Women Rights in a fragmented Iraq

    Since Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled by U.S. forces in 2003, Iraq has been wrecked by sectarian violence and unprecedented political bedlam. 
The roots of the stagnation of state institutions and the collapse of the social and economic components of Iraqi society can be traced back to the U.S.-led coalition air strikes of 1991. This was followed by the humanitarian disaster caused by the siege imposed on the population. 
Yet, the extent of the fragmentation we are witnessing today has only happened following the American invasion in 2003. This status was institutionalized by the U.S. during occupation based on ethnic-sectarian agendas that impacted the entire Iraqi society. This was embodied in the divisions that reached the territories partially controlled by the Islamic State, as well as the neighborhoods in Baghdad, divided into Sunni and Shia districts. One dimension of this division that is constantly overlooked, however, is the gender-oriented dimension.