Women in Iraq face court-ordered virginity tests

[talsor]

Women in Iraq face court-ordered virginity tests

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Women in Iraq face court-ordered virginity tests that often show they were virgins until marriage but shame them nonetheless, doctors at an institute that carries out the tests and a lawyer told AFP.

Remaining a virgin until marriage can be an issue of life or death for women in the Middle East, where those who are seen as having dishonored the family by having premarital sex are sometimes killed by male relatives.

Several virginity tests are performed per day at the Medical Legal Institute (MLI) in Baghdad, in a small windowless room with blue-tiled walls and a black table with leg stirrups at one end.

Other equipment includes a white scope on a wheeled stand and a bright white light, also on wheels, near the end of the table.

"Most of the cases we received after the first day of marriage," said Dr Munjid al-Rezali, the director of the MLI.

"The husband claims that she is not a virgin, and then the family bring her here, through the courts, this all come through the courts, and we examine her," Rezali said, speaking in English.

"It's not uncommon, we are seeing a lot," he added.

The tests include examination of the woman's hymen, but the man involved may also come under scrutiny.

The man may be tested for impotency, Rezali said, noting that in some cases, a man with erectile dysfunction may pretend the woman was not a virgin to hide his shame.

The results of the tests go directly to the courts, and are not given by the MLI to the parties involved, Rezali said.

"They think that during the marriage, (the) first day of marriage, there should be blood... they think if there is no blood, there is no virginity," said Dr Sami Dawood, a forensic doctor at the MLI who has been involved in the tests.

This belief, he said, indicates that sex education and knowledge is "very poor."

If a man thinks his new wife is not a virgin, he may take the issue to court, leading to the MLI performing a virginity test, said Dawood.

Asked about the results of the tests, Dawood said that "most of them (are) with the woman, not against the woman, but it is by itself... shaming."

However, he said that while women were killed in the past if blood was not found on the sheets after their wedding night, people now seek recourse through the courts and the virginity tests procedure.

The test, which takes between 15 and 30 minutes, is carried out by three doctors, at least one of them a woman, and the results are certified by two others, said Dawood, adding that the tests are done only when ordered by a court.

"The judge is required to send the woman for the medical test when she is accused by her husband of not being a virgin, and that is only done in this case," lawyer Ali Awad Kurdi said.

"If it is proved that the woman was not virgin and sought to get married without telling the man, there is no law that protects her," Kurdi said.

The woman's family is then required to recompense the man for gifts, money and other expenditures related to the relationship.

Various Iraqi judicial officials either declined to speak about the issue, or could not be reached by AFP.

"Non-governmental organizations do not have any means of protecting women from this accusation of this crime, because it is a very sensitive matter," said Intisar al-Mayali, an activist from the Iraqi Women's Association, a local rights group.

Marianne Mollmann, senior policy adviser for rights group Amnesty International, called virginity tests both wrong and ineffective.

"The issue of virginity testing, and forced virginity testing and sort of legal virginity tests in court proceedings or in other ways, violate a whole host of human rights and are just not justifiable," she said.

"Even if it were legitimate to look at whether women were virgins for whatever reason, which it's not, you can't use a virginity test for that, because the hymen might break for any reason," Mollmann said.

The test "doesn't do what it's set out to do."

Liesl Gerntholtz, the director of the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said: "The Iraqi government should urgently put measures in place to ensure that women and girls are not forced to undergo physical examinations that are degrading, painful and frightening."

"The use of these tests in court should be banned."

[kani]

This is the part I hate about our culture!
A women should not be forced to do a viriginity test or whatever. The honor doesn't belong between the womens legs. And no,even if the women is virgin it doesn't have to bleed the first wedding night.
And a women should have the right to decide with who and when she wants to have sex.
when will our people get that in their mind????

[burnsss]

This is the part I hate about our culture!
A women should not be forced to do a viriginity test or whatever. The honor doesn't belong between the womens legs. And no,even if the women is virgin it doesn't have to bleed the first wedding night.
And a women should have the right to decide with who and when she wants to have sex.
when will our people get that in their mind????

This is Iraq but sadly many kurds still have this backward retarded mentality. A women have the right to do whatever she likes as long as its legal. Why is sex so tabu? Its the most natural thing in the world. Men still thinks they own the women like cattle to trade off for personal gains. Really disgusting.

[kani]

they still thinks that the honor is between the womens legs

However just becouse a women have had sex doesn't mean she is whore or less worthy as many kurds unfornutately thinks.
A whore is someone who sells herself for money.

[Rando]

court? tests? this is taking it over the limit.
do they (all those who believe in that blood BS) even know what makes to blood come? it is something we in norwegian call jomfruhinne (virgin membrane). That membrane can disapear very easily (like riding a horse or biking). if a girl dosen`t have that membrane,she could still be a virgin!!
i hope KRG put this in eduaction on schools.

[Cewlik]

A whore is someone who sells herself for money.

And a woman who sells her for nothink and who have many sex partners is not a whore?

The definition of a whore is diffrent in every culture.

[burnsss]

A whore is someone who sells herself for money.[/size]

And a woman who sells her for nothink and who have many sex partners is not a whore?

The definition of a whore is diffrent in every culture.

Heval this is typical kurdish thinking that has led to many honor killings. Only in Sweden we had several of these killings done to beatiful women bringing shame to kurds here. Having an relationship does not equal to being a whore. There is no logic to call a women whore for falling in love with someone. then of course there is women who fucks anyone, still there is no need to kill them for that. I assume that you agree that wome are free in choosing their future husband.

[talsor]

Do you guys find it ok for a woman to have multiple boyfriends prior to marriage ? I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

[burnsss]

Do you guys find it ok for a woman to have multiple boyfriends prior to marriage ? I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

I would not for one reason. I would be just another guy in her list. 1-3 prior partners is ok depending on the reason she left them. many kurdish women dont dare leave their abusive husbands for fear of not getting married. That is really sad.

[diako_ber]

Do you guys find it ok for a woman to have multiple boyfriends prior to marriage ? I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

I find it okay if a woman has had multiple boyfriends prior to marriage, I don't care, she is free and she may do whatever she wants to do. The question is, would I marry her? Personally, I wouldn't, just because of the reason that she may leave me as well and that I would be just one of her many husbands/boyfriends. If she had had one or two boyfriends prior to marriage, that would be fine with me. My only goal is to build a good future, not if she is a virgin or not. The only thing important to me is that she has to be reliable, and not the kind of wife that would cheat on me while I am at work or sth like that.

[Cewlik]

I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

No

[talsor]

I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

No

Can you elaborate heval Cewlik ? I mean from religous or cultural point of view , because for a strange reasons I seem agree with you for once . I can certainly understand if a woman's husband die or there is a divorce or abuse issues , but to marry a woman who had multiple partners just feels wrong .

[talsor]

Do you guys find it ok for a woman to have multiple boyfriends prior to marriage ? I mean would you marry some one who had 10 or 20 boyfriends before you ?

I find it okay if a woman has had multiple boyfriends prior to marriage, I don't care, she is free and she may do whatever she wants to do. The question is, would I marry her? Personally, I wouldn't, just because of the reason that she may leave me as well and that I would be just one of her many husbands/boyfriends. If she had had one or two boyfriends prior to marriage, that would be fine with me. My only goal is to build a good future, not if she is a virgin or not. The only thing important to me is that she has to be reliable, and not the kind of wife that would cheat on me while I am at work or sth like that.

Yes , but why is it ok to sleep with her and not Ok to marry her ? and if you were certain that she would not leave you would you still be OK marrying here ?

[alan131210]

Sorry but this is a cultural thing and we can't copy the west about it !! I personally wouldn't marry a non virgin girl bcoz she must keep her legs crossed if she is decent enough she would to keep it for her husband it's the best gift a women can give to her hubby, if man can do it so can women .

I know many young girls here In Australia have multiple kids and some don't know the father and some don't have kids but I personally would feel disgusted if she has slept with one person even sorry that is a no go zone and I am open minded person but this is just wrong and kani you should not defend this bcoz that is not what our women are like back home thank god.

And I am against honor killing though I'd just leave her and the hell with her , If she is a family member you just simply stop talking and visiting (disown) but killing is not up to us to do .

[burnsss]

It´s up to everyone to decide by themselves wheter or not to marry a virgin. However i think that we kurds are extremly sensitive about this issue. If i had an daugther and she found a good guy and did not whore around i would accept her choice even if they did not marry. I think we kurds accuse many womens of being a whore simply because their fathers did not accept their choice or that they did not marry. We dont have to be like europeans but we do need raise our tolerance regarding love betwen people. We also need to stop marrying our cousins since its bad in the long run.