The restrictive society of Iraq stops many women from getting involved in politics, said Iraqi native Ala Talabani, noting that there still are no women mayors or judges and only two women on the newly formed Government Council.

“Nobody asked Iraqi women who [they] want in Government Council,” she noted.

Talabani remembered an occasion when she asked a woman at a workshop about her opinion.

“She nearly cried and said, ‘This is the first time in my life somebody asked me about my opinion,’” Talabani recalled.

The outlook was not entirely grim last night, however.

Things are improving in Iraq, Talabani noted, as there now is a woman on each of nine City Councils in Baghdad.

But she stressed the importance of women staying strong and united in their fight for political power, as the constitution will be drafted soon, and the election is scheduled for next November.

“We want our voice to be heard,” she said.

But voices can only be heard if the intended audience is there to hear them,

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Harvard to benefit from the experience [of these women speakers],” said Naomi Walcott, a KSG graduate student. “However, look at the crowd here. Where are the men?”

Nye said the absence of men relfects a wider problem.

“The liberation of women depends on liberation of men,” he said. “You don’t need to educate women, but men.”