TERZE TAHA

Sulaymaniyah- Press outlets report femicides and violence against women cases every day. In Federal Kurdistan Region (also known as Iraqi Kurdistan), many press outlets publish articles on how women should cook and do the housework instead of publishing articles on women’s issues and investigating the causes of increasing violence against women and femicides to raise awareness of the public. They keep ignoring the problems faced by women. Activists and women criticize the press outlets, “The language used by them causes the increase of violence against women.”

Femicides are normalized

Xensa Meruf, a reporter of the NRT channel, criticizes the press outlets ignoring women’s issues. “Press outlets ignore femicides. We do not see women's issues being discussed more broadly by the press outlets.  For this reason, women’s issues remain unsolved. They report femicides as ordinary incidents and normalize them,” she told us.

“We cannot solve the problem if we remain silent”

Highlighting that the women working for the press outlets should advocate women’s rights, Xensa Meruf stated, “We cannot solve this problem if we remain silent. Everybody should do their part. This problem can be solved if every woman considers the problems faced by women as their own problems.”

Women’s issues are ignored by everybody

Jîner Mehemed, a reporter of the Puk Media Agency, has worked as a journalist in the region for years. “Women’s issues are ignored by not only press outlets but also by everybody. Women have many responsibilities. But the press outlets only publish articles on how women should cook, do the housework and look after their children. Unfortunately, the mentality of the Southern Kurdistan media is reflected in the press.”