{"id":2056,"date":"2021-04-16T05:14:34","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T04:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=2056"},"modified":"2021-04-16T05:14:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T04:14:35","slug":"the-situation-of-womens-rights-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=2056","title":{"rendered":"The Situation of Women\u2019s Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HRANA \u2013 <\/strong>On the occasion of International Women\u2019s Day, Human Rights Activists in Iran highlights the situation of women\u2019s rights in Iran during the 8 year term of President Hassan Rouhani. The following report includes an 8-year statistical overview of the most pressing human rights issues women are facing in the country. The report also introduces the brave women\u2019s rights activists that are currently imprisoned or are facing imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women and girls in the Islamic Republic of Iran face widespread and systematic discrimination in areas touching nearly all corners of their lives. Discrimination against women is abundantly present in matters of family law, criminal law, education, employment, and social and cultural life. However, in the face of state-sanctioned discrimination, women in Iran are leading the charge, playing a primary role in defending their rights, standing up and demanding change; unfortunately, this is not without consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many were hopeful, 8 years on, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has done little to improve the lives of women in Iran. In fact, from August 2013 to March 2021, there have been 72 cases of self-immolation, 3,048 suicides, 20 claims of workplace discrimination, 2 reported cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), 553 honor killings, 33,210 child marriages (girls under the age of 18), and 460 reported acid attacks against women. On the occasion of International Women\u2019s Day 2021, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) highlights some of the most pressing women\u2019s rights issues today and throughout the 8-year Rouhani presidency, as well as the 22 Iranian women\u2019s rights activists targeted over the past 8 years, who have faced harassment, torture, ill-treatment, arrest and arbitrary imprisonment for speaking out against the instruments of oppression working against them every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Framework<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation of women\u2019s rights in Iran falls short of nearly all international human rights standards and obligations. While Iran is not a State party to The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), they remain obligated as a State party to other international mechanisms which protect against gender inequality and discrimination, including: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Despite these obligations, women and girls remain unequal in both law and practice and according to the World Economic Forum\u2019s 2020 Global Gender Gap Report, Iran ranked 148 out of 153 countries, only coming in ahead of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, and Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s Rights in Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compulsory Veiling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Amidst wider social upheaval, compulsory veiling is one of the more well-known women\u2019s rights issues in Iran. The Human Rights Council has stated that any laws regulating what women wear \u2018violate [a] State\u2019s obligation under the ICCPR\u2019. Yet, in both law and practice women who choose not to abide by compulsory veiling laws face unrelenting punishment. Under law, women can be fined up to 500,000 rials and\/or face up to 2 months in prison. In practice however, they are increasingly charged with crimes such as \u2018moral corruption on Earth\u2019, a charge which carries up to 10 years imprisonment. Imprisonment in any regard relating to compulsory garments is a violation of article 9 of the ICCPR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Rights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Article 15 of the ICESCR recognizes the \u2018right of everyone to take part in cultural life\u2019. Nonetheless, Iranian women are banned from both singing and dancing in public and although it is not written into the law it is customary that women are also prohibited from attending sporting events. While there have been few occurrences which allow for women\u2019s access to sporting events, access remains segregated and largely unequal.  From 2013 to 2021, at least 147 women were denied entry to sports stadiums. Additionally, 4 female athletes were deprived of traveling outside of the country to compete due to unequal and discriminatory marriage and family laws. The Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights has stated that ensuring the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of cultural rights is a mandatory and immediate obligation of State parties (general comment No.16 (2005), para. 16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marriage and Family<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Inconsistent with obligations under the ICCPR, Iranian women face discrimination in almost all aspects of family life including in marriage, divorce, custody, and guardianship. The ICCPR also protects the freedom of movement, yet women in Iran face widespread limitations. While women under the age of 40 require the permission of their husbands to travel outside of the country, married women require permission from their husbands; in fact, married women are not permitted to apply for a passport without their husbands\u2019 prior approval\u2014they\u2019ve also no say in their place of residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Iranian law women are viewed as subordinates to both their spouses and male family members. This affects a woman\u2019s right to obtain her desired employment, as husbands have the right to prevent their wives from taking up certain employment should they deem it inappropriate (against \u201cfamily values\u201d). Additionally, wives are required, under law, to provide for a husband\u2019s sexual needs; if they should not, a husband in all cases has the exclusive right to a divorce, without question, while women face unconscionable hurdles in the same respect. Should a divorce occur, the father becomes the lawful guardian of a child; in the case of a fathers passing, guardianship is passed to the paternal grandfather as stated in Iranian Civil Code.  The Human Rights Council has stated that inequality in marriage is a violation of Article 23.4 of the ICCPR. (HRC general comment no.  28) including in the dissolution of such and with regard to the issue of custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Right to Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the CEO of the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child (SPRC), approximately 1 million children living in underdeveloped and impoverished neighborhoods of Iran are deprived of receiving an education. In addition to being left out of school for societal reasons such as poverty, the lack of a birth certificate and the need to work in lieu of attending school are among contributing factors. Girls, in certain cases, are deliberately deprived of receiving an education. From 2013 to 2021, 4,142 female students were reportedly deprived of receiving an education due to early marriages, in certain cases as early as age 9, as well as a lack of permission from their male guardians to attend school. These numbers fly in the face of international standards as well as obligations under the CRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s Rights Activists <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Between August 3, 2013, and March 2, 2021, a total of 84 women\u2019s rights activists were arrested, 8 of whom were men. Additionally, 22 were sentenced to a total of 1,627 months of imprisonment, 8,800,000 Tomans in fines, and 148 floggings. The courts in this regard, carry out sentencing in ways that fail to meet international fair trial standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charges placed upon them by the judicial authorities include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n