:00:03. > :00:06.Next on BBC News, it is our world. We report from Baghdad where two
:00:06. > :00:16.million women struggle to get by and sex trafficking and
:00:16. > :00:20.
:00:20. > :00:30.Ten years since the US-led coalition invaded Iraq, what is
:00:30. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:36.this? 1, two, three, four, five. I'm here to find out what has
:00:36. > :00:40.happened to the mothers, wives and daughters of the country. I want to
:00:40. > :00:46.understand how they have become the hitting casualties of the war, the
:00:46. > :00:54.women who have lost everything. How many people sleep in this one room?
:00:54. > :01:04.Victims of violence whose voices weave their -- rarely here. And the
:01:04. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :01:35.women who are fighting to get it The hidden casualties of war,
:01:35. > :01:39.dignified woman who once had everything, lives, husbands, homes.
:01:39. > :01:44.Now they are reduced to this, living in a dusty camp on the
:01:44. > :01:54.outskirts of Baghdad. This is a widow's camp, home to a few of the
:01:54. > :02:04.estimated one million widows across Iraq. She welcomes us like family.
:02:04. > :02:10.
:02:10. > :02:15.Iraqis have a strong sense of family, and traditionally, a
:02:15. > :02:21.relative would be taking care of. But decades of war have broken down
:02:21. > :02:30.the family ties. The government calls at the camp of the grateful.
:02:30. > :02:40.But these war widows were anything but. We gather in the mosque, the
:02:40. > :02:43.
:02:43. > :02:47.only place for these women have to As word spreads around the camp
:02:47. > :02:57.that I am there to hear their stories, one by one, the women pour
:02:57. > :03:16.
:03:16. > :03:24.symbols of the damage and impact of all. Without the traditional
:03:24. > :03:28.protection of a man, the world is a lonely place. Most men are not
:03:28. > :03:38.prepared to take care of other men's children. If it is that hard
:03:38. > :03:53.
:03:54. > :03:59.without a man, why don't you virtue, now it is simply a burden.
:03:59. > :04:03.As I wander around the camp, I notice I have a shadow. This eight-
:04:03. > :04:13.year-old is happy to meet a stranger and eager to take me to
:04:13. > :04:23.her home. She immediately invites me in. Her husband was killed by
:04:23. > :04:31.insurgent after Saddam Hussein's 4. She shows me around. How many
:04:31. > :04:41.people sleep in this one room? This is a woman who clearly takes pride
:04:41. > :04:41.
:04:41. > :05:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds
:05:21. > :05:31.in her home, even though it is not only an estimated 8% of women in
:05:31. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:36.her situation had paid work of any kind. Most of the women at this can
:05:36. > :05:43.have nothing but the $80 a month the government hands out. If they
:05:43. > :05:47.are lucky enough to qualify, and fight through the Iraqi bureaucracy.
:05:47. > :05:56.These women seem so vulnerable, so damaged by the war, it is hard to
:05:56. > :06:01.imagine that things have ever been better. But there was a time when
:06:01. > :06:07.Iraq was a beacon for women's rights. They had the first female
:06:07. > :06:11.judge in the Arab world in the 1950s. By the 1980s, Iraqi women
:06:11. > :06:16.were highly educated, hold professional jobs, and even had to
:06:16. > :06:24.rights over marriage and divorce. But that changed after the first
:06:24. > :06:28.Gulf War. And he is of sanctions that followed. -- and the years of
:06:28. > :06:38.sanctions. After the US-led invasion in 2003, things got even
:06:38. > :06:39.
:06:39. > :06:48.worse for women. Four of Iraq's top actresses rehearsing their latest
:06:48. > :06:53.play. It is called the silence of women, about the loss of women's
:06:53. > :07:03.rights since 2003. These rehearsals can only take place behind the
:07:03. > :07:07.
:07:07. > :07:11.concrete barriers of the French cultural centre. The glamour of the
:07:12. > :07:17.silver screen once made them stars. Now it has made them a target for
:07:17. > :07:27.extremists who do not like their jobs or the subject-matter. She
:07:27. > :07:54.
:07:54. > :08:04.director, encouraged her to get on stage. Do you think a father today
:08:04. > :08:11.
:08:11. > :08:21.would encourage his daughter to be an actor on stage? So much has been
:08:21. > :08:48.
:08:48. > :08:58.taken away, as the play's director the instability, the rise of Islam
:08:58. > :09:05.
:09:05. > :09:13.is him, have all taken women rights survive and have few choices, they
:09:13. > :09:18.have to use what they have got. According to one Iraqi NGO, there
:09:18. > :09:24.has been a huge rise in sex work since the war. But meeting a
:09:24. > :09:29.prostitute is not easy. These women shy away from public attention. One
:09:29. > :09:34.woman finally agrees to talk to me. We have been forced to change the
:09:34. > :09:39.location for our next interview. We are going to meet a woman who lives
:09:39. > :09:43.in quite a dangerous and hostile area of Baghdad, and we are
:09:43. > :09:52.concerned that if we are seeing in and around her house, she could
:09:52. > :09:58.become a marked woman. Finally, we meet in a secluded apartment. She
:09:58. > :10:03.is also a widow, but you would never know. Completely different to
:10:03. > :10:10.the women I met at the camp. She tells me that her husband was
:10:10. > :10:15.killed in fighting between US soldiers and insurgents.
:10:15. > :10:20.TRANSLATION: Since I have two children, life became extremely
:10:20. > :10:23.difficult. He was the only one supporting the country. I was
:10:23. > :10:29.forced to do this job at the beginning and end it became a way
:10:29. > :10:31.of life. You cannot make that sort of life. You cannot make that sort
:10:31. > :10:37.of money in any other job. This is a very dangerous job in a very
:10:37. > :10:43.dangerous place, and she needs to keep her Secret Life, secret. You
:10:43. > :10:48.are constantly living in a state of fear? TRANSLATION: Yes, fear of
:10:49. > :10:54.everything. I fear that a client may harm me or if I go with a man
:10:54. > :10:59.they may batter me. Can you tell me how you actually work? TRANSLATION:
:10:59. > :11:04.When I get to know people, I get to know businessmen, big army
:11:04. > :11:14.officials, for example. They protect me. Whenever I need a
:11:14. > :11:15.
:11:15. > :11:19.favour, I give them a call. Leaving her, I realise the sacrifices and
:11:19. > :11:27.hard choices that women in Iraq have had to make to survive and
:11:28. > :11:33.protect themselves. But even having a family in modern Iraq does not
:11:33. > :11:37.always guarantee they will be safe. In fact, in some cases, it is
:11:37. > :11:41.actually the families and that are the greatest threats. In recent
:11:41. > :11:47.years, there has been a rise in honour killings and sex trafficking,
:11:47. > :11:54.but the government will not make shelters for these women legal.
:11:54. > :12:04.Indias working with women have to make a pledge saying they were not
:12:04. > :12:04.
:12:04. > :12:13.Harbour runner ways. -- NGOs. This is a shelter for women. This place
:12:13. > :12:17.is not even supposed to exist. She runs this underground shelter for
:12:17. > :12:27.women who had been trafficked, abused, or whose lives are in
:12:27. > :12:41.
:12:41. > :12:48.their families one day and date. And the law will do little to
:12:48. > :12:52.protect them. -- want them date. It must be scary for you, when you
:12:52. > :13:02.leave every day, the thought of someone coming in here and the
:13:02. > :13:12.girls facing violence. Why do you think that things are so bad for
:13:12. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:38.two. I find the young women in the living room, watching TV. Texting
:13:38. > :13:42.boys and giggling. They met here and have become best friends. They
:13:42. > :13:46.invite me up to their room. It could be a young woman's room
:13:46. > :13:52.anywhere in the world, yet these young girls have had to change
:13:52. > :13:58.their identity. They chose a new names themselves. One means
:13:58. > :14:07.happiness and the other smile. She wanted to choose one that means
:14:07. > :14:12.tears. Even now, she is petrified that her family will find her,
:14:12. > :14:19.forced by her family to marry at 13, a few years later she was kidnapped
:14:19. > :14:29.and raped by another man. For that, her family wanted her dead. Do you
:14:29. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:44.She managed to escape to the shorter. Of footy years, she was
:14:44. > :14:54.too scared to go out. Yet, she still misses the family she hides
:14:54. > :15:03.
:15:04. > :15:06.from. Especially, her mother. Would That is unlikely to happen. Instead,
:15:06. > :15:14.That is unlikely to happen. Instead, she hopes to find a man he will
:15:14. > :15:17.Marion protect her. Haneen has also suffered. Her child was brutal.
:15:17. > :15:27.Separated from her prostitute mother at four, she was left with
:15:27. > :15:43.
:15:43. > :15:53.reunited with her mother. Instead, she was sold to a brothel. It took
:15:53. > :16:23.
:16:23. > :16:32.a seven used to escape. The pain of despite all the courtiers that they
:16:32. > :16:40.faced. -- cruelties. An unstable space like Iraq, you protection of
:16:40. > :16:43.the most vulnerable is rarely a top priority. The government claims it
:16:43. > :16:48.wants to provide a new kind of freedom for women. But everything I
:16:48. > :16:52.have heard goes against this. The Iraqi government prides itself on
:16:52. > :16:56.the fact that what if -- can defy % of parliamentarians need to be
:16:56. > :17:01.women. But the only ones who can be a Cabinet minister can be found
:17:01. > :17:06.here to the women's ministry. Dr Ibtihal Al-Zaidi certainly appears
:17:06. > :17:11.in charge. All their other than her, it is only the men did in all of
:17:11. > :17:17.the talking. TRANSLATION: It right to women are in a much better
:17:17. > :17:20.position than in former regimes. Is it a problem that there are no
:17:20. > :17:24.shelters for women who have been abused or physically assaulted?
:17:24. > :17:30.TRANSLATION: I have said that as long as I am in the ministry and
:17:30. > :17:35.with God's help, before I finish my term, I will try to create state
:17:35. > :17:43.run shelters for Women. She may say she supports the idea but she goes
:17:43. > :17:49.on to list Hurdle after hurdle. TRANSLATION: The truth is the
:17:49. > :17:52.social situation in Iraq has not been receptive. What happens is
:17:52. > :18:01.that to tell you the truth, the Minister of Employment is.
:18:01. > :18:06.Convinced. To be honest, I'm not talking to religious clerics.
:18:06. > :18:11.critics say these are all excuses. Her Islamist stance makes her a
:18:11. > :18:16.poor protect of women. She vigorously defends her track record
:18:16. > :18:19.and her personal views. TRANSLATION: I believe it does not
:18:19. > :18:24.lessen from a woman's status if she is a begin to or spurned or her
:18:24. > :18:30.father, or her brother, while keeping herself respect and
:18:30. > :18:40.integrity and personality. -- obedience. This obedience and
:18:40. > :18:41.
:18:41. > :18:46.respect is the memory ships or something interesting happens.
:18:46. > :18:48.Someone has walked up to me and handed me this vote to say that the
:18:48. > :18:52.handed me this vote to say that the Department is not what it appears
:18:52. > :18:57.to be. That they do not have the resources that they need to get
:18:57. > :19:01.things done for them. It is all just propaganda. It seems that
:19:01. > :19:11.women and the problems are becoming more and more invisible. On every
:19:11. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:23.level, from the government to the street. But not everyone is taking
:19:23. > :19:27.it lying down. So on women are fighting back. These demonstrators
:19:27. > :19:32.to to show love for the country and
:19:33. > :19:42.for its women. Fitting them that it is on Valentine's Day, a holiday
:19:43. > :19:43.
:19:43. > :19:50.Iraqis are very fond of. She wants to... no, never mind. One woman I
:19:50. > :19:55.meet is Iraq's leading feminist, Hanaa Edwar. Happy Valentine's Day!
:19:55. > :19:59.You to. She has never won the hijab. It is the least of her concerns.
:19:59. > :20:03.She reminds me that in a place where his son that ministers
:20:03. > :20:09.operate, it can be used as a tool to control women. -- Islamist
:20:09. > :20:17.ministers. He can see some people using this to pressurise young
:20:17. > :20:23.people. Some of these nasty person's use it. And they try to
:20:23. > :20:28.threaten young people. And due -- and the University, the security
:20:28. > :20:33.people and in the checkpoints sometimes. Along this group, I see
:20:33. > :20:37.men and women standing shoulder to shoulder, especially the next
:20:37. > :20:43.generation of young Iraqis. (APPLAUSE) Is not just about them
:20:43. > :20:52.but those who cannot stand up for themselves. -- Hanaa Edwar. I am
:20:52. > :20:56.full of anger. Full of anger towards our politicians. They are
:20:56. > :21:03.sitting in the Greens zone. They do not know the pain of the people.
:21:03. > :21:08.Their away. They are speaking nonsense. Let us have a look. She
:21:08. > :21:15.keeps -- she takes comfort in the solidarity around her. What other
:21:15. > :21:18.saying, Eckhart? Was struck on the love of the homeland. For her, it
:21:18. > :21:25.is not just about speaking up by individuals beefing up, helping
:21:25. > :21:29.others to learn and Cambridge. -- speaking up. -- courage. Bringing
:21:29. > :21:36.will change. The saltier mac that you are up against institutions and
:21:36. > :21:46.men who do what a sea-change? moors looking towards women and
:21:46. > :21:51.
:21:51. > :22:00.But everyone is a convert. Do you think the men believe in feminism
:22:00. > :22:10.or other key to pick up the women? No. We need a lot of work. I want
:22:10. > :22:12.
:22:12. > :22:15.Zawra Park, a place where families can relax. In a space where there
:22:15. > :22:23.is security and women have the protection of the families, life is
:22:23. > :22:27.more carefree. At the park, a sport Zahra and Ali, holding hands.
:22:27. > :22:33.Seeing someone's more. Even for an engaged couple, this is a clear act
:22:33. > :22:41.of rebellion. You guys are going against all of the laws. Expressing
:22:41. > :22:46.love. Yes.Surely you feel the pressure. Of course. It is a talent.
:22:46. > :22:56.There is a lot of pressure. Sometimes you feel tired. Sometimes
:22:56. > :23:01.you feel sick of it. But you want to show people that you are a woman
:23:01. > :23:08.and that you want to show your rights as a human, just like men.
:23:08. > :23:16.He must appreciate that in her? I'm lucky to find her. I'm lucky to
:23:16. > :23:24.find some girl like her to love me. This is like when you search about
:23:24. > :23:31.someone like you. And suddenly, you find it. Yes. This couple know they
:23:31. > :23:38.their familminder that any change four minutes to start at
:23:38. > :23:43.home. -- for women. Hardly changed your mind set of a man the? If you
:23:43. > :23:50.have a brother, maybe in the same age, he can beat you. If you say to
:23:50. > :23:56.him, mother, he hurt me. She also, he is a man. You have to obey him.
:23:56. > :24:06.It is taught from age. It is part of tradition. Yes.Tradition is not
:24:06. > :24:15.
:24:15. > :24:22.something this Iraqi couple is Iraq is now at a critical moment.
:24:22. > :24:30.That matters most for the next generation of Iraqi women. Back at
:24:30. > :24:40.the widows can, I am introduced to Janart. They are both eager to show
:24:40. > :24:41.
:24:41. > :24:46.But only one of them is in school right now. Classes are free. There
:24:46. > :24:56.is so many expenses the family cannot afford. Today, nearly one-
:24:56. > :25:00.
:25:00. > :25:05.third of Iraqi women are illiterate. Circle teachers Zanib. -- Janart.
:25:05. > :25:10.Despite the reality, they still plays for childhood dreams. What
:25:10. > :25:15.you want to be when you grow up? And what would you like to be when
:25:15. > :25:25.And what would you like to be when you grow up? Why do you want to be
:25:25. > :25:30.
:25:30. > :25:34.school. I am struck by the two different path the girls are taking.