The people of Iraq live under unbearable circumstances. Since Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime seized power, it has engaged in ruthless repression and led the country into economic crisis.
The living conditions of the working class, already bad due to the United States sanctions on the country, have been made worse by a corrupt and dictatorial government which preserves what wealth remains for the elite.
The economic burden of Iraqi women, in particular, is enormous. Today, the majority of families cannot afford to feed their children properly; they survive on one simple meal per day. This economic hardship has forced some women to sell their bodies for daily bread.
Iraqi law currently allows these women to be killed in the name of protecting "family honour". Last week, a group of men led by Saddam Hussein's son Uday, beheaded with knives 50 young women in Baghdad. The heads of these women were hung on the doors of their houses for a few days.
The murderers had the support of the General Union of Iraqi Women, a puppet organisation of the Ba'ath regime which, for the last 30 years, has tried to cover up for the crimes against women committed by Saddam Hussein and Uday.
In a statement issued on November 2, the Worker Communist Party of Iraq said that the murder of women for so-called honour crimes is a crime against humanity and will not solve the economic problems of Iraqi society. "These crimes are continuation of violence against women by patriarchal and reactionary political governments and groups in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Algeria and Saudi Arabia", the party said, calling on all progressive people and organisations to condemn these crimes against women.