From Canvas to Courtroom: Iraq’s dual battle for women’s safety

Shafaq News/ In Baghdad, inside the walls of the Iraqi Fashion House—a space more commonly associated with textile design than activism—a vibrant yet somber exhibition titled “Brush and Scream” opened this week.

Organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the visual arts showcase offers more than an aesthetic experience; it is a bold and defiant response to the unrelenting tide of violence faced by women in Iraq.

The exhibition unfolds like a visual protest, with each canvas telling its own story of pain, resilience, and defiance. Scenes of broken homes, veiled despair, and quiet resistance dominate the gallery, inviting viewers to not just observe, but to feel. It’s a space where silence is pierced by the colors of protest and the bold strokes of those refusing to be invisible.

Government representatives, artists, and members of civil society—including the Iraqi Women’s Association—gathered to affirm the exhibition’s message: that women’s rights are not a peripheral issue but a central struggle in the country’s path toward peace and justice.

The artworks, some abstract and others starkly literal, reject the roles imposed on women by tradition and patriarchal norms. Many depict scenes that resonate with the realities of daily life for countless Iraqi women, trapped in cycles of silence and subjugation. Beneath the paint lies a clear message: the fight against gender-based violence cannot remain confined to courtrooms and policy documents. It must live in the streets, the homes, and in the very fabric of cultural expression.

There is a shared understanding among the organizers and participants that the exhibition is more than a commemoration of struggle—it is a call to action. Advocates emphasize that while legal frameworks exist to protect women, they remain insufficient without cultural transformation. As one painting portrays a woman screaming into a void while holding a broken law book, the symbolism is unmistakable: legislation without enforcement, without empathy, without change, is powerless.

This reality is underscored by grim statistics. In 2023 alone, Iraq recorded over 14,000 cases of domestic violence, with women making up a staggering 73 percent of the victims. These numbers, drawn from official government sources, paint a dire picture of how pervasive and normalized such violence remains, despite ongoing reform efforts.

In tandem with these artistic expressions, Iraq has taken procedural steps to address gender-based violence through strategic policy frameworks. On April 16, UN Women and the National Directorate for Iraqi Women convened a high-level dialogue to officially launch Iraq’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. The event drew participants from across government ministries, civil society organizations, and international missions, reflecting a broad consensus on the urgent need to institutionalize protections and empower women in peace-building roles.

However, critics caution that progress on paper doesn’t always translate into change on the ground. Iraq’s Penal Code, under Article 412, stipulates prison sentences of up to 15 years for acts of domestic violence. Yet the implementation of these laws remains uneven, and cultural taboos often discourage women from reporting abuse or seeking justice.

This disconnect between legislative intent and lived reality forms a recurring theme in both the exhibition and public discourse. There is a growing belief that the law alone cannot undo centuries of structural inequality. True reform, many argue, must come from a cultural awakening—one that reimagines gender relations not as a hierarchy, but as a shared human experience defined by mutual respect.

For some, art provides that much-needed entry point. The brush becomes a tool of resistance; the canvas, a courtroom in its own right. Iraqi poet and literary critic Mohammed Sadiq sees this intersection of art and activism as essential to catalyzing lasting change. “True deterrence requires more than laws,” he notes. “It demands a collective moral awakening rooted in knowledge, equality, and shared responsibility between men and women.” For Sadiq, literature, music, and painting are not escapist luxuries but foundational to the moral architecture of society.

As the exhibition continues to draw visitors, it becomes clear that “Brush and Scream” is not merely an artistic event—it’s a mirror. It reflects both the scars borne by Iraqi women and the transformative possibilities that emerge when culture confronts cruelty. Whether that confrontation will ripple into policy, behavior, and broader public consciousness remains to be seen.

But for now, the paintings speak, and they do not whisper.