Scoring Workshop on the 2024 Regional Index on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) – Baghdad, Iraq

The workshop brought together experts and practitioners from ministries, governmental institutions, and civil society organisations (CSOs), who discussed and assigned scores to the sub-indicators of the Index.

In her welcoming address, Ms Hana Gorgis, Director General of the Department of Women’s Affairs, recalled the development process of the Index and emphasised its key role in advancing efforts to combat VAWG.

Ms Boriana Jonsson, Executive Director of EuroMed Feminist Initiative, expressed deep appreciation for the commitment of the Department of Women’s Affairs to this process, as well as for the leadership and guidance provided by Mr Kenani, Legal Advisor to the President of Iraq.

Mr Thaker Alzghool, Head Researcher at the Regional Observatory on VAWG, presented the Index, which consists of a set of indicators under seven categories, designed to monitor and support the implementation of policies and measures to combat VAWG. He highlighted that the 2024 Regional Index, covering nine countries—Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia—was revised in light of new developments and changes in forms of violence in the region. This review process was conducted during the Regional Expert Roundtable held on 27–28 November 2024 in Baghdad.

This stage of the scoring process followed a series of national meetings and expert roundtables in Baghdad and Erbil, aimed at introducing the Index and refining the scoring methodology. During these meetings, representatives of government and civil society successfully reviewed the Index report for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I), and discussed scoring mechanisms.

The workshop was facilitated by Ms Wathbah Tayar, national expert, and successfully finalised the scoring of the 2024 Regional Index on VAWG.