CPT began doing the trainings in 2014. It was inspired by the Alternatives to Violence Project - an initiative begun by Quakers in the 1970’s who went into prisons to engage with violent offenders.

The context in Iraqi Kurdistan is very different to an American prison, but violence has been a frequent part of life for many people here. Of course there’s the wars - six separate conflicts since the 1980’s, plus decades of Iraqi violent repression and Kurdish armed resistance. These days there is still an undeclared war being fought in the border regions, with Turkish bombings and incursions an everyday occurrence.