Following an armed group raid of a women’s shelter operated by the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), the only Iraqi organization that has stepped up to meet the critical need for shelter for women at risk of violence, MADRE published this open letter to the UN Security Council and UN senior leadership. This letter advocates for changes to the shelter laws in Iraq and urges for necessary protections to be provided for OWFI and other local organizations, so they can continue their work meeting the urgent needs of women and girls at risk of violence.