Escalation of Economic Crisis in Iran Following Coronavirus Outbreak and Its Impact on Iranian Women and Families
With the widespread outbreak of coronavirus in various Iranian cities and the beginning of quarantine, many citizens have been forced to leave their jobs to prevent infection with this virus. This mandatory stay-at-home period has also increased domestic violence statistics in Iran. To such an extent that the Ministry of Health sent an SMS to Iranian citizens asking them to contact the Social Emergency Department of Iran’s Welfare Organization to receive psychological and social services if they witness or encounter cases of child abuse and spousal abuse during this period.
Shahla Entesari, a civil rights activist, said on Wednesday, April 30th, in an interview with Voice of America, referring to a recent report by the Social Emergency Department regarding the increase in domestic violence among families following the coronavirus outbreak, that the spread of this virus in Iran has had a very negative impact on vulnerable and disadvantaged families in society, such as the unemployed and the poor segments of society; an impact that, according to this civil rights activist, has increased anxiety and pressure on family members, especially children and women, due to the inability to meet the needs of family members.
Based on available information, the Islamic Republic’s authorities did not include any financial support for the people in their agenda from the beginning, and this has confronted the lives of many people with problems. Economic hardship could be one of the factors in increasing domestic violence following the stay-at-home period and departure from work by Iranian citizens to prevent infection with the coronavirus.
Currently, based on official statistics in Iran, whose accuracy is questionable, the number of coronavirus deaths in the country has reached 5,957 and the number of infected cases has been reported as 93,657. This is while it is expected that the actual figures in Iran are much higher than the numbers announced daily by the Islamic Republic’s authorities, and the authorities are unwilling to announce the actual rate of death and infection of Iranian citizens with this virus to the general public.
A World Health Organization official also said that the figures announced by Iranian authorities regarding those infected with coronavirus represent only one-fifth of the actual number of infected cases. Official statistics of some countries, including Iran, China, and Russia, cannot be verified by independent experts and cannot be considered valid and final.
Meanwhile, public opinion in Iran and around the world is concerned about the cover-up by Islamic Republic authorities regarding the spread of the coronavirus. The U.S. State Department’s representative for Iran on Thursday, March 5th, accused Islamic Republic officials of lying to the Iranian people about the extent of the coronavirus spread in the country.
Brian Hook told reporters: “The regime initially told people that there was no reason to worry about the spread of this virus. But at the same time, the virus was spreading throughout Iran.”
Source: Voice of America
