The Female Refugee Experience in Central Ohio

Iraqi Women

Women in Iraq. 

Women were treated better during the dictatorship. Within the Arab world, they were seen as the women with the most rights. They could go to school, have a job, and travel in relative safety. After the U.S invasion in 2003, this all changed. People were happy with the new freedoms that surfaced under democracy, but felt oppressed by the violence and worsening conditions for women. 

Hear from women living in Iraq:


I spoke with an Iraqi woman living in Central Ohio who experienced this shift. She told me how being a Christian woman made her a target for Islamic Extremist groups. These groups stole from, raped, and killed other Christian families in her area. This is ultimately what made her flee with her family.

In their 2008 report on Iraq, Women for Women International confirmed how bad things have gotten: 
The impact of violence and insecurity can be seen in everything from statistics to anecdotes. In the worst parts of Iraq, the average Iraqi must worry about car bombs, random shootings, snipers; ethnic cleansing, kidnapping, torture, and execution by militant groups, as well as the potential for collateral damage from American or Iraqi security forces operations. 
Piling onto the threat of violence is the non-violent disruption of everyday life, for instance: Women for Women International conducted surveys throughout Iraq to learn more about the living conditions of women in the country. What they found was a widespread decline in living conditions.













 

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