Photo By Spc. Karla Elliott | A group of more than 150 women gathered at the Northern Iraq Women's Conference in the...... read more read more
By Spc. Karla P Rodriguez Maciel
11th Public Affairs Detachment
IRBIL, Iraq-- Many women of Iraq have endured violence, poverty and suppression due to their environment throughout the years. However, more and more women, each day are taking a stand into stopping this trend.
Influential women of the northern Iraq provinces, members of the Iraqi government, Iraqi security forces and coalition force soldiers gathered in the city of Irbil, Iraq, June 4. The purpose for the Northern Iraq Women's Conference, which was held at the Professor Sa'ad Conference Center, was to give the women who attended a chance to discuss common issues in today's society, dealing mainly with women.
"This conference presents an opportunity for women of the seven diverse provinces to meet with the provincial leadership and central government ministries to voice significant issues common to all women in the northern provinces," said Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commanding general of Multi-National Division-North.
"[It] brings together influential women of northern provinces to facilitate dialogue with the central government of Iraq to create jobs, enhance security, improve education, support the empowerment and full integration of women into society and to bring national attention to the concerns of Iraqi women," said Lt. Cmdr. Kortney Kropp, MND-N women's initiatives coordinator.
To start the conference, Hertling's wife, Sue, gave an inspirational speech about the support coming from women all around the world through a video telephonic conference.
"Although I cannot speak to the hardships you experience every day in Iraq, I believe I can speak for the strength of women, to their courage and tenacity and to the powerful roles women can play in overcoming adversity," Sue said.
"I know I speak for every women in the 1st Armored Division and Task Force Iron, and say it is our hope and prayer that your conference will be of great success because you and your people deserve to be happy, and because in the sisterhood we share, we all strive for the same goal: a peaceful world. Ma'as Salaam," Sue continued.
Throughout the day-long conference, Iraqi leaders and influential women discussed four main topics: job opportunities, education, health, security and legal issues.
Many of the women voiced their opinions.
One journalist from Salah ad Din said, "Many women only hold jobs at the salons or as tailors. Or when they do work with the media, they are viewed as the 'pretty face' of the show."
"Why not stay in the field of media, but instead hold a leadership position?" she asked.
Another journalist encouraged women to start seeking the media since many issues stop the media from approaching them.
"There are many difficulties in finding women [who want to speak to us] because of threat," she said. "But we need you; we need your voices [to be heard]."
When it came to education, a member of the government council in Irbil, Sheler Mustafa Rasool, said they had noticed when both the man and woman in a marriage are educated, domestic violence ceases to exist. And that is one, among many reasons, why women should go out and seek further education.
Women's health was also discussed as a very serious issue.
"Many women die each year due to child birth complications because they don't get prenatal care," said Dr. Arayan Al-Barzanji of Irbil, the health speaker at the conference. "And most of them are between 15 and 18 years old."
Not only that, but a lot of them don't even know some of the symptoms for very ordinary child illnesses, such as the common cold and diarrhea, she continued.
Dr. Al-Barzanji held nothing back, "Sixty percent of marriages in many of these provinces are through relatives, and that is where hereditary diseases take a rise, such as breast and cervical cancer."
And so, for countless hours, influential Iraqi women from the northern provinces and members of the CF discussed numerous issues women of Iraq are facing today and how things can be changed.
"Just based on the fact that 62 out of the 84 women [who were invited] showed up...is a big accomplishment because having that many women come in, get involved, ask questions and take back the information, is powerful enough," said Lt. Col. Nathan Hines, deputy commander of 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, on the conference.
"Things are progressing; things are going to get better over time, but we have to be patient," Hines continued. "If you look back at the women's suffrage movement in the United States, it took [a while]. It didn't happen overnight, but once it got going, it got momentum, it became better...I think this will be the same."
Hertling concluded with, "It is very important...to let women know that they have power, but more importantly, that there is hope."
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2008 10:20 |
| Story ID: | 20183 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 127 |
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