Asuda

Asuda

Motto	"Empower Women to Lead"
Founded	2001
Type	Non-profit organization
Focus	Women free from violence and abuse
Location	Sulaymaniyah, plus 2 sub offices in Erbil and Duhok
Area served	Iraq, Kurdistan Region
Services	Protection, Awareness, Research and Advocacy
Method	Grants, Funding, campaigns
Key people	Khanim Rahim Latif (executive director)
Employees	25
Volunteers	10
Mission	Working for a better life for Women in Kurdistan
Website	www.asuda.org

Asuda for Combating Violence against Women is a women's rights NGO operating in Iraqi Kurdistan. The term Asuda means: "providing comfort".

Focus

Asuda provides protection and support to victims of gender-based violence in Kurdistan (Iraq) as well as to women who have been forced to leave Iraqi Kurdistan regardless of their ethnicity and religion.

Asuda is a non-profit, non-governmental, non-affiliated organization based in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Asuda is a member of NGOs Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI).^[1]

Background

Asuda states that violence against women, notably honor killings, is a key social problem in Iraqi Kurdistan. Despite efforts from wider society to end the killings, the rate of violence is increasing. Respect for women and women's rights continue to be a controversial and sensitive issue. Honor killings are accepted within certain regional 'tribal' or customary laws.

Objectives

• Eradication of gender discrimination and all forms of violence against women including FGM^[2] in the Kurdish society.
• Breaking taboos of bringing up women's rights issues and influence the public opinion in favor of women's rights.
• Promoting awareness among the public about the negative consequences of violence against women.
• Reinforcing lobbying groups to amend relevant laws and legislation that are against the interests of women's rights, and that encourage violence against women and abuse of women's rights.^[3]

Activities

Asuda undertakes:

• Protection: Providing shelter to hundreds of women, protection from facing gender-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), abuse, or honor killing threats. More women come to the center for mediation services, counseling, and/or legal aid.
• Public Awareness: Asuda cooperates with police and authorities in order to increase their awareness about honor killings and violence against women. Asuda also seeks to educate the public by utilizing local media outlets, campaigns and seminars. Asuda publishes booklets and books on women's rights and violence as educational material.
• Research and monitoring: Asuda collects and compiles data and statistics on violence against women. Asuda intends to establish an online database collating statistics such as female fatalities due to suicide or deaths resulting from honor killings.
• Political Lobbying: Asuda works closely with the Kurdistan Regional Government to influence the development of legal standards and improve laws to protect women. Asuda claims partial credit for placing women's rights as a Kurdish government's priority.

Accomplishments

In 2000, Asuda opened the first women's shelter in the Kurdish region. Since then, Asuda has played an important role in lobbying the Iraqi Kurdistan government to place priority on women's rights. Today, Asuda continues to provide shelter, information, legal aid and mediation to women in need.

Financial Disclosure

Asuda is reliant on grants and donations from local, national, regional and international donors and organizations. These organizations include various agencies and programs of the United Nations, the European Union and governments worldwide.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} Asuda has received many grants from key international and regional organizations, embassies and ministries of foreign affairs of European Union and the United States.

Controversy

Due to controversy about Asuda's work and some negative local community perception, Asuda has come under several direct and indirect threats and attacks. The most serious attack to date on Asuda occurred on May 11, 2008, when unknown gunmen opened fire on Asuda's main office in Sulaymaniyah, seriously injuring a woman inside.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]}

References

1. User, Super. "Our Members - (NCCI) | NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq". www.ncciraq.org. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
2. Martin Chulov. "The razor and the damage done: female genital mutilation in Kurdish Iraq | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
3. Administrator. "About Asuda". www.asuda.org. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
4. "Untitled Document". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
5. "WISE". Wisemuslimwomen.org. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20090709000914/http://www.uusc.org/program_partners/asuda. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. "Asuda". Urgent Action Fund. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
8. "Kurdistan Update : Follow up visit – 20 years after the Uprising" (PDF). Krg.org. June 2011. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
10. "Country Profiles | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
11. "Iraq: gunmen attack women's shelter | World War 4 Report". Ww4report.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
12. "Asuda Shelter Comes Under Attack | Kvinna till Kvinna - promotes peace and gender equality". Old.kvinnatillkvinna.se. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
13. https://web.archive.org/web/20080917033034/http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=14781. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. "Condemns Gun Attack on Women's Shelter in Kurdistan, Iraq | KHRP | Kurdish Human Rights Project". Khrp.org. 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
15. https://web.archive.org/web/20131005110018/http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1436. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Official website