Peregraf– Amar Aziz
After decades of marginalization, women in Duhok governorate are taking up high-level administrative positions and looking to increase their participation in local government.
Over the past year, eight women have taken up posts in the Kurdistan Region’s northwestern province, according to a count made by Peregraf. More are scheduled to run for positions in the near future.
"Five years ago, the proportion of women in high positions in Duhok was very low," said Shilan Younis, the governorate’s recently confirmed director-general of media and publishing.
"This is due to the tradition of the community, which did not allow women to appear in the same way as men and take high positions," Younis added.
She believes that community aptitudes are changing about the abilities and expertise of women, which has led the government to open up more opportunities to them.
Younis herself is an example of that new approach, taking up her current position in December 2021. The same month, Aiche Shawkat became deputy director-general of intellectuals and arts.
"My employees are happy that I have received this position," Younis said. "We are like a family dealing with each other and have not faced any problems dealing with citizens. The institutions are managed in the best way. We will not hesitate in serving our people and our compatriots."
Younis added that she hoped that more will follow her example "because we have dozens of smart and competent women."
In February 2021, Miran Abdul-Rahman Taha, who earlier was appointed as the first woman manager of Bamarni district, became the new director of women's and adolescent sanctuaries. Then in July, Ari Adil took over as the head of the Duhok Polytechnic University.
That same month, Judge Hadar Abdul-Majid became chief prosecutor in Duhok province, the first time a woman had held the post. Shilan Samer was also picked as the governorate’s mine management director.
"In 2021 alone, the provincial council confirmed six women as general managers," Idris Harkey, head of the legal committee at the Duhok Provincial Council, told Peregraf.
"Another group of district mayors will be changed on the borders of Duhok governorate," Harkey said. "According to my information, another woman will take the post of mayor of the governorate."
Legally, there is a 30 percent quota for women in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the Kurdistan Parliament, and the provincial councils. According to the Iraqi constitution, both men and women have the right to participate in public affairs and can vote and serve in office.
Out of 22 ministers in the KRG cabinet, however, there are just three women, including the ministers of agriculture and social and labour affairs and the minister of state for parliamentary affairs.
In the Kurdistan Parliament, both the speaker and secretary are women.
"Giving women high positions is one of the priorities of the [Kurdistan Regional Government] ninth cabinet, which wants to bring more women forward," said Harkey. "Giving these positions to women is a good beginning because the number of women in top positions in Duhok was low before."
Duhok’s Deputy Director-General of Culture and Arts Aiche Shawkat told Peregraf that "it is important that the rate of women in high positions reaches 30 to 35 percent."
"I do not think it is only about increasing the number of women. To the contrary, it is about making experienced and expert women general managers or any other position; that should certainly be the case for men," she added.
According to Shawkat, part of the increase in women being appointed to official positions is that they are becoming an important voting bloc in the governorate and the parties are taking notice.
She added that local women have also pushed for more senior positions, filing petitions to that effect.
"The number of women in the province's top posts is now about 15 percent," Shamun Shlimun, Duhok’s deputy governor for administrative affairs, told Peregraf, adding that while this is low in comparison with international standards it represents progress.
"In Duhok, we have seven districts where all mayors are men. At least two of these posts should be given to women and the provincial administration agrees that women should be given more opportunities," she said.
"They have been following up on the work of women who have received posts and found that it is going well and they have no complaints."