Federal Minister for the Status of Women Amanda Vanstone has used International Women's Day to highlight the poor conditions for women in Iraq.
Opposition MPs have interjected saying it has taken the Minister 13 years to wake up to the fact.
The Minister says the Iraqi army's technical operations directorate routinely uses rape and sexual assault for political purposes.
"The British Government says that Harvard University has identified a professional rapist by an Iraqi Government personnel card showing the person as a fighter in the popular army whose activity is violation of women's honour," Senator Vanstone said.
