Iraq protests: The women rising up on Baghdad's walls Published duration 15 December 2019 Related Topics Iraq protests

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Since October, a wave of anti-government protests has swept across Iraq. The protesters represent a cross-section of society and, unusually for a traditionally patriarchal country, women have taken a leading role.

Their prominence is celebrated in murals which have sprung up across the capital, Baghdad.

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Baghdad's Tahrir Square, epicentre of the protests, has been transformed into a hub of creative defiance.

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Murals paying tribute to the spirit and strength of Iraqi women have become an iconic visual representation of the protests.

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Often produced by women, the artwork highlights their increasingly active role in seeking to shape their future.

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The demonstrations and the murals have enabled women to create a collective community, reclaim their national identity and re-write their history.

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Despite facing disapproval from parents and husbands over fears for their safety - more than 400 people have been killed by security forces - women continue to join the demonstrations, sometimes secretly.

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For women, who have in the past been neglected by political movements, the absence of any political agenda behind the protests has spurred them to take part.

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And in a society where men and women have seldom protested side by side, the fact that they are working together in the interest of reaching a shared goal is a significant social achievement.

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