The Law and FGM/C: Kurdistan region of Iraq

Prevalence of FGM/C in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq varies across the three governorates, ranging from 62.9% in Erbil governorate to 4.6% in Duhok governorate. A 2018 report found that 76–99% of participants had experienced Type I cutting (partial or total removal of the clitoral glans). Among women aged 15–49 who reported having undergone FGC, 60.2% reported being cut before the age of seven. Research suggests that FGM/C is significantly more prevalent in Iraqi and Iranian Kurdish regions than it is in the Kurdish region of neighbouring Turkiye.

In Iraq as a whole, there is no specific law relating to criminalisation of those who perform FGM/C, though some Articles of the Iraq Penal Code (1969 as amended in March 2010) can apply. However, the Act of Combating Domestic Violence in Kurdistan Region (2011) does make specific reference to FGM/C but only covers the three Kurdish governorates where FGM/C is known to occur.