Global Peace Initiative of Women - March
In March 2006 the Global Peace Initiative of Women organized a gathering of Iraqi and American women in New York City called “Creating Our Common Future” Beginning the Dialogue Between Iraqi and American Women. This meeting brought together Iraqi women with their American counterparts to discuss ways in which women in the US could support the efforts of women in Iraq in bringing more peace and stability to their region. It also provided an opportunity to learn about the situation in Iraq from the women on the ground. Outcomes of the discussions included requests to continue and initiate more dialogues, business enterprise, art and media programs and include young people in these efforts. A full report of this meeting is available on our website at www.gpiw.org
Since last year, the violence in Iraq has escalated ten-fold and every day more lives are lost. Everyone in our 25 member Iraqi delegation has lost someone: a sister, a brother, uncles, nephews, and cousins to these killing. As one Iraqi woman said in December, “Our country is now destroyed.”
As many of them courageously try to remain in touch with us by email despite their fear, we feel it is important to share with you some of their thoughts and stories so that we might better understand their daily realities and jointly seek ways to assist them. At the same time we realize that until there is security it is impossible for our network of women to even assemble and find ways of taming the situation.
One delegate wrote that they are waiting for the voices of moderation to emerge. They are forever grateful for our well wishes and messages for improvement and peace in Iraq, but they seem like far away dreams. People are losing hope. The stories of the atrocious daily killings have led many to believe they were deceived by the promises of freedom and democracy. “The spirit of forgiveness seems to be far away from Iraqi people after what has happened to them by the American army and the militias.”
We also wanted to share are a story verbatim that came from our young delegate who was not granted a visa but had so much wanted to come to the Iraq meeting. She wrote recently, “Last Saturday we went to the market in Al-Mansor district and on our way going back home with my father driving his car and when we stopped for the traffic light (there was a traffic jam)…We heard fire shooting by a gun which was very close to us and there was car just behind us that hit our car many times at first we did not understand what was happening but when we turned back to see what’s going on!!!! We saw a young man standing beside the driver of the car that hit our car holding gun without covering his face in fact they were two and they shoot the poor driver without fear from the policemen or guards which were there away from them maybe three meters doing nothing. They are just watching because they are afraid of being killed and the killers ran away leaving the man, oh my God. I remember his face and his eyes looking at me with blood shedding on his neck and he fell down and his car still hit our car. There was another man sitting besides him when he saw that he just tried to trace the killers but they also wanted to shoot him because I saw him fell on the ground. During this time we tried to run away because they started shooting in mess and they came back to check the man being finally dead because he was still alive! Can you believe that? Every time I remember that I felt how crazy we got seeing such a horrible scene like that. They have no sense because it is like a movie scene.
We have received reports from other Iraqi women about the increasing brain drain in the country that many of the wealthy and educated Iraqis have already left and many more from the middle class are doing the same. People are fleeing merely to save their lives, leaving behind their homes and property. It can take nearly two weeks to get a flight out of Baghdad. Iraqis without the economic means to leave, even the most educated, must find work at the most menial of jobs to survive. Schools and universities are almost out of operation in Baghdad. One woman sadly told us, “My little sister and brother stay at home without education. They have no future and it is a big problem. Students in nursery schools, schools and colleges sit in their homes because they were threatened by Shiite Al-Mahdi Army or the Ansar Al-Sunni Army or by terrorists and these groups distribute leaflets saying you must stay in your home or you will be killed.”
The situation for Iraqi refugees is also miserable and it is taking a toll on the future for the younger generation. For instance, many Iraqi families, who have fled to Jordan, have invested all their wealth to relocate and are unable to enroll their children in schools because the laws stipulate they must be a resident for at least two years before they are eligible.
We were informed anesthesia is no longer available at the major hospital Al-Yarmook - “Every operation is done without it whether it is simple or deep injury.” Doctors wearing their uniforms or stethoscopes can be targeted and killed by militias at any time. Patients are sometimes kidnapped from their hospital bed and sold to a terrorist group for a few hundred dollars to again later be ransomed for more. Our source said her brother who is a doctor often returns home at night crying, “he does not know what to do and because he cannot save his patients because there is no medicine at all, only very simple things.”
In February 2006 we met with two of our Iraqi delegates who were in Washington, DC and New York for meetings. They are both working with widows and orphans in Baghdad whose numbers increase daily. Their stories were difficult to hear, one in particular. After kindly inquiring about our wellbeing, she told us that just recently her daughter and son-in-law and their two children were kidnapped and held for ransom in their home. As our delegate tried desperately to get her daughter and the family released, she went to her highest contacts in Baghdad, including ministers of parliament. They said, “We can do nothing.” One of the ministers shrugged his hands and said his own niece had been kidnapped only the week before and killed. After 24-hours and payment of thousands of dollars along with their car and other property in ransom, her daughter and the two young children were released. We were told that the kidnapper was not Iraqi, but spoke Arabic and his accomplices were teenage Iraqi boys. Sadly, the husband was kept for a week, tortured and finally killed. Overcome by tremendous grief, the entire family left Iraqi to begin a new life, but without a loving husband and father for the children. “Baghdad has become a land without laws. There is complete chaos and lawlessness. Everyone is doing whatever they want and there is no one to answer to. ” She said that no one knows who is an enemy, who is a protector. Militias affiliated with the too many political parties vying for control cruise the streets in armed vehicles. It is said they have even killed off political rivalry. What can we do they asked us? We could not answer.
Regardless of these obstacles the women continue on with their efforts to improve the situation. Most are determined to stay in Iraq. “It is my home, where else can I go?” One delegate, who is a minister, nearly lost her life to assassins some months ago. She attended a conference in Cyprus hosted by the Daedalos Institute on the topic of Iraqi Displaced Persons. There is interest and support for this issue from the international community now that it is estimated that nearly 2 million Iraqis have fled the country, with another 1.8 million persons who are internally displaced. UNHCR estimates that 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqis are leaving their homes monthly. Most have fled to neighboring Jordan and Syria, many with minimal resources. Access to schools and healthcare has been a primary concern for the Iraqi refugees.
We recently met with Aseel Albana, who attended the Iraqi - US Women’s Summit in New York last March. She was inspired by the meeting to establish an organization called “Iraqi Voice for Peace”. The organization acts as a platform to allow ’silent’ Iraqi perspectives to be heard. They recently organized a live videoconference on Capital Hill between twelve members of Congress and six members of the Iraqi Parliament. They spoke for two hours on the needs and wishes of many of the Iraqi people. Some of the topics of discussion included restoring Iraq’s old army, the need for the US to set a timeline for withdrawal of troops, the urgent steps needed to restore internal security, control of the natural resources by a central government and the rebuilding of the shattered economy.
As follow up to our meeting in March, we continue to try to maintain contact with our delegates. It is difficult given their circumstances. We are exploring holding a second conference in the region that would bring together more women committed to peacebuilding, not only from Iraq but the neighboring nations as well. This could include Syria, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. Further possibilities include a five-day gathering of young people from throughout Iraq from all sectors and religious backgrounds. GPIW believes that peace lies within the hands of this future generation. Our young delegate from Trinidad and Tobago told us, “You can bend a young tree, but once it is too old it will not bend.
We will continue to keep you updated and thank you for your membership and support.We will continue to keep you updated and thank you for your membership and support.