Parliament holds public hearing on Bill on Combating Domestic Violence & Violence Against Families

Kurdistan Parliament’s Committee on Protection of Women’s Rights and the Research Centre together with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on 31 January 2022 held a public hearing on the new Anti-Domestic Violence Bill.

Parliament Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami, Secretary Muna Kahveci, the KRG Minister for the Interior Rebar Ahmed, Head of the High Council on Women’s Affairs Khanzad Ahmed, Head of the Independent Human Rights Commission Muna Youkhanna Yaqo, government officials, foreign consuls and NGOS participated in the workshop.

Minister Rebar Ahmed highlighted the implementation provisions in the Bill on Combating Domestic Violence and Violence Against Families.

The obstacles to enforcing the current anti-domestic violence law (Law No. 8 of 2011) and how to ensure that the new law will overcome these challenges, were discussed by the Parliament committee members, independent commissions, judges, advisers, journalists, academics and representatives of local and international NGOs.

The workshop participants gave their suggestions on how to improve the bill.   

The workshop was the first time in Kurdistan Parliament’s history that the legislature held a public hearing on a bill directed by Parliament’s presidency to committees.