Supplement to the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict: Guidance for Practitioners in Iraq

Sexual violence is a prominent and well-publicised aspect of the ethnic cleansing committed in Northern Iraq by Da’esh since 2014, including the creation of a complex system of slavery that includes rape, forced marriage and sexual violence.  However, as elsewhere, conflict and atrocity-related sexual violence is not a new phenomenon in Iraq. This guide, authored by the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI), aims to assist practitioners gather evidence of these forms of violence in Iraq, helping to overcome some of the key barriers to tackling impunity for these crimes.

It complements the second edition of the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which was published in March 2017 by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The Supplement is specifically intended for practitioners who work in and on Iraq. All users are free to update, correct and adapt the Supplement as needed. REDRESS and IICI are grateful for the support to the project of the FCO.