Report calls for stronger NATO role in Iraqi women’s security

Shafaq News- Baghdad

NATO should strengthen its focus on women’s security and rights in Iraq, where violence against activists and changes to personal status laws threaten progress under the alliance’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, according to a report by the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC).

The report said NATO Mission Iraq, a non-combat advisory mission operating since 2018, lists WPS among its objectives while helping Iraqi security institutions fight terrorism, prevent an ISIS resurgence, and strengthen state institutions. However, it argued that legal setbacks and violence against women’s rights defenders have complicated efforts to translate those commitments into lasting gains.

NAOC pointed to the March 2026 killing of Iraqi-Canadian activist Yanar Mohammed in Baghdad, saying the case highlighted security risks facing women’s rights advocates. Mohammed headed the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq and established shelters for women fleeing domestic violence, so-called honor killings, and trafficking. The report also cited concerns over amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law and the prevalence of unregistered marriages involving minors.

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