Iraq, Dec. 22 -- As reports of gender-based violence (GBV) rise across Iraq, the IRC warns that a shadow pandemic is spreading across the country and is calling for support to women and girls to be rapidly scaled-up.
Reports of domestic violence and child marriage in particular have begun to increase, and the IRC is deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing not only of the women and girls who have been able to report these types of incidents, but also for the many more who may be suffering in silence.
As a result of the pandemic, the IRC and other GBV service providers were forced to scale back in-person programming from March to July, and began instead to provide support for those experiencing GBV over the phone. In July, when the IR...