Shafaq News / In a horrific incident in Iraq , a young man in his 20s hanged his wife to death with the help of his mother due to family problems, a local source in Salahuddin said today.

“The young man (the murderer) from al- Dhuluiya district, south of Salahuddin hanged his wife by a headscarf with the help of his mother to mislead the security authorities that the incident is a suicide incident ,”  the source told Shafaq News agency.

"The woman, who lives in the outskirts of Al-Adhim district, north of Diyala, was forced to marry her cousin, who caused family problems that led to the accident, indicating that the murdered woman was almost seven months pregnant, according to medical sources."

The source confirmed that the police forces, after a series of investigations with the perpetrator’s relatives and friends, concluded that the accident was an intentional murder, as a result the perpetrator was arrested and placed in Balad Police Directorate prison in Salahuddin , while his mother fled to an unknown destination and a search is under way.

"The murderer was referred to an investigation committee to complete the legal and judicial procedures against him,” the source added.

Domestic violence remains a serious problem in Iraq. The Iraq Family Health Survey (IFHS) of 2006/7 found that one in five Iraqi women are subject to physical domestic violence. A 2012 Planning Ministry study found that at least 36 percent of married women reported experiencing some form of psychological abuse from their husbands, 23 percent verbal abuse, 6 percent physical violence, and 9 percent sexual violence.

While the Iraqi constitution expressly prohibits “all forms of violence and abuse in the family,” only the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has a law on domestic violence. Iraq’s criminal code, applicable in both Baghdad-controlled territory and the Kurdistan Region, criminalizes physical assault but lacks explicit mention of domestic violence. Instead, article 41(1) gives a husband a legal right to “punish” his wife, and parents to discipline their children “within limits prescribed by law or custom.” The penal code provides for mitigated sentences for violent acts, including murder, for “honorable motives” or for catching one’s wife or female relative in the act of adultery or sex outside of marriage.

The 2019 version of the draft anti-domestic violence law seen by Human Rights Watch includes provisions for services for domestic violence survivors, protection (restraining) orders, penalties for their breach, and the establishment of a cross-ministerial committee to combat domestic violence. However, the bill has several gaps and provisions that would undermine its effectiveness.

When parliament resumes its sessions, it should urgently revise the draft law against domestic violence to ensure that it meets international standards and then pass it without delay, Human Rights Watch said. The government should meanwhile consult with local women’s rights organizations to open more shelters for survivors of domestic violence, and donor governments should fund private shelters for victims of domestic violence.