The Right to Education for Girls in post-ISIL Iraq

1.2 million children in Iraq are in need of an education. Due to rigid gender norms, internal displacement, gender-based violence, early marriage, and financial abuse girls and women are in exceptional need. These gender divisions have been further reinforced by the presence of the Islamic State.

The first report in the series, The Legacy of ISIL Territorial Control on Access to Education, studies the access to post-primary education for children and young adults in former ISIL-controlled areas. It finds that children who lived in these areas have experienced a substantial gap in learning and now face challenges in obtaining the required documentation to enroll in formal schooling. It provides recommendations for the Government of Iraq aimed at education interventions to allow children from former ISIL-controlled areas to re-enroll in school.

The second report, Obstacles to Girls’ Education after ISIL, examines how traditional gender roles and norms, family levels of education, poverty, perceived protection concerns, and trauma continues to limit girls’ inclusive and equitable access to education in Iraq, particularly in areas formerly under the control of the Islamic State. It provides recommendations aimed at addressing barriers and creating an enabling environment for girls’ education in accordance with Iraq’s laws, human rights obligations, and commitments to sustainable development.