Statement by the European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI

IFE-EFI-logo-IIIN SOLIDARITY WITH IRAQI WOMEN’S RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS
European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI  and MENA partners,  among them women’s rights organizations from Iraq and  Kurdistan  Region,  are working together to advocate in the Euro-Mediterranean political space for the values of equality between women and men and the demand for the recognition and implementation of women’s fundamental right to full citizenship.

They develop common actions based on mutual solidarity to reinforce the values of universality of women’s rights, non-violence, anti-militarism and separation of all religions from legislative  and political spheres.
They address the challenges women are facing in the Euro-Med region, notably consequences of the global economic, political crisis and rise of religious extremism and conservative trends forces.
Iraq is  now  facing severe danger due  to the  wave of  political  Islamist  terrorism  and religious extremism  threatening the  population in the whole country  and spreading fear and dread among civilians.  After the United States  invasion war,  Iraq’s already entrenched divisions between communities,  mostly created by a successful “divide and rule”  strategy,  were  even more exacerbated.  As in all  armed  conflicts,  women  are the first victims and  most  affected  by the consequences of the present  tragedy;  rape, sexual torture,  prostitution, slavery  are being used to
humiliate and subjugate women and the whole community.
IFE-EFI  expresses  full solidarity with Iraqi women’s rights organizations  that  launched  a call  for cooperation of all Iraqis, a call  to all political forces and parties,  to all  civil society organizations and media:

  • To confront the ambient danger to the country;
  • To  mobilize to keep away  Iraqi    cities  from disasters of battles and military confrontations and Iraq from sectarianism, religious fundamentalisms, communitarianism and corruption;
  • To mobilize  for  the  protection of  the  security and safety of Iraqi people, women and men, from any internal or external breach;
  • To provide immediate protection for women and girls from sexual violence IFE-EFI will act with  all other components of the democratic movement  in order to exert pressure on European governments and  all  international  institutional  actors  to  take immediate political and diplomatic steps to  stop this conflict and to act for  a non-violent  transition  in Iraq  towards sustainable and just peace and towards democracy installed by the freedom loving people of Iraq.

 

European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI
22 June 2014, Paris

 

 

Initiative Féministe Européenne – European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI
20 rue Soufflot 75005 Paris France; P.O. Box 17345 Amman 111 95 Jordan
SIRET: 48854169900010

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