Women empowerment

Awareness of women’s rights in Kurdistan was limited. To address this gap, ASK took the initiative to translate and publish the United Nations document "Discrimination Against Women" into Kurdish. In 2000, ASK published 2,500 copies of the document, followed by an additional 1,000 copies in 2001 due to high demand. Starting that year, ASK conducted numerous workshops in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah provinces, with the aim of training women leaders to spearhead awareness campaigns and advocate for women’s rights. This project was supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In 2006, ASK collaborated with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Interior Ministry on a project aimed at ending violence against women, as the region was witnessing a sharp rise in "honor killings." Many women who participated in ASK's programs went on to become prominent leaders in civic organizations, members of parliament, and ministers.