Saturday, during the thirteenth conference to combat violence against women, the United Nations representative in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic amplified the phenomenon of violence against women.

"Women face multiple challenges when they seek to exercise their political and electoral rights," Plasschaert said during her speech at the conference.

"The numbers indicate a moderately encouraging level of Iraqi female participation in the October elections, with women representing close to 30% of confirmed candidates, past and present experiences on the ground tell us that lots of work are ahead of us,"  She indicated.

She considered that "violence takes many subtle forms, and all of this weakens women."

Plasschaert took the opportunity to "welcome Iraq's steps to empower women, enhance election-related awareness and security, and protect women candidates."

"The Iraqi judiciary issued decisions not to expose women candidates to the elections to violence, as well as the Ministry of Interior to provide hotlines and take the necessary measures to protect them from the Iraqi security services," she stated.

She indicated that "there is a lot to be done to remove barriers for women to participate in the political process."

"If the voices of half of Iraqis are muffled, the entire representative basis of democracy will be undermined," she emphasized.



PUKmedia