Running head: WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S.

WAR 1

Women Prisoners in Iraq and Their Rights after the 2003 U.S. War

Name

Institution
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 2

Contents
Women Prisoners in Iraq and Their Rights after the 2003 U.S. War..............................................2

Literature review..............................................................................................................................2

Methodology....................................................................................................................................3

Prison life and Capital Punishment..............................................................................................4

Societal Changes During the war.................................................................................................5

Similar Situation for Women Prisoners before the War..............................................................6

Limitations I Encountered During the Study...................................................................................7

Summary and Conclusion................................................................................................................7

References........................................................................................................................................9
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 3

Women Prisoners in Iraq and Their Rights after the 2003 U.S. War

The way women survive in prisons has been a major theme in the world today because

unlike men who cope with ease, the females usually have more challenges. In addition, there are

many issues of their rights being abused while they are in custody, especially after the end of the

war in 2003, whereby, their rights deteriorated after this period. The women in prison faced more

suffering caused mainly by the damaged economic status of the country, and they were denied

access to healthcare, food, and education, which are the three most essential things in a person’s

life. However, there are arguments that the women in Iraq prisons after the war in 2003 were not

any different from those that underwent the same scenario in the previous years. Women

prisoners in Iraq face deplorable conditions, especially after the end of the war in 2003; however,

this remains controversial because the female gender faced many such issues even before the

war.

Literature review

Several studies have been carried out to show that the women prisoners in Iraq did not get

their rights after the 2003 U.S war. According to the survey conducted by Kaldor (2003), it has

evident as many as 172 women who were in prison faced capital punishment after the war. This

shows that the war did not achieve its aim, which was to guarantee women their rights, which

included protected human rights and a promise for a better future. The writer also points out that

the United Nations High Commission for Human rights did not succeed in influencing the Iraq

government to improve the rights of women. Moreover, the women had no power to challenge

the government’s decisions. Al Hilfi et al. (2013) noted that death warrant undermined the

predicament of women in the society; the killings went with the aim of putting a stop to violence

in Iraq. According to research conducted by McNally and Frueh (2013, p.524) it said that the
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 4

justice system of Iraq did not allow us of the death penalty but permitted a few execution. This

shows that the government was not concerned with improving the lives of Iraq women prisoners.

The death penalty is not enough evidence to prove that the women of Iraq were denied their

rights after the 2003 U.S war. This is evident from the research carried out by McNally and Fruel

(2013) which failed to substantiate that the justice system of Iraq violated women’s rights.

Based on the research conducted by Woodhead et al. (2012) it is evident that the women

who were in prison experienced mental health problems. They were denied the right to see their

families, making them worried. The fear that the war wiped out their families brought about

mental stress. Evidence also suggests no woman received Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

compensation yet many of them sought for it. Research conducted at the University of Michigan

showed that after the war, many women delivered deformed children, experiences still births and

miscarriages; however, the government refused to compensate them. Studies conducted by Peters

(2015) pointed out that women in prison faced sexual violence and torture even after the 2003

U.S war. The government did not offer protection to the women against abuse. This led to low

esteem and poor health among the women. According to research conducted by Robinson, Boyd

and Bradshaw (2013), the role of women in the society was changed after the war. Women no

longer had control over their families as well as participation in politics. The women who were

in freedom were asked to pay for their liberty; hence, they gave up on fighting. These authors

proved that the condition of the women who were in prison worsened after the U.S war of 2003.

Methodology

The methods I used in collecting data for this thesis comprised of secondary sources that

were books and journals. Primary methods, including conducting interviews, questionnaires, and

observations were not used because they were unpractical because of lack of a specific sample
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 5

for study and the time difference from the time the events took place and the period of

conducting research. Therefore, the books and journals published at that time served as the

appropriate materials to use in methodology. Some of the secondary sources that I used in

methodology are included in the discussions below.

To find out about the capital punishment given to the women in prison, I used the book

by McNally and Frueh (2013). In this book, I found out that Iraq had the highest number of

prisoners who faced the death penalty. Some detainees were executed in secret while others were

killed in front of the public. After the war, the role of women in the society changed. To find out

more details about this point, I used Boyd and Bradshaw (2013). Based on this book, I learned

that due to the loss of lives by men during the war, women were forced to step up and take the

roles that their husbands played. To prove that the aftermath of the war led to temporary

marriages with some of the families breaking, I used Boyd and Bradshaw (2013) book. I learned

that during the war, most of the men were either killed or captured. To find out about the torture

and rape of Iraq women prisoners after the 2003 U.S war, I used Peters (2015) book. According

to the book, after the war, the women prisoners were given to the Iraq army where they were

tortured. Another important thing looked at is the fact that the women were denied their political

rights after the 2003 war as suggested by McNally and Frueh (2013).

Prison life and Capital Punishment

Women in prisons were tortured, sexually abused, and raped by their detainers, and these

actions resulted to low self-esteem and poor health. These women were arrested for various

reasons, and some of them were used as bait for their male relatives to confess to crimes that

they did not commit. In most cases, the women were captured together with their spouses
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whenever they provided any information. This clearly proved that the plight of women prisoners

did not change after the 2003 war.

In prisons, some women were put under the death penalty depending on the discretion of

the judges. Based on the law, 49 crimes are punishable by death in this Middle East nation. The

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights linked the justice system of Iraq to an

animal slaughterhouse. It was mentioned that the justice system was faulty and did not guarantee

the use of capital punishment. In addition, it was stated that the execution undermined the efforts

to curb violence. Executions on detainees without trial for a long time brought distress to their

female relatives since they were left with the whole burden.

After the war, the women from Iraq prisons had problems with healthcare provision. This

is evident from McNally and Frueh (2013), who explain that the women in West Iraq became

reluctant to conceive after the war for the fear of giving birth to deformed babies. Details from

some prisons indicate that some of the women prisoners in Iraq gave birth to deformed babies

because of sexual abuse. The study shows that increased number of birth defects have been in

states like Najaf, Hawijah, and Mosul. Other types of birth defects that were seen among women

that had served in prison include stillbirths and miscarriage. The author also points out that the

women in prison were denied health care programs because of poor economy status caused by

the war.

Societal Changes During the war

During the war, most men were unavailable to discharge their duties, which were taken

up by women, including offering protection to their families, searching for their missing family

members, and providing for the families. The women searched for their lost male relatives

everywhere including the morgue; however, some of them had to live without knowing the
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 7

whereabouts of their male relatives for many years. The book also noted that the police

demanded bribes before they released the captured the men thus promoting corruption. Given

that the men went missing after the war, women were forced to take up the role running their

families, a role which was initially played by the men. This added more strain to the women

given that they already were being denied some of their rights. In addition, many men died

during that time, which led to some women becoming widowed with children to take care of,

hence family breakages. In addition, some women were arrested and convicted, after which they

had to serve jail terms, thereby leaving their children under the mercies of their relatives.

Similar Situation for Women Prisoners before the War

There are suggestions that the women prisoners of Iraq faced the same plights they faced

before the 2003 U.S war and that the war did not change anything. These researchers claim that

before the war, the women prisoners were already facing sexual abuse and torture. The

government did not protect them against such ill-treatment; as such, they were not taken serious

when they complained. Further explanations suggest that the war is what made such plights

visible, hence claiming that in resulted from the 2003 U.S war. Some people also claim that issue

of family breakages and short marriages have been taking place in Iraq since time immemorial.

The men married and ended marriages at their wish hence resulting into family breakages. It is

after the 2003 U.S war that the researchers started paying attention to the plight of the women in

Iraq. In addition, these researchers claim that economic trauma should not be used as an excuse

for denying women prisoners the right to education, food and healthcare. Even before the war,

the women prisoners had difficulty in access to those three things. Therefore, the government of

Iraq should stop using the U.S war as an excuse for the plight that the women of Iraq are facing.
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 8

Limitations I Encountered During the Study

During the study, I encountered a number of problems including time management,

getting started on the research and lack of enough resources. Due to the nature of the paper, most

of the time was spend on reading materials. I made things to do list, which was helpful in time

management. I ensured that I followed the list to the latter to avoid passing my deadline. Another

challenge that I encountered was getting prepared to start the research. Starting the research was

overwhelming. I had to gather all the research materials in preparation for the research. I

prepared a research timetable, gathered all the appropriate books to make my work easier and

made all my scheduled consultations before I started. In addition, there was a lack of enough

information in both the books and the internet. Searching for information from books, articles

and the internet is tiresome. I had to go an extra mile to dedicate myself in extra reading to

ensure I did not miss anything.

Summary and Conclusion

The research provides evidence that the life of the women prisoners in Iraq did not

change after the 2003 U.S war. However, It does not provide conclusive data on the state of the

life of these women before the war; instead, it explains about the life of all the women in Iraq

before the war. In addition, the study does not provide the solution to the problems that the

women prisoners in Iraq faced. It only provides data about their plight. Based on these, further

research needs to be carried out to provide conclusive data on the life of women prisoners before

and after the 2003 U.S war. Additional studies are required to determine the solution to the

problems faced by female prisoners in Iraq.

In conclusion, the research was successful since it met it objective; to present that women

in prison in Iraq did not attain their right after 2003 U.S war. The war, which was meant to
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 9

improve the life of the women in Iraq, worsened it instead. The women who faced more plight

were the prisoners. The literature review points out a number of studies that were carried out in

the past and support this research. The studies proved that the women prisoners of Iraq did not

attain their rights after the 2003 U.S war. The thesis is supported by pointing out the plight those

women prisoners faced after the war. These plights included torture and sex abuse, death

sentences which were carried out in secret, mental stress since they were not allowed to see their

families and economic trauma. The study also points out that all the women in Iraq were forced

to change their roles in the society because they were denied political rights, exposure to

temporary marriages, and experienced birth defects. The methodology used in this thesis was

secondary, given the time difference of the events that led to this research. In addition, I

encountered a number of limitations during the study; however, they did not stop me from

achieving the aim of the study. This study is meant to impact on the governmental organizations

to ensure that they make laws that promote gender equality despite the circumstances. The study

pointed out that post-war, some laws on women were ignored. This paper can be useful to

ascertain that the governments follow the laws to the latter, to avoid gender discrimination.
WOMEN PRISONERS IN IRAQ AFTER THE 2003 U.S. WAR 10

References

Al Hilfi, T., Lafta, R., & Burnham, G. (2013). Health services in Iraq. The Lancet, 381(9870),
939-948.
Ariany, B. (2013). The Conflict between Women's Rights and Cultural Practices in Iraq. The
International Journal of Human Rights, 17(4), 530-566.
Boyd, M. A., Bradshaw, W., & Robinson, M. (2013). Mental health issues of women deployed
to Iraq and Afghanistan. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 27(1), 10-22.
Coleman, I. (2006). Women, Islam, and the New Iraq. Foreign Affairs, 85(1), 24.
Kaldor, M. (2013). New and old wars: Organized violence in a global era. Boston, MA: John
Wiley & Sons.
McNally, R., & Frueh, B. (2013). Why are Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans seeking PTSD
disability compensation at unprecedented rates?.Journal Of Anxiety Disorders, 27(5),
520-526.
Peters, M. A. (2015). Late modernity from the perspective of girls’ education. Educational
Philosophy and Theory, 47(10), 997-1005.
Woodhead, C., Wessely, S., Jones, N., Fear, N. T., & Hatch, S. L. (2012). Impact of exposure to
combat during deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on mental health by gender.
Psychological Medicine, 42(09), 1985-1996.