Over 200 women killed in Sulaimaniya since January

18 August 2010 Women rights diminishing by the day in Iraq More than 200 women killed in Sulaimaniya, second biggest city in Federal Kurdistan Region, since January 2010. President of the Forensic Medicine Institute Barzan Ali told reporters 218 women were killed of unnatural causes in the last 7 months. Most of the victims set themselves on fire while 13 were killed by gunshot wounds. Only in 37 of the cases, causes of death were clear, Ali said. Violence against women is a serious problem for the Kurdistan region. According to statistics released by the KRG Ministry of Interior in the first six months of 2010 in South Kurdistan, 48 women were killed, 207 women set their bodies on fire , 671 women were subjected to serious domestic violence and 63 women were sexually abused. As these are the official figures, the real numbers are estimated much higher. Violence against women and girls continues to be a serious problem, with members of insurgent groups and militias, soldiers, and police among the perpetrators. Even in high-profile cases involving police or security forces, prosecutions are rare. Insurgent groups have targeted women who are politicians, civil servants, journalists, and women's rights activists. They have also attacked women on the street for what they consider "immoral" or "un-Islamic" behavior or dress. So called "honour killings" by family members remain a threat to women and girls in Kurdish areas, as well as elsewhere in Iraq. Female genital mutilation is practiced mainly in Kurdish areas of Iraq; reportedly 60 percent of Kurdish women have undergone this procedure, although the KRG claimed that the figures are exaggerated. Girls and women receive conflicting and inaccurate messages from public officials on its consequences. The Kurdistan parliament in 2008 passed a draft law outlawing FGM, but the ministerial decree necessary to implement it, expected in February 2009, was inexplicably cancelled. ANF / SULAIMANIYA ANF NEWS AGENCY