Over 13,000 Cases of Violence Against Women Registered in Kurdistan Region in 2024

Kurdistan 05:33 PM - 2025-06-28

WOLA's press conference in Sulaymaniyah.

A total of 13,017 cases of violence against women were recorded in the Kurdistan Region in 2024, with Erbil reporting the highest number of cases and Zakho the lowest. According to the Women's Legal Assistance Organisation (WOLA), a significant number of arrest warrants related to these cases have not been executed.

In a press conference held in Sulaymaniyah on Saturday, 28 June 2025, WOLA presented its annual report monitoring the implementation of the law on domestic violence, which was passed by the Kurdistan Parliament. The event marked the anniversary of the law's adoption.

Representatives from WOLA shared data gathered from the directorates for combating violence across various provinces, the family counselling centre, the 119 helpline, and the reconciliation committee.

Regional Breakdown of Violence Cases

According to WOLA’s statistics, the number of reported cases of violence against women in 2024 across the Kurdistan Region is as follows:

Erbil: 3,596 cases

Sulaymaniyah: 3,522 cases

Duhok: 3,221 cases

Garmian Administration: 912 cases

Raparin Administration: 850 cases

Soran: 479 cases

Zakho: 437 cases

WOLA also revealed disparities in the enforcement of arrest warrants issued in connection with these cases. Of the 522 arrest warrants issued in Erbil, 166 were not executed. In comparison, Sulaymaniyah saw 34 out of 863 warrants go unexecuted, and in Duhok, 35 out of 710 were not implemented.

Rise in Cyber Violence

The report also highlighted the growing issue of cyber violence. A total of 226 court complaints related to online abuse were registered, with 99 cases linked to the misuse of communication devices. There were 70 cases involving the publication of photos and videos on social media—Duhok reported the highest number with 32 cases, followed by Erbil with 25.

Additionally, 57 cases involved threats to publish personal photos and videos, with Duhok again leading with 26 cases, followed by Erbil (16) and Sulaymaniyah (6).

Marriage and Divorce Trends

WOLA also shared statistics on marital status, indicating a decrease in the number of marriages and mixed trends in divorce rates compared to 2022:

Sulaymaniyah: Marriages dropped from 20,427 in 2022 to 18,522 in 2024. Divorces increased from 5,438 to 5,745.

Erbil: Marriages rose slightly from 17,543 to 17,591. Divorces fell from 5,857 to 3,878.

Duhok: Marriages decreased from 12,499 to 12,199. Divorces declined from 2,164 to 2,023.

In 2024, there were 98 recorded cases of polygamy (second marriages), with Erbil accounting for 45 of them.

The most commonly cited reason for divorce in the Kurdistan Region was “incompatibility” with 828 cases, followed by marital infidelity (523 cases), lack of an independent home, and significant age differences.



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