<p>Cervical cancer is the third most frequent malignancy in women worldwide. Although cervical cancer has great potential for prevention through screening with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing and cytology-based Pap smears, it accounts for up to 6.9% of all female cancer cases. Women in low- and middle-income countries account for the great majority of fatalities. This study investigates women’s awareness of cervical cancer prevention through early detection or screening. In this cross-sectional study, 400 women attending two primary healthcare centres in Baghdad, Iraq, between February 1st and June 20th, 2025, were randomly recruited to assess their awareness of cervical cancer prevention. A standardized Cervical Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) developed by Cancer Research UK was used for data collection. The results showed low women’s awareness, with a mean score below the cut-off. Nearly half of the participants (52%) disagreed that an (HPV) infection may raise a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer, whereas the majority of participants (82%) thought that cervical cancer is a contagious disease. About 70% didn’t agree having several sexual partners is a risk factor. Approximately 80% of participants did not agree that early identification may decrease or prevent a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer. Women’s awareness was highly correlated with their levels of education. It is recommended that school-based health education programmes be developed in partnership with local healthcare providers to address these gaps.</p>