Iraq invasion aniversary marked

The only event in Britain to mark the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq was organised by Women Solidarity for an Independent and Unified Iraq (WSIUI). It focused on the impact of the occupation upon women.




Iman Abou Atta spoke about her latest research on the trafficking of Iraqi women into the sex trade in Syria and elsewhere, which has become a major problem since 2003. A culture of impunity surrounds this trade. Between 2003 and 2010, some 4,000 Iraqi women disappeared, one fifth of whom were under the age of 18. Kidnapping and violence accompany the trafficking, which is often facilitated by the families of the women themselves, such is the hardship facing many Iraqis in the aftermath of the western invasion.



More encouraging was Noofa Khaddouri’s address on women’s role in the armed resistance. We hear much more about random sectarian violence by religious groups in Iraq than about the organised activity of resistance groups against the occupation, but this resistance is real, ongoing and increasingly national in character.



Dirk Adriaensens, a member of the international BRussells Tribunal which launched the World Tribunal on Iraq, reported on how the destruction of Iraq’s education system had impacted on women’s rights. Haifa Zangana closed the conference, focusing on the role played by women in the international solidarity movement. Great credit must go to WSIUI for organising this event and continuing to mount thought-provoking activities in the face of increasing indifference about Iraq across much of the left.