WOMEN MINISTERS BRIEF CODEL GRANGER ABOUT EFFORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002315 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2016 TAGS: PHUM PNAT KDEM IZ SUBJECT: WOMEN MINISTERS BRIEF CODEL GRANGER ABOUT EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF IRAQI WOMEN. REF: A. 05 BAGHDAD 4731 ¶B. BAGHDAD 1719 Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary. Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Mikhail Salim and Minister of State for Women's Affairs Fatin Abd al-Rahman briefed Rep. Granger (R-TX),Rep. Johnson (D-TX),Rep. Biggert (R-IL) and Rep. Blackburn (R-TN) June 24 on efforts to improve the situation for women in Iraq. Minister Fatin complained that with only a minimal budget, her ministry was having difficulty meeting the needs of Iraqi women. Nonetheless, she explained, her ministry was working with the provinces to see where it could make a contribution. Minister Wijdan told the CODEL that she wanted to implement programs for battered women as well as closely examine trafficking issues in Iraq. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Minister Fatin told CODEL Granger that her Ministry received minimal funding and therefore was unable to fund any programs. She indicated that she would be interested in reducing female illiteracy and bringing more women into the workforce. She explained that her Ministry had developed a liaison relationship with various provinces to look at these and other issues, and requested assistance from the CODEL members. ¶3. (C) Minister Fatin noted that even women with college degrees were having trouble entering the male-dominated workforce. Minister Wijdan seconded this observation by saying that Saddam's regime had slowly but surely diminished the role of women in the workplace and in society. She noted that many women currently were fearful that the upcoming years would bring regressive policies for women. Noting pressure on women to adopt dress favored by Islamists, such as the hijab, Wijdan said that "at this point women would even be happy if their position in society stayed the same because they are so fearful that things will get worse" ¶4. (C) Minister Wijdan identified two programs that the Ministry of Human Rights was focusing on to support Iraqi women. The first would be to establish various shelters and programs for victims of domestic abuse, and the second would be to study and respond to trafficking in persons. She admitted that these proposals were still being developed but reported that the Ministry of Human Rights' funding most likely would be able to support them. When asked about the Human Rights Commission, Minister Wijdan answered that she firmly supported the establishment of the Commission and that the presence of such an organization would complement the work of the Ministry. ¶5. (C) Comment: Minister Wijdan appears to have adjusted her opinion of the Human Rights Commission since our first meeting with her in May (ref B). Minister Fatin has become more confident in sharing her opinions, but still appears more diffident than Wijdan. Fatin is very interested in mentorship or other support and expressed this wish to the CODEL. Her complaint of lack of funding is one that we heard from the previous minister who pushed for legislation to transform the Ministry of State into a full-fledged Ministry (ref A). Khalilzad