Man stabs ex-wife 31 times, strips her in public

Gulf Today Report

In a new tragic incident, a young Iraqi mother was stabbed 31 times by her ex-husband, who also stripped her in front of passersby on the streets of Baghdad.

Asma, 27, is lying on a bed in Al Kindi Hospital in Baghdad, suffering from a cut in her vocal cords and holes in her trachea, which could damage her voice permanently.

Asma’s father explained that her ex-husband assaulted her in front of everyone on the street while carrying a knife, and stabbed her 31 times.

He also indicated that he tried to completely strip her, adding, angrily, "Does this have honour and jealousy?."

The bereaved father also explained that the perpetrator is still on the run and has not been arrested, indicating that his daughter has been separated from her ex-husband for 7 months, due to a dispute between them over the children, according to local media.

Likewise, the father appealed to the competent authorities in the country to act to protect women from such perpetrators, but the Baghdad police have not commented on the incident so far.

Asma's case is neither the first nor the last. According to human rights organisations in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital has recorded over the past two months more than 500 cases of domestic violence, some of which have led to murder.

Iraqi human rights organisations have confirmed that unprecedented rates of domestic violence have been recorded throughout the country, targeting women, children and the elderly, and have exceeded 15,000 cases per year, which prompted them to introduce a Bill to the effect on the Parliament, which has not been enacted into law yet.

In January, the Women, Family and Childhood Committee in the Iraqi parliament revealed its endeavour to pass a law against domestic violence, and held several meetings with civil society organisations, during which they discussed the law and the possibility of drafting it in an acceptable manner and putting it to vote.