Country Iraq
Year 2011
Type of Measure Violence against women > Legislation
Form of Violence Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

Brief Description


After years of mobilization and campaigns, the Kurdistan Government enacted a law in 2011 prohibiting female genital mutilation (FGM). Article 6 of the law against domestic violence, No 8 of 2011, states:
First: Whoever incites on doing FGM shall be fined for no less than 1,000,000 (One Million Iraqi Dinars) and no more than 5,000,000 (Five Million Iraqi Dinars); 
Second: Whoever does or help doing FGM shall be imprisoned for no less than Six months and fined for no less than 2,000,000 (Two Million Iraqi Dinars) and no more than 5,000,000 (Five Million Iraqi Dinars) or shall be punished by one of the two penalties;
Third: Whoever does or help doing FGM of minor female shall be imprisoned for no less than (1) one year and no more than (3) Three years and fined for no less than 5,000,000 (Five Million Iraqi Dinars) and no more than 10,000,000 (Ten Million Iraqi Dinars) or shall be punished by one of the two penalties.

Source of Information

Iraq's submission for National Review for Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, Beijing+25, 2019, p.33-34

For more information: Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination Against Women and Girls in Iraq: A Report for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (2019)