Iraq's women have given up on equal rights. The just want the “right to live”

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http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/4/17/lifefocus/20756985&sec=lifefocus

Thursday April 17, 2008
Impact of war on Iraq's women
By NAFIA ABDUL JABBAR and MARWA SABAH

Many Iraqi women say life was better under Saddam’s rule as violence against them is escalating.


IRAQI women say they are now worse off than they were during the rule of dictator Saddam Hussein and that their plight has deteriorated year by year since the US-led invasion in March 2003.

Now they are demanding not just equal rights but the very “right to live,” says Shameran Marugi, head of the non-governmental organisation Iraqi Women’s Committee.

“The ‘right to live’ is a slogan that we have begun using because a women’s life in Iraq is being threatened on all sides. Laws are not being implemented equally and society is ignoring women,” Maguri said.

“Before the 2003 invasion, it was possible for a woman to lead a normal life as long as she followed state policy,” she said.

“It was even possible for a woman to engage in political and economic activities through the official Union of Iraqi Women.