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Woman killed by husband at Erbil hotel

A general view of Erbil Citadel in central Erbil city (File)
AM:09:29:09/09/2021

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SULAIMANI — Spokesperson for Erbil Police Directorate Hogr Aziz said on Wednesday (September 8) that a 31-year-old woman was killed by her husband at a hotel in the city.

Aziz told NRT that the motive behind the killing was a "social problem,” a euphemism used by police to describe domestic violence or non-party political disputes.

He said that the couple are from Sulaimani governorate.

The suspect has been arrested and the gun he used in the crime is also seized, he added.

Investigation is ongoing.

Violence against women and girls is rampant in the Kurdistan Region, often at the hands of members of their own families.

Officials routinely say they will address the problem, but have achieved little progress.

According to the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) General Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women at least six women were killed during the first six months of 2021.

Thirty-one women committed suicide in the Kurdistan Region, 43 others self-immolated, 6,123 lawsuits were filed, and 63 sexual assaults were recorded.

Those statistics are likely an undercount because domestic violence largely goes unreported.

(NRT Digital Media)