Launch of the First Domestic & Gender based Violence Database in Iraqi Kurdistan

April 25, 2014 –  UNDP Report – : UNDP and the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG Ministry of Interior launched the first database for tracking Domestic and Gender based Violence cases in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

During the last three years UNDP provided support to the Directorate for Combatting Violence Against Women. The Directorate is the only regional institution mandated to receive and investigate domestic violence cases and provide services to the survivors. The UNDP support takes different forms that entail the institutional development of the Directorate as well as the long-term capacity building of the staff. The outcome of this initiative demonstrated positive impact on the ground and adequate changes at policy and community levels that offer new opportunities to explore how UNDP and the Ministry of Interior can strengthen their joint efforts to adopt a forward-looking and expanded support to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Interior.

The database is considered a milestone in that it will constitute the only accurate source of information on domestic and gender based violencewww.Ekurd.net and inform the regional statistics and polices on issues related to domestic and gender based violence. Staff are trained to effectively and efficiently manage and operationalize the database towards the institutionalization of using evidence based information. His Excellency, Mr. Karim Sinjary, the Minister of Interior acknowledged and appreciated the strategic partnership with UNDP, highlighting the importance of “expanding the current support to different departments within the Ministry of Interior.” UNDP will continue to provide support to the Ministry, the Directorate and the communities in Kurdistan to ensure that institutional capacities “are in place to respond to those who genuinely demand these critical services”, as stated by Dr. Adam Abdelmoula, UNDP Country Director.

Contact Information – Nahid Hussein, Project Manager, Rule of Law, Human Rights & Access to Justice – United Nations Development Programme Iraq – Email: Nahid.hussein@undp.org  – Cell: +964-(0) – 7818595630+964-(0) – 7818595630 (Iraq)