Sharp rise in violence against women in Iraq amid calls for new anti-domestic violence law

Domestic violence rates in Iraq are rising despite social and judicial awareness campaigns aimed at curbing the phenomenon inside homes.

New figures released by the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights, a local organisation, report 36,289 officially recorded cases of domestic violence recorded by the relevant authorities in 2025.

The observatory noted that “the announced numbers do not reflect the real scale of violations", indicating that the real figures may be higher, especially as many incidents go unreported or occur without anyone's knowledge.

In a report published on Wednesday, the observatory said, “These numbers represent only cases in which victims dared to break their silence and approach police stations and judicial authorities to file official complaints, while field data indicate larger numbers of victims subjected to unrecorded violations.”

According to the report, "Assaults by husbands dominated, with 19,587 cases of husbands attacking wives, followed by 5,918 cases of wives assaulting husbands.”

The report also stated that “violence against parents included 3,112 cases of children assaulting fathers and mothers, 531 cases of daughters assaulting parents, 1,583 cases of siblings assaulting sisters, and 725 cases of sisters assaulting brothers.”

As for violence against children, “it recorded 1,282 cases of fathers assaulting children and 559 cases of mothers assaulting children, alongside 2,992 cases of various family-related assaults.”

The observatory compared figures between 2025 and 2024, noting that “last year recorded only 14,000 cases, while in 2025 the number jumped to more than 36,000, an increase exceeding 150% in a single year.”

It added that “the greater concern lies with silent victims who do not report violations due to fear of displacement or social stigma.”

The figures reflect unstable political, economic and security conditions in the country, which have affected the general situation of Iraqis and contributed to psychological distress.

The previous Iraqi government approved a draft anti-domestic violence law in 2020 and sent it to parliament. Lawmakers were unable to pass it amid disputes among political blocs and concerns from conservative circles that the legislation mirrored Western laws and granted women government-provided care.

Esraa Mahmoud Salman, an activist with the Struggle for Human Rights Association, told Al Araby al-Jadeed, the Arabic-language sister publication of The New Arab, that “the sharp rise in domestic violence rates indicates that Iraqi society is moving toward further disintegration, particularly affecting women and children, who are the most exposed and impacted by domestic violence, as well as the elderly and people with disabilities.”

She said, “The statistics do not reflect actual rates because documented cases are limited to what is reported on social media, in hospitals and at police stations.”

“Iraqi society has become violent not only toward humans but also toward animals, and without intervention, we are heading toward a social catastrophe," she added. 

The activist continued, “There is an urgent and real need to enact a domestic violence law. Unfortunately, some deputies interpret it as focused solely on women, but in reality, it aims to protect all family members.”

“A law that provides clear penalties for causing psychological, physical or material harm within the family and home would deter many cases and help reduce these alarming domestic violence figures. Without such a law, we will not resolve this problem,” Salman recommended. 

Lawyer Hassan Mohammed Al-Janabi said, “Most documented cases of domestic violence involve spousal abuse, often justified under Article 41 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which is interpreted as permitting 'disciplining', making it a loophole for perpetrators.”

He told Al Araby al-Jadeed that “the only solution in Iraq to end or reduce violence against women is to legislate an anti-domestic violence law, amend the Penal Code by repealing Article 41, and launch national awareness programmes to protect families.”

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.