The UN estimates that one in five women in Iraq suffer from domestic abuse, in a society where a woman leaving her husband for any reason is considered grounds for punishment.

One rights group says cases of abuse appear to be on the rise since the fall of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein nearly nine years ago.

But even for women who do manage to escape their abuse, there are few places in the country they can go to seek refugee.

Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf has this exclusive report from the capital, Baghdad.