Azeez Mahmoood; 25/2/08
Six years ago, Hataw fled to a women’s shelter to escape her brother’s rage when she refused to marry the man he chose for her. Just a few weeks later, her brother ambushed her and her mother near the shelter, opening fire with an automatic weapon. Hataw, not her real name, was shot seven times; her mother twice. Miraculously, they survived, but their physical and psychological wounds may never heal. Hataw, now 26, whose brother escaped prosecution, lost one of her kidneys and her mother has scars on one of her arms. Although Hataw - still living in a women’s refuge - refused to speak to IWPR, she gave permission for the head of the shelter to speak on her behalf. “She doesn’t sleep all night long,” said the head. “She gets up and screams at the slightest noise, fearing her brother will break in and kill her.” Hataw is one of a growing number of women in Iraqi Kurdistan falling victim to domestic violence, with honor killings, in particular, the focus of concern among human rights groups.
See: http://www.metimes.com/International/2008/02/25/honor_killing_outcry _in_iraq/3275/
