KRG launches women's rights campaign

ERBIL, Iraq, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq announced a weeklong campaign advocating gender equality and women's rights.

The campaign, which launches Wednesday under the slogan "Yes to gender equality, no to violence," will run through next week to advocate "gender equality and build a harmonious, modern society in which the rights of all individuals are respected," the KRG said in statements on its Web site.

Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani joined forces with Kurdish lawmakers to coordinate the campaign to ensure women are protected from violence in the Kurdish regions of Iraq.

The campaign will focus on public education and the cultural importance of women in society and calls on political activists and public figures to campaign in support of the program's agenda.

The campaign will culminate Nov. 25 with a ceremony marking the individuals who had the greatest impact on the policy of women's rights.