04 January 2023 , 21:00
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A 17-year-old girl has been chased and attacked by 16 men for supposedly dressing immodestly at a motorcycle race in Iraq - and a video of the incident has caused outrage on social media.
The young woman was filmed running from a crowd of men in the city of Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, before being surrounded by them.
In the clip the girl, wearing a black vest top with a cardigan and a skirt, appears to hold a tissue to her face as she tries to run away from the men.A
Locals claimed the teen was insulted, beaten and kicked against a car, but her injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
A teenage girl was chased and attacked by a group of men (TikTok)
She appeared to hold a tissue to her face while trying to run away (TikTok)According to The National News, the girl - reportedly an Iranian national - was attacked after arriving at a motorcycle race that men did not want women to attend.
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According to some reports, she was called a "w***e" and insulted for "dressing immodestly" and distracting drivers.
The NGO Kurdistan Watch said the teen had already attended previous racing events but men claimed women should not be allowed as attention would be directed to them rather than to races.
While the teen managed to leave the area, a guy who wanted to help her escape the area was stabbed and was reportedly injured, the NGO added.
Hwana, the suburb where the attack took place, was described by Kurdistan Watch as "one of the most problematic and unsafe areas in Sulaimani".
She was targeted by men who accused her of distracting riders at a motorcycle racing event (TikTok)
Sixteen men were arrested in connection with the incident (TikTok)Sulaimani arrested 16 men in connection to the attack on December 30, Kurdistan Watch said, sharing a photo of those arrested standing against a wall.
According to Kurdistan 24, Sarkawt Ahmed, the spokesperson for Sulaimani Police, said knives, machetes and knuckledusters were also confiscated from the detainees.
He added that three men filmed the incident and posted it on social media.
Government spokesman Jotiar Adil said: "These incidents are unacceptable."
The attack happened in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Rewaz Faeq, President of the Kurdistan Parliament, described the assault as "senseless" and condemned the attackers, tweeting: "The senseless assault by these male predators on the girl who like any ordinary person merely wished to watch a race, is the result of a barbaric narrative used systematically against our women.
"A society or authority not awakened by this barbarism, should await a rapid death."
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A person commented: "This is just shameful!"
Another added: "If you can’t do something about it, who will?!"
Dilan Sirwan, a journalist covering Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, tweeted: "Disgraceful! This is pure failure of education in the Kurdistan Region, opposite of acceptance, freedom, and every human value.
"KRG and Sulaimani authorities should take serious action."
The incident comes after widespread protests in neighbouring Iran, where women have been burning their headscarves in a defiant act of resistance against the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.
In September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was beaten to death in police custody for not covering her hair with a hijab.