we're joined by han that at war a prominent iraqi human rights activist and founder of the amal association madame ad words good to talk to you thank you very much for your time welcome dear thank you now first of all let me ask you about the latest political development in your country five months after the national elections the major political factions have finally managed to agree on the three main posts in the country is that a positive development as far as you're concerned oh yes thank you you know we were waiting for this election. we have seen the results of this elections which as you know get you know eighty three women being elected this is according to our court not to list them twenty five percent you know eighty three the top ten of women in parliament from the whole. three hundred twenty nine seats so this is one of the things that

a new course of the parliamentarian life would be started but this is it needs a wireman. the political. depends on the coalitions of the blocs. you know the women or so we are looking for women participation more than before or in the political issues on the change in the country and especially on the political reform now you've been a strong advocate for a wider women's participation you contributed a lot to ensuring those parliamentary quotas that you mentioned and yet i got the impression that during those latest deliberations over who is going to be iraq's next prime minister women's weiss's didn't register or at least weren't as loud as somebody would have expected was that the case. you know this is work one of our a problem that's we always say that women been not assigned in their high position in such an impediment or in the government so this is what we are advocating for

the it's that's women should be elected as you know deputy in the of the president here of the parliament or the dead or in the prime minister or the president of the republic and you can see that woman has nominated to have said in the competition with the prime or the president of the country she'd go to the third to no one. from many from thirty there are ambitious women in our countries taking into consideration that women in iraq has been the first one to be assigned as minister when istead in nineteen fifty nine and to have a lot of these women being really always say they contributed a lot in the political life some of them they were in the central committee of the party or in the leadership in many leadership of the parties in iran but now we have seen that with the ups's with the very weakness of this state has to

specially that the absence of this security system. we can us of the justice system the questions of the tribes you know what are called the tribes and norms and traditions has been you know over. the rule of law. the status of women becoming more and down not in the advance one that we have really worked for that let me ask you specifically about one of those challenges because i know you're very proud about this problem entry quotas but i also heard people say that they do not represent a genuine political change there are people who complain that those many of those seats in parliament go to essentially figure has women from influential families rather than january and real grassroots political activists do you agree with that . yes because not only women even the men you know been selected through

their ethnicity or their you know part is loyalty or because they are a sectarian sectarian way so women defaulted for woman issues or for women's rights for equality some of them you would find some of them in the. of these elected women because of the leadership of the political parties in iraq they don't believe of course rights or equality or they don't won't they feel that women are very much are in competition with them foreign says that we have seen the last election that some of these women can do that for men being as something been attacked by as smear campaign which has affected them on sexual and on their sexual orientation on sexual you know dignity it was very this is a problem the mentality is this thin friend said among our politicians this is what

we have to work very hard on changing the kid change of a stable. that's women can participate always say voluntary and actively in the life of our country now you just alluded to the male patriarchy that doesn't want to see women represented in politics and this is a very typical framing in the west but i wonder if it actually applies to iraq because if we take for example the former prime minister nuri al maliki who didn't assign a single woman to his senior cabinet he strikes me as somebody who didn't want to share power with neither women nor ma'am is that a gender issue or perhaps and authoritarian issue it is both of them you can say about it it is a gender issue they tried to make it a dominant for them. this is what we see that the change or the reform in the

political. politic and you know a process that should be changed otherwise will not be a. very good future in the country so this is it depends on the political reform political reform it to me is that to get a stable or to to get to trust among you know not only in the community but among the politicians themselves you'll find that there is no trust among the put it to kind of looks we have to do that's the national interest of the people is this a priority for them but it is in actual fact is not the priority you can see that people in buses are they are dying of the pollution of the war but then now on tens of thousands of people have been you know it by this you know pollution they don't feel you know their responsibility so things are responsible for all debts no minister of law and the prime minister nobody of them so they don't shame that's a this is the question the whole

a question is this the national interest of the people there live this acute or did your no ambitions to go out of you know insurance of rule of law of dignity of the dignified. conditions of life now let me bring us back to the women's issues because i heard a number of prominent iraqi families for example young or mohammad say die of the war and the all clear patient cost iraqi women and the legal standing there every day freedoms of drowse of movement of one ploy meant would it be fair to say that those who wanted to democratize iraq have actually taken far more from the iraqi women than they gave to them or you know we woman's organizations or the women's movement we look all know is that the women issue is the key issue for the did development in the. please but for our politicians they don't think like that they

always things that a one hour in show is a second that is shoo so forth for that so that we have seen the absence of fear no safety for women absence of you know for say the lack of education for women or of the like for being you know assigned in the i position not only in the political but in the administrations or in the economy field so what do we owe it to find out how women these women portentious for the company development this is an issue which we have in what they are not in such way oh are politicians thinking about it or they are afraid of the and i can see now that it's oh a woman like nadia she got this as you do woman. this noble prize this is it is wonderful it is an explanation for all iraqi woman that despite the.

kind of situation that she has been under have done as she could do to stood up and she told the truth and she could know when the prize for peace and you said that it was an inspiration for all iraqi women but i also hope that this would be an inspiration for the whole iraqi people because as far as i know she's the first iraqi in history to receive the nobel prize can i ask you though because one more question because you mentioned before the male politicians are treating women's issues as a secondary issue but when i look at the iraqi politics i get an impression sometimes that they're actually using women's issues as a bargaining chip every time they have a difficult political situation they introduce some legislation that is designed to appeal to extremely conservative constituencies so it is as if women's issues women's freedoms is even a bargaining. in the political game do you think that's the case yes i think so it

is something of that we can shoot to from that's we have our personnel to stack use low which was issued in one nine hundred fifty nine which is a recognized one of the advancement law in the arab region but they want to change it in the other way they want to change it to open the way for you know sectarian where of marriages so it's reason if we go to the chevy our to the sectarian ways so it means that they go off nine years can be amended or this nine years she has to be you know are you say divorce sometimes this is it is included in the draft law that they have been they have been a present it in the parliament in two thousand and sixteen and in two thousand and fourteen we are against such laws they would against their our campaign on domestic violence low and then we have you know the last year we tried very hard to pass this law but they are preparing to put it for voting and this is what we are it is

very our door that we are doing for you know getting any law for women benefit or for women you know the progress and when you speak about it they will see it this is i want to try been i want to try been known as and they were says shut it out and i think this is not like that because of their interest they want to be a dominance in that you can see that we have no. polygamy in iraq was very limited to doing you know seventy's and eighty's but after that it becomes because of the absence of law and because of the opening the door for marriage of outside the court that has is being you know encouraged well madam ad where we have to take a short break now but we will be back in just a few moments stay tuned. cooked

additional note of what was an ounce of to linger some pieces of this of. the most. simple yet so intimate. look with a showing of the ship a skeleton is lost when the shit. you think of shit. you have to sleep so to. quote of shipping. up and most of those the book is the work of the books in your book which still mostly notes i don't know what the full of. books. it was the latest news in the focus. more easily in the show yet of putting this was going to. move ministers through some really

strong. so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy going foundation let it be an arms race in this on off and spearing dramatic development only personally i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time time to sit down and talk. when a loved one is murdered it's natural to seek the death penalty for the murderer i would prefer it be no and the death penalty just because i think that's the fair thing the right thing research shows that for every nine executions one convict is found innocent the idea that we were executing innocent people is terrifying those

just know really the arrogant and that we were even many of the times families want the death penalty to be abolished the respect they get pell hears because that's what murder victim. families watching that's going to give them peace that's going to give them justice and and we come in and say. not quite we've been through this this isn't the way. welcome back to worlds apart with their practice human rights activists. madam ad where before the break we were talking about the challenges that iraqi women may face when entering politics but over the last few weeks there has been a series of crimes or murders i should say of women who had little or nothing to do

with politics at least three of them were associated with beauty or fashion industry do you take those murders as isolated cases or do you think they're part of a bigger trend you know it does really begin to things that we have seen you know they tried is a message not only to or kill this woman or you know to put them in death but also it is an message for all iraqi young woman do with it draw voluntary from the public lives it is not because they are in a beauty salon or their fashion is or more dead but some of them they are obvious one done for the humanitarian activities for the benefit of the poor people some one of them she was a human rights defenders she's working insist civil society organizations and so this is it's a message for all iraqi women to withdraw voluntary from the public life and this woman they have really a wonderful ode to standing you know to nations who are relations in this so in

this society like the modern one she has in this to gone more than two million followers let me ask you about her specifically her name was tyra. she was a former miss baghdad she as you said had more than two and a half million followers on instagram and i think her murder was the most brazen of all because she was gunned down by two mourners cyclists while she was driving her wide porsche convertible him back that i don't want to sound like a victim blamer i think that it was a huge horrible horrible crime but don't you think that driving porsche convertible in baghdad was almost bound to stir hatred given the level of depression in your country. yeah as i say this is the because of the absence or of the weakness very weak and as of this day to save a security. the justice system you can see impunity on the crimes is very common

in the country the judges the justice is not taking you know really did plays for. accountability of the perpetrators of these to crimes the investigations you can see no more than one week we don't know what is the investigation results and the other so i tell our viewers of him bus or she was she has been killed in the very long day and she was killed in this state also by a gunman who came and he should tell. driver so this is what is the results of the investigations then no is not to clear from our state security and this is unfortunately because of the absence of full of law in the country this it's a frightening of course our women some of the business women they give up some of the media women they give up some of these syrian society activists they give up their action no because they are afraid of the situation you don't know to go in to

sit through it or to be at home or to be in the workplace suddenly somebody will appear and short you don't this is what is also we said it is. the responsibility of our security this is it's important one thing that all these victims have in common is that they leave very active socially active lives and actively defied the so-called social norms that. insisted on by the ultra conservatives and i want to ask you specifically about these social norms if it's something that is embedded within the iraqi society or is it something new that the people try to impose on your country under the venier of really just piety. i don't i don't think that they would it isn't new in the country there were maybe they're more dead word is something new but because the girl she was so you know. just to speak about herself in in the in the social media where she said i want to live my life

as i am as i am of her is not as the other people they want to do when chika suppose they assaulting sexual assault she has got to from religious man or she even she made you know a very simple. commentary about her principle in their life in very open way she didn't you know attack religious or she didn't attack our house traditions but i think this is just execute against her and this is what is the people who say what's happened not only the teller but the questions of so on what is happening why. yes city and a few if you are so active and she was a doctor when did it port of the security speaking that she has died because of the over doors of medicine she had to this is it is really not true things because

she's a doctor and when they speak about that her husband had ex-husband has killed her it is not true that we have made our. first occasions and we've got that her family our. tribe and they denounce this and they protest against this statement sent by the police impersonal and distant when we ask they said still the investigation is going to go on unfortunately in this is slow motion of the word this is given more concern for our women and for the whole of the society now you mentioned that the investigation is going very very slow and it's. in contradiction to what the out now outgoing prime minister our body said because in the beginning he said that the investigation should have should be concluded within the forty eight hours and he also said that there was some sort of an organized plot behind all of those killings do you think that's all postering on his part or do you think death or it

is indeed at least you'll find out what happened and put it down to this is i don't know you know this is the as i say the hour of the state is not functioning it's not functioning as a proficient. adding to the corruptions inside this is very well. this is what's our dilema you know when you lose the security with the state security was the tribes the protections for you already use you know other protections for the best in a life this is it is dilema for iraqis and we hope that their political reform should first the first go for it is to get you know a functioning professional security has to give you know insurance for iraqis to live in peace to live you know in safety to practice their normal life in

a very proper now it's impossible to have a conversation about women's rights in iraq without mentioning isis or die or be very very. form of sexual violence that they practice the kind of violence i'm horrified to say that but that makes rape look like normal because these people practice things that you wouldn't even think about. in a normal society how do you explain that phenomenon that so many men in the middle east commit those horrible atrocities against women and children why is it so widespread we would understand it if it was one psychopath but that's phenomenon seems to be so broad. iraqi society has been under a violent environment for many decades and when does come you know as a terrorist you know going is asian and so on it was the topic the top of the when

we have seen the sexual violence against women separate and when you after i always say it's not a military or security apparatus to eliminate guys but the. leg the culture and the practices of guys is in the in the what you call it it is separate all over the country is not in the name of the but the this violent extremism is even among the young people among the no men how you say armed forces armed groups in the country outside of the. does there are the tribal they are very heavy militarized there are even corruptions this is all it's this conditions very you say purchase all the young people to use their weapons and to use violence and then in cloying men in their country they have drugs also is now is a problem is

a very problematic among young people in this solves all of these issues it is really making suppressing the veyron and reading the violence. because as i said the absence of the state apparatus this is will this is a playing more the role of you know in supporting violence everywhere and using violence against women against children and you can see it there from many cases of the domestic violence earlier this year you address the u.n. security council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and you are specifically talked about the women and children who isis fighters or dies fighters leave behind and who carry both the sexual and the criminal stigma as being associated with terrorist what happens to those people after their supposed a house burns are killed or apprehend that. they are many of them they are isolated in a in the comes in salaheddine or in or in they know

this is which we see that it is what you call it timing bomb if with a still going just in isolation you know. very little said if this is for them trying to be you know although is not abusing them even sexual abuse against some of these women going go on and re have exposed this you know cases many of these cases and we said even though about the children if we if we want to dry the terrorism terrorism the extremism in the country we have today have really this this ferment is if the family if the member of the family accused of any action criminal action should be put into accountability but if they don't have any that's because of a member of their family has been involved in does they're not responsible for the

third and they should really take. this state should take care of that very much to make for them any application. the program we need to speak of that eye of this accident is them on their own as we have the care of these five thousands of people not one or two thousands of people seven is off i says this firm is some of them there are thirty innocent what do you know send children all of you know that is. why we can't we take them like we have to get you know this is a humanitarian issue not a matter i absolutely agree with you thank you very much for being with us today i'm thank you for the very important work that you're doing ok thank you very much . i invite our viewers to keep this conversation going in our social media pages and hope to syria again same place same time here on worlds apart.

a. secret indeed catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children can get away with it literally i like to call this the geographic solution so what the bishop needs to do then he finds out that the priest is is a perpetrator is simply moved him to a different spot where the previous standard was not known highest ranks of the catholic church conceal the accused priests from the police and justice system to

that of themselves and as the i intend to include at tuesday's out in the. it's. unfortunately the united nations security council and his approach to yemen is only to listen to the speech of envoys it affords and many months or two months and then that is introduced when we examine the our own system and i mean that imminent to present to us in the security council would make these statements which are always that have been to. the wings of the united states is dangerous for most of the illegal immigrants. crossing their fingers to us that there was a simple i want to become lost and enter another one the last one just about but as

many of them look for refuge in the so-called sentry sides the drifter used to share information about undocumented migrants with federal authorities and the best person to ask than call mom. was you know no i didn't have my son i got them in a lot of class and i want that. they had that water they all choose to stay in the country with donald trump in the white house for forty gravels they both fifty one fifty have to be about to be. a fifth it's going to have many couples won't. kill what chance of putting food impulse response both full of the output of a few that most of the. two of you.

the most anticipated mixed martial arts fight. on the program. playing deep divisions not only within the same.