Spotlight
Granting Iraqi Women the Chance to Lead
arianna pagani
Mar 16, 2023
Summary
Despite the differences in their backgrounds, a lawyer, activist, engineer and mother shared their experiences of how life in Iraq has changed since the U.S. invasion of 2003.
In 2003, George W. Bush announced the military mission 'Iraqi Freedom', claiming it would fight terrorism, defend the world from serious danger, and export freedom, prosperity and secularism. Unfortunately, the mission has been plagued with numerous issues, including a Sunni insurgency against the central government and American forces, a civil war, the occupation of a third of the country by Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State), and a 'liberation' that has caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Despite this, dedicated members of civil society have bravely advocated for human rights through non-violent protests and campaigns, though they have often been ignored by the international community.
In 2018, Sara Manisera, Remo Romano, and I collaborated to create the webdoc 'Women out of the Darkness' with the support of NGO Un Ponte Per. Twenty years after the American invasion, four women – a lawyer, an activist, an engineer and a mother – tell how they live in Iraq today, how their lives changed after 2003. All have suffered – whether Arab, Kurd or Yazidi– and all today, struggle in silence, in a patriarchal society, imbued with sectarianism and intolerance that is a direct result of the policies implemented in these years.
- Donne fuori dal buio - March 20, 2018On March 20, 2003, a US-led international coalition invaded Iraq. To justify targeting Iraq, the Bush Administration devised the principle of “pre-emptive strike” (Saddam Hussein was accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction and of hiding...
Donnefuoridalbuio.com
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