Iraqi Women-Prostituting Ourselves To Feed Our Children

[MrsSpringsteen]

How very tragic. Can't the US govt help to feed those children? Isn't it our obligation? Yes it most certainly is.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/15/iraq.prostitution/index.html

"Prostitution is a choice more and more Iraqi women are making just to survive.

"It's increasing," Suha says. "I found this 'thing' through my friend, and I have another friend in the same predicament as mine. Because of the circumstance, she is forced to do such things."

Violence, increased cost of living, and lack of any sort of government aid leave women like these with few other options, according to humanitarian workers.

"At this point there is a population of women who have to sell their bodies in order to keep their children alive," says Yanar Mohammed, head and founder of the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq. "It's a taboo that no one is speaking about."

She adds, "There is a huge population of women who were the victims of war who had to sell their bodies, their souls and they lost it all. It crushes us to see them, but we have to work on it and that's why we started our team of women activists."

Her team pounds the streets of Baghdad looking for these victims often too humiliated to come forward.

"Most of the women that we find at hospitals [who] have tried to commit suicide" have been involved in prostitution, said Basma Rahim, a member of Mohammed's team."

 

[butter7]

How very tragic. Can't the US govt help to feed those children? Isn't it our obligation? Yes it most certainly is.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/15/iraq.prostitution/index.html

"Prostitution is a choice more and more Iraqi women are making just to survive.

"It's increasing," Suha says. "I found this 'thing' through my friend, and I have another friend in the same predicament as mine. Because of the circumstance, she is forced to do such things."

Violence, increased cost of living, and lack of any sort of government aid leave women like these with few other options, according to humanitarian workers.

"At this point there is a population of women who have to sell their bodies in order to keep their children alive," says Yanar Mohammed, head and founder of the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq. "It's a taboo that no one is speaking about."

She adds, "There is a huge population of women who were the victims of war who had to sell their bodies, their souls and they lost it all. It crushes us to see them, but we have to work on it and that's why we started our team of women activists."

Her team pounds the streets of Baghdad looking for these victims often too humiliated to come forward.

"Most of the women that we find at hospitals [who] have tried to commit suicide" have been involved in prostitution, said Basma Rahim, a member of Mohammed's team."

I feel really really sorry to hear the news.

What's the next step for these unfortunate women? Sell their children or begging someone who look a little wealthier to adapt the children because they couldn't keep them alive anymore?

Became HIV possitive because of the "business" they are doing?

On one side, simple people are trying their best to help and fight poverty in Africa, and on the other side, some powerful people are so afraid that we'll have nothing to do once Africa is free from the trouble, so they keeping producing more problems.

 

[Varitek]

There have been a lot of stories like this recently - the most tragic I read was one about an Iraqi women who was blackmailed into having sex with her husband's kidnappers - they said if she had sex with them, they'd release him; if not, they'd kill him. A few days later (when she thought it was for nothing) he returned home, and said he was divorcing her for being a slut.

Sorry I can't cite this, I forget where it was.

There is also a huge crisis in Jordan, where many formerly middle class refugees fled, believing their middle class savings could support them. They have run out of savings, are illegal and therefore risk deportation if they try to work most jobs (especially the men), so women or girls sometimes are forced into prostitution. Additionally, they have very little access to health care and only just last week did Jordan agree to allow Iraqi children into their already overcrowded schools.

As for women's issues, in Jordan as well as many other areas populated by Iraqi refugees, prenatal care and care during delivery is available free - but only to women who can prove that they are married. Tough luck for women who were raped (and couldn't access emergency contraception - services for raped women are nearly non-existent, be they psych services, health services, or legal avenues).

You can find more info and field interviews http://www.womenscommission.org/ there among other places.