ŞINYAR BAYÎZ

Sulaymaniyah- Several years ago, women were forbidden to drive cars in the Federal Kurdistan Region. The negative perception created against female drivers caused their families to forbid them to drive cars. But this situation has now changed.

According to the official figures, 528.513 men and 88.267 women got their driver’s license in the first seven months of 2021 in the Federal Kurdistan Region (Iraqi Kurdistan). According to road crash statistics, 732 traffic accidents occurred in the region in seven months. 2.187 people, 1.709 men, and 478 women, were injured in these traffic accidents and 980 men and 21 women lost their lives.

“Women are better drivers”

As JINHA team, we spoke to female drivers in the Federal Kurdistan Region. Avan, female driver in Sulaymaniyah, told us that women drive better than men. “Women drivers think more about the citizens. Even if you are the best drivers, male drivers always criticize you because they don’t want women to improve themselves. Despite all negatives comments, I haven’t had an accident until now because women are better drivers than men. But my son always tells me, ‘I wish you didn’t drive.’”

Sumeya Cemal is another female driver in Sulaymaniyah. She complains about the lack of traffic laws, “Male drivers should be punished when they insult female drivers. Male drivers discriminate against us. Sometimes, I think of stopping driving.

Eziz Azad told us that women are being discriminated in every part of life and driving is only one of these parts.

“Women and men are equal”

Eqid Şilan Osman is the director of one of the drivers’ courses in Sulaymaniyah. She told us that the number of women applying to them to get a driver’s license increases compared to last year. “The increase of women drivers makes me happy because women respect the traffic rules. Sometimes, I am also subjected to gendered words by male drivers. Men think women cannot drive. The citizens should know that driver’s license is given to people, who can drive and that female drivers and male drivers are equal in traffic.”