Statement on the occasion of March 8th, International Women’s Day:
No to War or Threats of War
For decades, constant and endless wars have continued to take place, increasing in intensity in recent months. Over the past five months, the genocide in Gaza has taken the lives of 30,220 people, including 12,660 children with another 7,800 still missing under the rubble. Despite the decision of the International Court of Justice, the killings have not ceased, and as of today, the bloodshed continues in Gaza and the West Bank. From Russian and Ukraine, to Sudan, to the sporadic bombing of Iraq.
Since the beginning of this year, we are witnessing the dangers of these unprecedented wars, with the threat that they will ravage societies once more, leaving dire effects on the lives of the population in general and women in particular further pushing their conditions to deterioration if another wide scale war breaks out.
We, the people of Iraq, and women in particular, have suffered, as we have borne a double burden from the scourges of wars and conflicts as well as their after effects on our lives and societies. Iraq was, and remains, an arena for senseless wars from the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War to the 1991 Gulf War, the economic blockade war, the sporadic wars during the blockade, the 2003 invasion, the 2006-2007 civil war, and to the war launched by “ISIS” from 2014-2017.
Today, Iraq continues to experience periodic bombings and continuous skirmishes wherein lives continue to be claimed. Moreover, the threat to the lives and safety of men and women continues to put the security of the country in jeopardy, including the loss of our children and loved ones, the increasing number of widows who remain ravaged by poverty, hunger, social condemnation and sexual exploitation, the increasing numbers of orphans living in conditions of destitution, and homelessness. Additionally, the remnants of weapons of mass destruction and depleted uranium brought forth a health crisis wherein generations of children were born suffering with serious birth defects.
For women, the wars have restricted their freedom of movement imprisoning them in their homes at higher rates than in the past, especially since the American invasion in 2003. This has caused an atmosphere of fear and anxiety among families, particularly with regard to their girls, leading to the deterioration of gender equality and an increase in systematic sexual discrimination against women. The psychological, physical, and social suffering from 2014 to the present day continues to be shared by Yazidi women and girls, and other ethnic minorities, due to the use of the crime of rape as a weapon of war aimed at subjugating populations. Likewise, displaced peoples and women in tents continue to suffer in similar ways due to the ongoing wars and conflicts.
The eighth of March this year is the day on which we raise our voices and sound the alarms regarding this imminent danger.
We, a collective of Iraqi feminists, call on the world on this International Women’s Day to say: We reject these wars and threats of war, and the dire effects they have on our lives, security, and peace both during and after.
Ending wars is our goal, as women, as mothers, and as a humans entrusted with the task of reproducing life. We are the ones who carry the fetuses, give birth to them, and raise them until they, our sons and daughters, reach the age of maturity. We reject the claiming of their lives by the military machine whose only concern is to impose control, without hesitation, through violence.
We do not want foreign intervention, nor do we want to finance or arm its systems. This increases terrorism, not our protection. Foreign intervention does not improve our living conditions, it does not build more factories for our sons and daughters, nor does it provide decent livelihoods for our unemployed men and women. It does not preserve our rivers that that continue to be threatened, nor the drought and pollution that threatens our livelihoods, nor our farms that are shrinking and decreasing day after day, nor our education or healthcare systems which continue to collapse before our eyes.
Feminist movements across the world today stand against these wars, especially in our regions that are constantly experiencing wars and militarization. We join this effort to call for the end of wars and their threats, for the sake of our livelihoods and a safe future. We do not want to invest in wars, but rather seek to eliminate poverty, disease, ignorance, and environmental degradation.
We say: No to war through the world! No to war in our conflict-ridden region! And, yes to lasting peace.
The 8th March 8 Commission, 2024
Lotus Women’s Cultural Association, Aman Women’s Alliance, General Association for Women’s Development, Noon Culture and Development Team, Maalouma Center for Research and Development, and Kahramana Organization for Women’s Empowerment.
