Iraq: Decades of Suffering, Amnesty International, February 22, 2005 [concluding that Iraqi women face increased violence and more restrictions on freedom in the period after Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled]. Excerpt:

Women and girls in Iraq live in fear of violence as the conflict intensifies and insecurity spirals. Tens of thousands of civilians are reported to have been killed or injured in military operations or attacks by armed groups since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The lawlessness and increased killings, abductions and rapes that followed the overthrow of the government of Saddam Hussain have restricted women's freedom of movement and their ability to go to school or to work. Women face discriminatory laws and practices that deny them equal justice or protection from violence in the family and community. A backlash from conservative social and political forces threatens to stifle their attempts to gain new freedoms. The general lack of security has forced many women out of public life, and constitutes a major obstacle to the advancement of women's rights.

Read the full text of the report here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.