Interpretation of Findings
The findings show that TFGBV against women in Iraqi politics operated as a continuous process that
evolved across the electoral cycle. Women candidates were repeatedly targeted through narratives
cantered on morality, appearance, honour, accusations of corruption, and claims of quota
manipulation. Political competence and policy agendas received limited attention. Boycott discourse
and moral condemnation were frequently used to frame women’s participation as illegitimate, futile,
or socially unacceptable.
A central finding of the report is that online violence towards women is being informed and enabled
through the existing systemic governance frameworks and structures in Iraq. Narratives and discourse
used by perpetrators of TFGBV amplified vulnerabilities created by party practices and the quota
system. While the 25% mandatory constitutional quota has increased women’s numerical
representation in Parliament, entrenched patriarchal norms means that, in practice, women are often
included as symbolic candidates with limited support or autonomy.2 In this context, online attacks
work to silence women, discredit them and intimidate them into withdrawal from public and political
life.
The report further finds that the announcement of election results did not mark an end to digital
hostility. Instead, women candidates who lost in the elections were subjected to renewed mockery
and ridicule, with electoral defeat framed as confirmation of women’s unsuitability for political
leadership. Post-election discourse reinforced the continuity of TFGBV across all stages of the electoral
cycle.
Women who withdrew from the electoral race before the official voting period were also under attack.
Withdrawal would often trigger additional misogyny and hate speech, with online commentary
framing disengagement as proof of moral failure, corruption, or political incompetence rather than as
a legitimate decision.
2
Jummar, (2025, October 23), Iraq’s women in the electoral race: lost opportunities and marginalisation:
https://jummar.media/en/10299#:~:text=Between%20quota%20and%20genuine%20empowerment,partners
%20in%20shaping%20public%20policy
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