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Iraq Disarms Female Cops

Posted Dec 11, 07 12:15 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – The female officers the US worked so hard to bring into the Iraqi police force are being undercut by the Interior Ministry, the Los Angeles Times reports. Policewomen have been ordered to turn in their guns or go without pay, a move a US liaison says will undermine pat-down searches and rape investigations.

Critics blame religious and cultural conservativism in the post-Saddam government. Already frustrated by the lack of advancement opportunities and harassment by male officers, many female officers fear for their own safety. "We face kidnapping," said one. "We could be assassinated." She added: "How can I be a policewoman without a weapon?"

Source Los Angeles Times

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Graduates of an Iraqi police academy celebrate during a graduation ceremony in Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007. Female officers have been ordered...   (Associated Press)
Female Iraqi police officers practice weapon handling techniques at the Forsan Police Station in Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 23, 2007. Female Iraqi police officers...   (Associated Press)
Iraqi female police officers hold their badges as they rally in Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, May 14, 2007. Approximately 270 police women protested demanding that...   (Associated Press)
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Iraq • Shiite • gun • Saddam Hussein • female suicide bomber • Iraq police • Interior Ministry • policewomen • sex discrimination


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