SPEECH

Good Afternoon delegations and Honorable Chair.

The Republic of Iraq is an Asian country in the Middle East. It shares borders
with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the
northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran to the east. The capital and largest
city is Baghdad and is one of the most populous urban agglomerations of the
Middle East. Iraq is home to various ethnic groups, including Arabs, Kurds,
Armenians, etc. Most of the country's citizens are Muslim and the official
languages are Arabic and Kurdish.

Female genital mutilation is known to harm girls and women in many ways: it
is painful, traumatic and has immediate and permanent health consequences.
That is why in Iraq work is being done to try to eliminate this custom, with laws
that includes provisions such as punishing perpetrators with up to three years
in prison, sanctions to any person who 'mutilates organs to the purpose of
inducing harm and distortion', awareness and education campaigns in
different regions of Iraq where female genital mutilation is practiced mostly by
tradition, among others.

Female genital mutilation is a global problem that needs a global response.

Official figures from the United Nations highlight that FGM affects at least 200
million women and girls, which is why Iraq proposes other governments to
work together and eradicate this custom once and for all.

Thank you.

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The delegation of Iraq proposes to open the topic A

Government system: Federal parliamentary republic

Conflict of interests

Female genital mutilation involves the partial or total removal of the external female
genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
Normally, it takes place between childhood and 15 years of age. It has no health
benefit, and instead the immediate and long-term consequences are numerous and
include bleeding and immediate pain associated with the risk of infection; urinary and
menstrual problems, infertility, chronic pain, genital infections, anxiety, depression
and even death.

On the other hand, it directly affects the exercise of sexual and reproductive rights,
experiences post-traumatic disorders, fears sexual relations and limits the free and
consented exercise of sexuality and reproduction. It is even internationally
recognized as the materialization of inequalities and discrimination based on sex and
gender.

This is why, in December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly undertook to
intensify efforts to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation, defining it as a practice that
constitutes an "irreversible and irreparable form of violence, which violates human
rights of women and girls".

Social acceptance is the main reason for perpetuating the practice. In many cultures,
it is considered a rite of passage into adulthood and is also performed to confer a
sense of ethnic and cultural identity within the community. Other reasons are related
to preserving virginity before marriage, promoting eligibility for marriage, ensuring
fidelity after marriage, preventing rape, providing a source of income for traditional
circumcisers, as well as for aesthetic reasons.

While culture and tradition are often used to justify oppressive practices, there is no
justification for violating the human rights of a child. FGM is erroneously linked to
religion, but it is not particular to any faith, and predates both Christianity and Islam.

FGM is considered a clear violation of women's and girls’ rights. It is also an extreme
form of discrimination against girls and women. It is a violation of the children's rights
since the victims are primarily young girls from infancy to 15 years. FGM undermines
the girls' and women’s rights to health, physical integrity, and security. It also
exposes girls and women to torture and inhuman or degrading treatment

FGM is one of the most important human rights issues of our time because it goes
hand-in-hand with other gender equality issues, including child, early, and forced
marriage (CEFM), honour-based violence, and girls’ education. Talking about FGM
opens up doors to wider discussions and can be a catalyst for change. The survivors
will lead the way to ending this practice, and it is our duty to listen to their stories,
and be humble and ready to learn. Everyone has a part to play in making a world
that is safe for girls.

The decline in FGM rates was found across all regions and in all education and
income groups.
While 40% of mothers said they had undergone the procedure, only 1.1% of their
daughters had done so.

In a survey carried out, the results showed that 93% of the population think that FGM
should not be practiced, 3% think that FGM should continue, 1% say that it depends
on the case/they are not sure, and 3 % abstained.

Most noticeable are the declines in Erbil, Suleymania and Halabja, where FGM rates
were previously much higher than in the province of Dohuk. While 60,3% of mothers
reported to be cut in Sulaymaniyah, they reported this about their daughter only in
11,8% of the cases. In Halabja, the practice seems to be almost eradicated. While
40% of mothers said they had undergone the procedure, only 1,1% of their
daughters had done so.

When it comes to motivations for continuing the practice, religion (63,3%) was cited
most often as a reason followed by tradition (61,7%). Interestingly, these two were
also main reasons to discontinue: 40% of mothers whose daughters were not cut
said it was not part of their tradition and 23,5% said religion forbade the practice.
Important for this decision was also the desire not to harm the daughter (29%) and
harmful health outcomes (25%).

Policies carried out

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is commonly practiced in Iraqi Kurdistan Region,

where there are extensive efforts to combat the practice over the last decade. This
study aimed to determine the trends and changes in the FGM prevalence in Iraq
between 2011 and 2018 and assess their associated factors.

In 2011, the Kurdish Parliament passed Law No. 8 against Domestic Violence in the
Kurdish Region. The act provides a legal basis for a wide variety of violent acts to be
prosecuted as criminal offenses. Such violent acts include, among others, forced
marriage, marriage of minors, FGM, forcing family members to leave employment,
suicide due to domestic violence and battering children and family members. The
Domestic Violence Law is valid only in the KRI and does not regulate murder.
Kurdistan Region Domestic Violence Act No. 8 (2011) stipulates that conducting
FGM is punishable by a sentence of between six months to two years with a fine
ranging from one million dinars to five million dinars. The sentence is more severe
for the perpetrator of FGM on minors.

The Family Violence Law, which went into effect on August 11, 2011, includes
several provisions to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM), recognized
internationally as a form of violence against women.

Article 412 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which penalizes any person who ‘mutilates
human
organs for the purpose of inducing damage and distortion’

Kurdish authorities banned FGM under a 2011 domestic violence law, slapping
perpetrators with up to three years in prison and a roughly $80,000 fine.
The new campaign of Wadi in Iraq has started on February 6, 2022, which coincides
with the International Day against Female Genital Mutilation FMG, and the doors of
the campaign are wide open to any organization or party that wishes to support and
participate in the campaign.

Dr. Salih voiced support for women’s causes, expressing the importance of pushing
for the empowerment of women at the political, social and economic levels. The Iraqi
President said he will put his full weight behind efforts to have better representation
of women in government posts, noting that the government can start the process by
appointing women at the level of director-general, as a step to appointing women to
ministerial posts.

According to the UN-backed 2018 Iraq Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), a
total of 7.4% of girls are cut each year. But for these dates the percentage of low
prevalence considerably.
In the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where female genital mutilation still occurs most
frequently, the UN is working with government institutions and local NGOs to prevent
such harmful practices through awareness campaigns (2018). And where today
there are already different laws that protect women from FGM

The prevalence of FGM in 2018 was high in Erbil and Suleimaniya governorates (50.1% and
45.1%). The prevalence of FGM decreased remarkably from 2011 to 2018 in all governorates
of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The decrease in the prevalence was statistically significant in
Erbil and Sulaimaniya. FGM prevalence declined remarkably in all age, education level,
residence area groups, and most economic level groups. Such decline was associated with a
significant increase in the education level, wealth, and urban residence. The decline was
highest in the younger age groups, with a relative change of − 43.0% among 20–24 years and
− 39.2% among 15–19 years. The decline was also highest in those with secondary and
higher education (relative change = −32%). The decline was higher in rural areas than in
urban areas (relative change = −35.3% and − 27.4%, respectively). The decline was higher
among the poorest and second wealth quintile (relative change = −38.8% and − 27.2%,
respectively)

In some identified areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where FGM still occurs on a
higher rate, the UN is working with government institutions and local NGOs to
prevent such harmful practices through awareness campaigns.

Policies necessary to resolve the conflict

Government is planning on eradicating the practice of FGM: ‘At a recent conference

on FGM in Egypt, the KRG, in cooperation with the United Nations Populations Fund
(UNFPA), announced a new action plan to eradicate the practice by 2028.

As part of the program, the KRG Ministry of Health would train staff in primary health
care units to inform parents about FGM when they are doing vaccinations, and the
Ministry of Education would arrange training with teachers and parents.

Another crucial part of the action plan would be the involvement of the Ministry of
Religious Affairs, and that it would instruct imams to talk in their Friday sermons
about the hazards of FGM. In the past, religious leaders have been some of the most
vocal and most hostile critics of WADI’s past work and to the general notion of
banning FGM.

The USSD report on Iraq stated that ‘NGOs attributed the reduction in FGM/C to the
criminalization of the practice and sustained public outreach activities

Mainstreaming gender rights and working on educational programs, Iraq should be

able to make headway to eradicate FGM.

Work with local cultural traditions, and not against them, trying to change individual
attitudes related to genital mutilation

Increase the exposure of groups that continue to practice circumcision compared to

groups that have already abandoned it, promote the total elimination of mutilation
(without defending less drastic modalities such as "symbolic" circumcision), as well
as continue collecting useful data to guide policies and programs are some of the
essential efforts needed to eradicate female genital mutilation.

Put in place a strong legal and policy framework and a comprehensive long-term
strategic plan with relevant ministries, other governmental entities, and civil society
organizations aimed at FGM eradication. This should include measures for data
collection, a communications strategy based on public debate both with and within
communities, social and medical services for women and girls, protective
mechanisms, services to safeguard girls at risk, and laws that ban FGM and provide
penalties where the ban is ignored. In order to put this into effect:

Form an inter-ministerial advisory committee on FGM to ensure proper coordination

on FGM elimination efforts between ministries and between the authorities and civil
society.

Include prevalence of FGM within future Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Iraq
Family Health Surveys.

Include religious leaders, NGOs, media and other parts of civil society as partners on
initiatives to combat FGM.

Coordinate and cooperate with the federal authorities to enhance the reach and
impact of eradication initiatives.

FGM is a global issue that needs a global response. Official United Nations' figures
highlight that FGM affects at least 200 million women and girls in 31 countries
worldwide. However, we know that FGM is happening in at least 92 countries in all
continents except Antarctica, with the true number of women and girls affected by
FGM being woefully underestimated.

QUESTIONS
 Guinea Bissau Why did the prevalence of FGM increase from 44.9% in
2014 to 52.1% in 2018-9? What is the government not
doing or doing wrong for this to happen?

United States Although the U.S. is not a country where FGM is practiced
very frequently, does it have the percentage of women and
girls who are affected or were affected by FGM?

Norway Which organizations and support agencies work in the field

of female genital mutilation in Norway?

Egypt In the country 9 out of 10 women have undergone FGM,

does the government care or provide psychological
assistance to those women who require it?

Guinea Bissau Why, if FGM is forbidden by law, is the practice still very
frequent?

Chad Now that poverty rates have increased due to COVID-19,

and that in the last 30 years there has been a 2to 8%
increase in the country, what actions are being taken to
combat the deep-rooted traditions of FGM in the country?

Somalia The recent Somali Demographic and Health Survey

(2020) showed a prevalence rate of 99% in Somalia.
99% in Somalia, why doesn't the government authority do
something to make this change? Or is it that the rights of
women in their country don't matter to them?

- know the porcentage of prevalence of fgm in irak?

-the delegation ofIrak would like to know if the delegation of ……. believes that if
religion is a good reason to practice mgf and why?
--What is the position of the delegation…. of the topic?
-Since FGM is part of a cultural tradition, can it still be condemned?
-In view of the delegation's belief that FGM is well practiced, doalso believe that it is
safer for FGM to be performed by a qualified health care worker than by someone
without medical training?

● FGM can never be “safe”. Even when the procedure is performed in a sterile
environment and by a health-care professional, there can be serious health
consequences immediately and later in life.
● there is no medical justification for FGM. Advocating any form of cutting or
harm to the genitals of girls and women, and suggesting that medical
personnel should perform it is unacceptable from a public health and human
rights perspective.

COMMENTS
-The delegation of Iraq was in total agreement with the position of the delegation
of……

● FGM harms women and girls both physically and psychologically and brings
them no health benefits.
● It is also extremely distressing and damaging to women's relationships and
how they feel and perceive themselves.
● When inflicted on minors is a type of child abuse as well.