Domestic violence against

children in Iraq
Team A
 Iraqi children have been a constant victim of violence in Iraq.
 According to UNICEF , 4 out of 5 children in Iraq experience
violence at home or in school. The culture of violence continues
and children heavily bear the burden.

 Children may suffer violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

 Children have the right to be protected from violence, exploitation,
and abuse. Hundreds of thousands of children in Iraq, need
protection from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.
 Do we have a National Child Protection System in Iraq ?
 How much does this system conform with the international
standards for child protection?
 What are the laws and formal procedures legislated for the
identification of danger and protect victimized children?
Rights of Children in Iraqi Law

 The Iraqi Constitution provides that any person, who is born to at

least one Iraqi parent, is a citizen and can enjoy the rights agreed by
the government. An Iraqi child by law has the right for free
education, health care, and food rations.
 The law also bans child labor. Education is compulsory till the age of
12.
 In 2020 a new law against domestic violence was approved that
defines domestic violence to be any act or omission that leads to
violence or causes violence to any person in the family and causes
material or moral harm.

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  In Iraq there is a hotline 497 facilitated by the Community Police to
report incidences of child abuse.
 Iraqi law Iraqi Penal Code 111 of 1969, allows beating the wife and
children by the father. This is one of the reasons for the rising family
violence against children.
 The prevailing belief in the society is that beatings is the best way to
teach children to study and be obedient is a deeply-rooted ideology
in Iraq. This led to an increase in violence against children.
Official bodies that help protect children from abuse in Iraq are:
The police
The community police
the Directorate of Family and Child Protection

This directorate gets reports from family members, neighbors or school

concerning suspicion of child abuse. It was successful in rescuing a lot of
children from their parents.
This directorate has the authority to relocate abused children, take official
commitments from the abusive parent, aid in legal separation of married
couple and assists in transferring custody to another person.