More than Ink on Paper: Exploring Transformative Reparations and Justice for Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes in Iraq

ABSTRACT This article evaluates efforts to address the legacy of sexual and gender-based crimes in Iraq, a country marked by protracted instability, sectarian divides, masculine authority and the influence of non-state armed groups. In order to identify the lessons learned, it looks at initiatives pressing for reparations and criminal accountability for international crimes perpetrated during the ISIL-created conflict. More precisely, through appraisal of specific transitional justice interventions contemplated under the Yazidi Female Survivors’ Law, an administrative reparations program for atrocities against Iraqi minorities, particularly Yazidi women, established in 2021, it seeks to evaluate the transformative potential of transitional justice initiatives in tackling discrimination against women, ethno-religious minorities and LGBTQ people.