Though Iraq has a human rights ministry, a special parliamentary committee for human rights and dozens of organizations that monitor the country's human rights situation, the practical results of these efforts are pitiful. Iraq still ranks very high among global human rights violators in areas such as torture in prisons, freedom of expression and journalist safety.
In its World Report 2013, Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented numerous cases of torture, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations in Iraq, describing the overall human rights situation in the country as “poor.” According to the report, detainees, journalists, activists and women are the most affected by human rights violations in Iraq.