Familial violence in Iraq; 1 in 5 women suffer

It is psychological or physical, but whatever the method the numbers are way too high. Part of it can be traced to the Iraq constitution which has, as article 2 the stipulation that Islam is the only religion allowed, and as shown in Qur'an 4-34 it is acceptable, even required to beat your woman if she gets out of line. Inculcated violence against women is part of the doctrine of Islam, the fact that 20% of women in Iraq are abused should only surprise those who still preach the "religion of peace" mantra.

From AFP/Yahoo November 26

A fifth of Iraqi women 'subjected to abuse'

One in five Iraqi women is subjected to either physical orpsychological abuse, often inflicted by family members, Minister of State for Women’s Rights Ibtihal al-Zaidi said on Saturday.

"One-fifth of Iraqi women are subjected to two types of violence, physical and psychological, constituting a very serious danger to the family and society," Zaidi said at a conference dedicated to fighting violence against women.

"The most dangerous violence against woman is family violence, from the father, the brother, the husband or even the son," she said.

"Fighting violence against women is a cultural issue, it is the responsibility of the media, politicians and the religious men," said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who also attended the conference.

The overall level of violence in Iraq has declined since its peak in 2006-2007, but women still remain victims of violence, trafficking, forced marriage at a young age, and kidnapping for confessional or criminal reasons, according to non-governmental organisations.

Iraqi women are also affected by a lack of social services, and some must head their households alone because of the death of a husband or son.