BY CATHERINE GOLDEN

SYDNEY — On November 18, the Sydney and Parramatta International Women's Day (IWD) collectives held a speak-out in conjunction with the Committee in Defence of Iraqi Women's Rights (CDWIR) to raise awareness about the plight of Iraqi women under Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime.

Over the past three weeks, more than 200 Iraqi women have been brutally slaughtered by Hussein's regime under the guise of “honour killing”. Honour killing is the practice of killing a person for bringing “shame” to their family. Women accused of prostitution have been beheaded and their heads hung above their doors.

CDWIR's Layla Mohammad told the crowd that Iraqi women need help and solidarity and urged women's and human rights organisations to join the campaign and condemn the Hussein regime.

Janine Curll, a member of Sydney's IWD Collective, urged all to stand in solidarity with women in Iraq. Mustafa from the Worker Communist Party of Iraq told the audience that while prostitution is illegal in Iraq, due to Iraq's economic crisis caused by US-backed sanctions, many women are forced into prostitution in order to survive. Women were killed as part of a terror campaign against the Iraqi population to curb anti-government dissent.

In Melbourne, the IWD Collective and the CDIWR will hold a rally on November 25 outside the United Nations Association, 179 St. Georges Rd. North Fitzroy, at noon.

Contact Layla (CDIWR) on (02) 9682 1537 or Kim (IWD) on 0401 08 2527.

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