Raja Hamid Rashid

Iraq — Amid the ongoing political and social transformations in Iraq, the urgent need for active female voices that reflect the aspirations of the country’s diverse society has become ever more apparent. In this context, Shamiran Odisho, a candidate from the NDA Coalition (Nadaa), is running in the upcoming Iraqi elections, carrying a clear vision to defend women’s rights, enhance minority participation, and promote justice and equal citizenship.

hamiran Odisho represents a voice that stems from the deep suffering experienced by women—particularly within Christian communities that have endured displacement, marginalization, and sectarian violence. She believes that empowering Iraqi women of all backgrounds is fundamental to building a democratic civil state that respects diversity and ensures equal rights for all.

Peaceful Coexistence Among Communities

Candidate Shamiran Odisho, representing the Christian quota for the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for early November, affirmed that her electoral program is based on a vision promoting peaceful coexistence, cultural and religious diversity, and the rejection of isolation and marginalization. She emphasized the importance of social reconciliation as a foundation for building a unified, federal, and democratic Iraq that safeguards the rights of all its communities.

She stated, “There must be a focus on defending the rights of the Christian component by strengthening national and religious fraternity among all components of the Iraqi people, and by fostering a national culture that respects cultural and religious identities and preserves the historical heritage of all communities. This includes ensuring administrative, cultural, and educational rights; enacting a Law on the Rights of Nationalities based on Article (125) of the Constitution; addressing migration through the provision of security, job opportunities, and justice; eliminating discrimination; enacting legislation against domination and hate speech; ensuring respect for religious beliefs; developing Christian towns and villages; providing essential services and compensating those affected by land violations; addressing displacement and demographic change policies; and supporting the teaching of minority languages (Syriac, Turkmen, Armenian, etc.) within the educational system.”

Ensuring Women’s Rights

Odisho explained that women in Iraq face increasing legal and civil challenges, especially the proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law, which threaten to roll back hard-won rights—such as increased child marriage, loss of divorcee rights, early withdrawal of child custody, and rising rates of domestic violence amidst weak reporting and response mechanisms. These factors, she said, exacerbate women’s suffering and undermine their sense of safety.

Women also struggle with limited job opportunities and the absence of effective economic empowerment policies, which leads to dependency on family or government support. Despite a 25% parliamentary quota, women’s political participation in decision-making remains weak and lacks real influence, according to Odisho.

She pointed out that Christian women, in particular, face multiple challenges, most notably insecurity and sectarian violence. Many Christian communities are still reeling from the atrocities committed by ISIS, including persistent threats and fears for personal and family safety. These conditions have driven waves of internal and external migration, resulting in the loss of property and livelihoods—especially from areas such as the Nineveh Plain. Christian women also suffer from institutional and societal discrimination and weak representation in decision-making bodies, further marginalizing their voices in public life.

Odisho emphasized that empowering women in Iraq requires activating official institutions concerned with their rights—such as the Women’s Empowerment Directorate in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers—and granting them real authority in monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. She called for establishing women’s empowerment units within ministries and municipalities, training governmental, security, and judicial staff on equality and human rights principles to ensure fair handling of women’s issues, and enhancing grievance and accountability mechanisms within government institutions to protect women from violations and discrimination.

She also stressed the importance of economic empowerment through facilitating access to loans and small- and medium-sized enterprises, supporting women’s entrepreneurship, ensuring equality in employment and wages across public and private sectors, and creating safe workplaces free from harassment and discrimination through strict laws and effective oversight. Odisho called for expanding women’s participation in non-traditional sectors such as technology, energy, and public administration.

 

Additionally, she highlighted the need for educational and cultural reform, integrating women’s rights concepts into curricula at all educational levels, launching nationwide awareness campaigns through media, schools, and religious institutions to foster respect for women and reject violence and discrimination, and promoting cultural and media productions that showcase positive and successful female role models in science, politics, culture, and art.

She urged greater political and union participation for women through effective training and support programs, legal protection for women human rights defenders, and stronger national alliances and networks to unify the efforts of organizations working on women’s rights.

Defending Minority Rights

Odisho’s stance on minority rights is clear: she advocates for constitutional and legal equality among all citizens without discrimination, legal protection from hate speech and prejudice, safe return of displaced minorities to their areas, legislation to protect Iraq’s cultural and religious diversity, and empowerment of minority women through political and administrative participation. She also supports protecting women from domestic and community violence and advancing economic empowerment programs for young women and widows.

Her program further calls for building a just civil state, strengthening government institutions, ensuring transparency in parliament and government operations, and combating corruption in all its forms. Odisho stressed the importance of providing essential services—education, healthcare, electricity, and water—to marginalized areas and supporting economic development projects in rural and mixed regions.

She declared, “If the bloc I’m running with approves laws that contradict my principles, my position will be clear from the start. I will voice my objection within the bloc and try to influence the decision through dialogue and persuasion. If I fail, I will not hesitate to declare my stance publicly—and I may even leave the bloc if it continues to adopt positions contrary to my values and principles.”

The Role of Women’s Organizations

Odisho underscored the crucial role of women’s organizations in promoting women’s rights in Iraq by supporting human rights, justice, and peacebuilding through awareness campaigns, advocacy, and the provision of legal and social support to women. These organizations, she noted, focus on women’s physical and mental health by providing comprehensive and accessible healthcare, especially in rural and remote areas, and paying particular attention to women affected by war, violence, and displacement. They also help empower women psychologically and socially—especially those who have borne the burdens of conflict and discrimination—through rehabilitation and psychosocial support programs.

Odisho concluded with a message to Iraqi women:

“To you who carried the homeland in your hearts, endured its pain, and built with your effort and hope whatever light remains — you have proven throughout our modern history that you are capable of challenge and giving, of learning and working, of leading and transforming, and of instilling values in future generations despite all difficulties. Let us continue together the peaceful struggle for a society governed by justice and equality, for a homeland that embraces all its sons and daughters without discrimination.”