The Ministry of Interior in Iraq has ordered that all the policewomen in Iraq turn in their weapons for redistribution to men or face a withdrawal of their pay. Iraqi police officers, you'll no doubt recall, are subject to intimidation, harassment, kidnapping and execution regardless of their gender. The women were recruited by the U.S. because of cultural mores that prohibit male officers from searching female suspects and to assist in increasing the reporting of violence against women. All officers are allowed to take their weapons home because of the danger in being a police officer in Iraq except, now, the female officers won't be able to have any because they're girls. But, obviously, the male officers will just protect them from violence, the way they already protect all the other women in the country so well. [LA Times]