How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected women in Iraq?

In line with the UN Secretary General’s call to put women and girls at the center of efforts during COVID-19 responses, UNDP Iraq, in partnership with the Women Leadership Institute, has released a study on the effects of COVID-19 on women and girls in Iraq. The Women and Girls in Iraq During the COVID-19 Pandemic Study notes the results of a telephone survey of 2,500 women in the five governorates of Baghdad, Ninewa, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Salah al-Din. The study is a follow-up to the April 2020 training of 75 social workers on psychosocial support by UNDP Iraq, which included further training of 25 female social workers to conduct the surveys relevant to the report.

This study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting curfew and limitations on movement in Iraq have affected the safety and security of women and girls in the five governorates surveyed, and puts forward recommendations for government, non-governmental organizations and international organizations, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme and Women Leadership Institute.

The training of social workers on provision of psychosocial support and the Women and Girls in Iraq During the COVID-19 Pandemic Study have been made possible thanks to generous support from the Government of Denmark as part of UNDP Iraq’s Integrated Reconciliation Project.