that during Covid-19 lockdowns, the prevalence of gender-based violence IRELAND increased by at least 75% across Iraq. There was also a rise in child marriages precipitated Ireland by the deteriorating economic situation. Head of state: Michael D. Higgins While central Iraqi and KRG authorities Head of government: Micheál Martin arrested some men who had killed or abused their female relatives, both authorities failed The state failed to secure truth, justice and to take adequate steps to address the full reparation for survivors of human rights scale of the violations, or the sharp rise in abuses in “mother and baby homes”. There gender-based domestic violence during were concerns over the adequacy and lockdowns. The Iraqi parliament also failed to affordability of housing, barriers to prioritize passing a law to combat domestic accessing abortion services, and violence despite mounting pressure and criminalization of sex workers. The advocacy from civil society. government proposed a human rights- Unknown assailants subjected female compliant accommodation system for candidates running for Iraq’s parliamentary asylum seekers. elections in October to smear campaigns and IMPUNITY threats of violence, and destroyed and defaced their campaign materials with In January, the final report of the Commission impunity. of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS – established by the government in 2015 following years of campaigning by survivors Throughout the year, Islamic State carried out and their allies – was published. It confirmed serious human rights abuses in several long-standing reports of ill-treatment of governorates, notably Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah women and children in these state-funded al-Din, Ninewa and Anbar. These included institutions, which, from the 1920s to the deliberate attacks on civilians, abductions 1990s, were operated by religious orders as a and summary killings of captives, use of facility where “unmarried mothers” were sent improvised explosive devices and rocket- to give birth. Findings included high child propelled grenades to target civilians, firing at mortality rates, poor conditions, physical and civilians, and setting agricultural land on fire. emotional abuse, adoptions without women’s Iraqi authorities completed the excavation of informed consent, and vaccine trials on a mass grave in Anbar governorate and children without adherence to regulatory or identified the victims as individuals who ethical requirements. Islamic State had summarily killed in 2014. However, there were many serious gaps in DEATH PENALTY the information, findings and analysis presented by the Commission. For example, Courts continued to hand down death no findings were made of forced or illegal sentences in cases of individuals suspected adoptions, arbitrary detention or forced of links to Islamic State or of extrajudicially labour, despite evidence from survivors’ killing activists, and for offences related to the testimonies. Proposals made by the use and distribution of prohibited government on assessing redress for substances, kidnappings and assassinations. survivors were severely deficient. RIGHT TO HOUSING 1. Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Authorities Must End Protests-Related A report published in September by the Repression (Index: MDE 14/4233/2021), 15 June Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Economic and Social Research Institute found “persistent Amnesty International Report 2021/22 205