Written question asked by Michael Connarty (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 March 2012. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iraq on women's rights in Iraq.

Answer: Iraq has committed itself to improving the rights of women in its 2012 National Action Plan and we continue to offer our support to the Government of Iraq to achieve this goal. In 2011, the UK funded training to judges and judicial staff in gender concepts, and how to deal with cases involving gender-based violence. In the Kurdistan region, UK experts have been working with women's shelters to improve facilities and the care they give residents, and with the Kurdistan Regional Government to develop and implement strategies for protecting women's rights. We will continue this work in 2012, as well as raising our concerns on the situation for women in Iraq with the Government of Iraq where appropriate.

Secondary information