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03/06/2008: "Violence against women comes with Westernization"

THE state of Iraqi women has become a "national crisis" since the March 2003 US-led invasion, a report released by an international women's group said.

"Present day Iraq is plagued by insecurity, a lack of infrastructure and controversial leadership, transforming the situation for women from one of relative autonomy and security before the war into a national crisis," said the report by the US-based Women For Women International.

According to the report, issued ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, 64 percent of the women surveyed said violence against them had increased.

"When asked why, respondents most commonly said that there is less respect for women's rights than before, that women are thought of as possessions, and that the economy has gotten worse," it said.

[ You've come a long way, baby -- now you're a product too! Do you want to spread those legs for cash, prestige, notoriety or to avoid a good macing? ]

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23333436-5005940,00.html