Rasan

Rasan is a Kurdish non-governmental human-rights organization established in 2004 in Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It began as a feminist organization focused on women's rights and later broadened its mission to include LGBTQ rights, gender equality, protection from gender-based violence, social cohesion, and community-based human-rights education. The organization operates primarily in Sulaymaniyah but has used media, partnerships, and digital platforms to address issues across Iraq and, more broadly, the Middle East. During its early period, Rasan worked on women's political and constitutional awareness, women's health, violence against women, family and social problems, and public education. Its activities included lectures, television programs, press releases, legal and social casework, publications, and documentary filmmaking. A 2007 film about female genital mutilation was screened in several cities in the Kurdistan Region and entered a regional human-rights film competition. Between 2008 and 2010, Rasan reported handling dozens of cases involving social, political, ideological, and family difficulties affecting women. The organization paused operations for approximately one year in 2011 and reopened in 2012 with an expanded human-rights agenda. From that point, it began developing work on LGBTQ issues, which were substantially under-addressed by registered civil-society organizations in Iraq. Rasan has described itself as the first registered organization in Iraq to publicly advocate for LGBTQ rights. Its methods have included workshops, seminars, focus groups, community forums, case management, legal and psychosocial referrals, livelihood initiatives, social-media advocacy, and engagement with officials, police, health institutions, religious-affairs bodies, educators, and community leaders. Its best-known public initiative was Art for All, launched in Sulaymaniyah in 2017 with support generated through an All Out fundraising campaign. The project used murals and public art to discuss LGBTQ lives, gender equality, peace, women's rights, and coexistence. Several LGBTQ-themed murals were vandalized, and the organization repainted some of them. Authorities restricted the placement of certain murals, while staff and project personnel faced hostility, threats, and reported assaults. Despite the controversy, the project continued at locations including schools and the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, before ending in November 2018. Rasan has also delivered programs for refugees, internally displaced people, host communities, survivors of ISIS-related sexual violence, and women exposed to domestic or gender-based abuse. Projects described in available accounts include We Care About You, Women Can Be, a project associated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, and activities against child marriage. Support has included psychosocial assistance, legal services, hygiene supplies, awareness seminars, training, and community action planning. The organization has worked with international and regional partners including COC Nederland, Kvinna Till Kvinna, All Out, Give A Damn, Oxfam, PlanetRomeo, USAID, Human Rights Watch, and Asiacell. In 2018, its Give a Hand project researched the needs of local LGBTQ communities, supported community-building, identified potential allies, and helped develop LGBTQ-related vocabulary in Sorani Kurdish. In 2020, Rasan launched a youth-development program offering training on human rights, gender and sexuality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Rasan operates in a difficult legal and political environment. Although consensual same-sex relations are not expressly criminalized in the same manner as in some neighboring states, broad public-morality provisions and the actions of militias, religious groups, and other authorities have created significant risks for LGBTQ people. Rasan has criticized government inaction, hate speech, online outing, and violence against LGBTQ communities. Its public advocacy has consequently attracted both international attention and local opposition. The available reference material does not establish a current financial scale, formal corporate ownership, or a definitive end date for the organization.

Rasan was established in 2004 in Sulaymaniyah as a feminist organization dedicated to women's rights. Its first activities included constitutional-awareness work, lectures on social and political issues and women's health, media programming, publications, and responses to individual cases involving family, ideological, social, and political problems. In 2005 it conducted a constitutional-awareness project in Erbil and organized dozens of lectures with support from the Iraq Civil Society and Independent Media Support Program. From 2006 to 2010, it issued press releases and produced public information about gender equality and violence against women. It also published material on violence and harassment and hosted television programs on women's rights, civil rights, and gender issues. In 2007, Rasan produced a film addressing female genital mutilation. The film was shown in Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, Ranya, and Said Sadiq and was entered into a human-rights film competition associated with the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Human Rights. The organization continued casework during this period, recording dozens of cases each year from 2008 through 2010. Its representatives also participated in international civil-society and women's-rights meetings in North America, Europe, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and South Africa. Rasan closed or suspended its activities for about a year in 2011 and resumed work in 2012. On reopening, it retained its women's-rights programs but decided to address violence and discrimination affecting LGBTQ people. The new direction developed into a sustained program of workshops, seminars, training sessions, community discussions, and engagement with public institutions. The organization worked with participants from government departments, health institutions, police and security bodies, religious-affairs institutions, universities, and youth groups. Its Crossing Iraqi Rainbow program, supported through COC Nederland's Pride Program, ran from 2016 through 2020 and provided a framework for this work. Rasan's women's-rights activities during the middle of the 2010s included public campaigns against child marriage, support for displaced and refugee women, gender-based-violence education, psychosocial and legal assistance, and community action planning. One 2016 program reported direct educational access for 60 women, gender-based-violence training for 750 women, and community forums designed to support action plans reaching a larger indirect beneficiary group. Another program provided direct psychosocial and legal support to 200 women, distributed hygiene kits to 1,200 women, and held seminars for men about healthy relationships and gender equality. Rasan also supported women who had escaped or been released from ISIS captivity and trafficking, although the available material does not establish the full scale or duration of that work. In 2017, Rasan announced a project associated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The project reportedly provided direct legal, social, and psychosocial support in hundreds of cases and held awareness seminars for women. Later activities included seminars for women in several districts and displacement settings. These initiatives positioned Rasan as both an advocacy organization and a service-oriented community group. The Art for All project made Rasan's LGBTQ advocacy visible in public space. Supported by an All Out fundraising campaign, the initiative began in 2017 and used murals in Sulaymaniyah to challenge stigma and promote coexistence. Some murals were painted over or otherwise defaced, particularly rainbow-themed images. Rasan restored some of the work and continued painting in locations such as school grounds and the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. Authorities reportedly restricted work on prominent public roads, and the project generated hostile messages, death threats, reported public assaults, and threats of arrest against its project manager. It concluded on November 16, 2018. In 2018, Rasan launched Give a Hand with financial support from Give A Damn. The project researched the needs of local LGBTQ communities, supported community-building, identified possible allies among religious leaders, police, and policymakers, and developed new Sorani Kurdish vocabulary for LGBTQ-related concepts. Rasan continued to provide case-management services through in-person and digital channels, including social media, messaging applications, and email. Rasan's public advocacy became particularly visible during the COVID-19 period, when anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and threats increased in Iraq. The organization criticized political and religious figures for blaming LGBTQ people for the pandemic and warned about online actors impersonating LGBTQ people to identify and expose community members. It also criticized the Iraqi government and international institutions over their handling of LGBTQ-rights issues. In 2020, Rasan began a youth-development program involving training on human rights, gender and sexuality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. The available sources describe continued advocacy but do not provide reliable information about current staffing, funding, or organizational status beyond the period covered.

• 2021

  Lawsuit reported against Rasan

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  An Islamist-faction MP reportedly files a lawsuit challenging Rasan's local LGBTQ-rights advocacy.

• 2020

  Youth Development Project launches

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan introduces a six-day youth training program on human rights, gender, sexuality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

• 2018

  Give a Hand begins

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan starts research and community-building work focused on the needs and language of local LGBTQ communities.

• 2018

  Art for All concludes

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  The mural initiative ends on November 16 after facing vandalism, official restrictions, and public hostility.

• 2017

  Art for All launches

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan starts a public mural project promoting LGBTQ visibility and social coexistence in Sulaymaniyah.

• 2016

  Crossing Iraqi Rainbow begins

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan begins a multi-year LGBTQ advocacy program supported through COC Nederland's Pride Program.

• 2012

  Expansion into LGBTQ rights

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  After a temporary shutdown, Rasan resumes operations and adds LGBTQ advocacy to its continuing women's-rights work.

• 2007

  Female-genital-mutilation film

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan produces and screens a film addressing female genital mutilation in several Kurdistan Region cities.

• 2005

  Constitutional-awareness and public-education projects

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan conducts women's constitutional-awareness work in Erbil and organizes lectures on social, political, and health issues.

• 2004

  Rasan is established

  [1]Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Rasan is founded in Sulaymaniyah as a feminist and women's-rights organization.

A Kurdish grassroots human-rights organization combining women's-rights and LGBTQ-rights advocacy with community education, case support, public art, research, and social-cohesion programs.

• LGBTQ-rights advocacy program · 2016

  Crossing Iraqi Rainbow

  A multi-year advocacy and education program running from 2016 to 2020. It used workshops, seminars, training, group discussions, and community forums to address LGBTQ rights and engage government institutions, health services, security bodies, religious-affairs officials, students, and youth.

• Public-awareness campaign · 2017

  Art for All

  A public-art initiative that used murals in Sulaymaniyah to discuss LGBTQ identity, equality, women's rights, peace, and coexistence. The project was supported by an All Out fundraising campaign and continued despite vandalism, official restrictions, threats, and strong public opposition.

• Community research and development project · 2018

  Give a Hand

  A project supported by Give A Damn that studied the needs and challenges of local LGBTQ communities, developed community-building plans, identified potential allies, and contributed to new Sorani Kurdish vocabulary for LGBTQ-related concepts.

• Women's protection and assistance program · 2016

  We Care About You

  A 2016 program providing support and education for refugee women, internally displaced women, and host communities. Activities included education access, gender-based-violence training, community forums, and action planning.

• Women's-rights support program · 2016

  Women Can Be

  A program combining psychosocial and legal assistance, hygiene-kit distribution, and seminars for men on healthy relationships and gender equality.

• Youth training program · 2020

  Youth Development Project

  A six-day training initiative launched in 2020 covering human rights, gender and sexuality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Participants were invited to contribute as volunteers.

• 2021

  Lawsuit over LGBTQ advocacy

  A member of the Komal political faction reportedly brought legal action against Rasan, arguing that its LGBTQ advocacy conflicted with Kurdish cultural values. Rasan rejected the accusation and said it would defend itself.

  Source

• 2017

  Backlash against Art for All

  Rasan's LGBTQ-themed murals were vandalized, while staff and project personnel reportedly received death threats, abusive messages, and threats of arrest. Some staff were also reportedly assaulted in public.

  Source

Read more

• 2020COVID-19 LGBTQ-rights media advocacy

  Iraq · Kurdistan Region of Iraq

  Rasan used public and social-media advocacy to challenge anti-LGBTQ rhetoric linked to the pandemic, warn about online outing and targeting, and criticize government inaction.

  Outcome. The campaign raised public criticism of political and religious rhetoric but the available source does not document a specific policy change.

  Source
• 2017Art for All

  Sulaymaniyah

  Rasan painted murals intended to make LGBTQ experiences visible and encourage a more accepting public discussion.

  Outcome. Some murals were vandalized and the organization faced threats and official pressure; the project ended in November 2018.

  Source
• 201616 Days of Activism

  Sulaymaniyah · Kurdistan Region of Iraq

  Rasan distributed anti-child-marriage posters and created public artwork addressing gender equality, peace, women's rights, and coexistence.

  Outcome. The campaign formed part of Rasan's broader public-awareness and anti-gender-based-violence work.

  Source

• 2018

  Invest in LGBTQ community research and languageStrategy

  Background

  Rasan identified a need for better information about local LGBTQ communities and for vocabulary capable of discussing LGBTQ issues in Sorani Kurdish.

  Action taken

  Through Give a Hand, it researched community needs, mapped possible allies, supported community-building, and developed terminology.

  Aftermath

  The project expanded the organization's research and community-development role, although its longer-term results are not documented in the available material.

  Source

• 2017

  Use public murals for LGBTQ advocacyOther

  Background

  Rasan sought a visible way to challenge social stigma and discuss LGBTQ lives in Kurdish society.

  Action taken

  It launched Art for All and painted murals in Sulaymaniyah and on selected institutional and school sites.

  Aftermath

  The campaign increased visibility but also prompted vandalism, threats, reported assaults, and restrictions from authorities.

  Source

• 2012

  Broaden the mission to LGBTQ rightsStrategy

  Background

  After beginning as a women's-rights organization and returning from a temporary shutdown, Rasan identified LGBTQ people as a highly exposed and insufficiently served group.

  Action taken

  It retained its feminist and women's-rights work while adding public LGBTQ advocacy, education, and support services.

  Aftermath

  The change made Rasan one of the few organizations in Iraq publicly working on LGBTQ rights and led to new partnerships and opposition.

  Source

1. 1Rasan (organization)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rasan official websiterasanorg.com