ERBIL, Iraq, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The Kurdistan Regional Government said Tuesday it convened a commission to consider recommendations from Amnesty International on securing women's rights.
The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, said the region welcomed reports from Amnesty International that the KRG was moving to curb violence against women but said more work was needed on that front, the KRG said Tuesday.
"Our region must become the best example for Iraq," Barzani said. "With cooperation and hard work, the Kurdistan Region can achieve positive results on the issue of violence against women."
The KRG said it had set up several offices to examine police interactions with women, noting since measures took hold in the cities of Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya, more women were coming forward with reports of violence against them.
A KRG-funded program through the University of Bristol School for Policy Studies will examine "honor" killings in Iraq in order to gain insight into the ramifications of such practices.
Some Muslim communities practice honor killings when a woman commits adultery or some other action that could be considered disgraceful. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari last week called for an investigation into the honor killing of a 17-year-old woman allegedly mauled by dogs before being shot to death by her father-in-law for adultery.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's Commission on Violence Against Women said it plans to hold a ceremony Nov. 25 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
