Christian Science Monitor: In Iraq, security trumps women's rights

[deadparrot]

QARAQOSH, IRAQ - On the second floor of Love Hall, a building here used for wedding receptions, women from Iraq's northern Nineveh province gather for a conference on women's role in the nationwide election this Thursday.

But the event quickly veers away from its stated agenda and becomes a gripe session about life in Iraq today. There are few jobs, poor services, no safety net for the least fortunate, and above all, no security, say the women in this majority Christian town.

The assembly of about 80 women - many in traditional black abayas and a few sporting Western dress - reflects how basic needs are dominating the average Iraqi's political outlook and placing goals like women's rights and interests on a secondary level.

"We need more jobs for the women, yes, but we need more jobs for the men, too. It's a problem for everybody in Iraq today," says Rana Zeki, one young unemployed woman.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/owomen