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Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy:
Gender-Based Violence and the US War on Iraq

Index | Executive Summary»

Letter from the Executive Director

March 2007
International Women's Day

Dear Reader,

MADRE's work since 1983 has addressed gender violence in its many forms, and we have witnessed the escalation of this violence in conflict situations in every region of the world. We know that gender-based violence is not simply a by-product of war but also an explicit tactic of warfare.

I am pleased to present Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy: Gender-Based Violence and the US War on Iraq, a MADRE report on the gender-based violence that has gripped Iraq since the US invasion of 2003.

Gender-based violence is used to reinforce rigid notions of what it means to be male and female in society. It extends beyond violence against women. It extends to anyone whose gender expression does not conform to the rigid social constructs of the perpetrators. In Iraq, targets of the virtual witch-hunt have included Iraq's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transpeople populations.

It is our hope that this report will contribute to deepening the understanding of this pervasive human rights violation and to strengthening our commitment to a worldwide alliance to combat it.

I offer my gratitude to all our sisters and brothers who refuse to settle for anything less than justice.

Sincerely,

Vivian Stromberg
Executive Director

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