Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Monday, 30 June 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 July 2003. It was answered by Patricia Hewitt (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 July 2003 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry;Minister for Women

Question: To ask the Minister for Women, what recent assessment she has made of women's rights in Iraq.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for Women what recent assessment she has made of women's rights in Iraq. [123331] Ms Hewitt: During this critical phase in the reconstruction of Iraq, I am extremely concerned that women's rights are given adequate attention. Indeed, the Coalition Provisional Authority's gender equality team--which includes a secondee from the DTI Women and Equality Unit--is currently assessing women's rights in Iraq within the framework for a women's conference that will take place in Baghdad shortly. Officials are holding discussions with in-country Iraqi women, who are legal experts, on constitutional and legal reform aiming to assess and improve women's rights and improve them. These discussions will feed into two of the workshops of the women's conference, mirroring the emergent political process and feeding recommendations into the system.

Secondary information