Committees' recent meetings - 9 December 2019
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament’s recent committee meetings and activities:
Committee on Protection of Women's Rights
8 December - The committee held their weekly meeting, led by the chair Ms. Lanja Dizaee (KDP).
The MPs discussed the fatwa issued by an association of Muslim clerics in Kurdistan, discouraging women from taking taxis alone. After discussing the matter, the committee decided to raise the issue with the relevant authorities.
The meeting also discussed the rising divorce rate in Kurdistan, which according to official statistics has increased much more than in previous years. The Committee decided to look further into the reasons for the higher divorce rate, in coordination with Parliament’s Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights.
Peshmerga Affairs Committee
8 December - After forming two subcommittees to meet the Peshmerga forces, the first subcommittee, led by the chair Mr. Reving Heruri (KDP), met Peshmerga forces on Saturday and Sunday in the Zomar and Mosul battle zones.
The second subcommittee, led by Osman Sidari, visited Khanaqin's districts. The aim of their visits is to gather information about the conditions and demands of the Peshmerga forces in winter and to convey their demands to the relevant authorities.
Culture, Civil Society, Sports and Youth Committee
8 December - The committee, led by the chair Ms. Salma Fatih (PUK), welcomed Mr. Azad Mohammad Amin, head of the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, and some of its members.
The meeting discussed journalism in Kurdistan and the obstacles and challenges faced by the field. Both sides agreed that a proper mechanism for the journalism profession is needed now, provided that journalists’ freedoms is maintained.
The committee and the syndicate agreed that coordinating more in future is important, especially to discuss a bill on journalism and media. The syndicate officially invited the committee to participate in the International Journalists' Conference to be held this month.