Javid Rahman Report: Women and Girls in Iran Treated as Second-Class Citizens

Javid Rahman, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, in a report referencing high rates of child marriage and domestic violence in Iran, stated that gender discrimination has penetrated almost all areas of law and Iranian women are treated as second-class citizens. Additionally, Iranian women in various aspects of their lives, including marriage, divorce, employment, and culture, are either restricted or require permission from their spouses or male guardians, which deprives them of their independence and inherent human dignity. Such a structure is completely unacceptable and must be reformed. On the other hand, Mr. Rahman, regarding serious human rights violations in Iran, including the high rate of death penalty executions, particularly of children, civil activists, and violations of the rights of religious, ethnic, and gender minorities, called for the government to clarify the suppression of protests in November 2019.

According to HRANA news agency, Javid Rahman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, in a report referencing high rates of child marriage and domestic violence in Iran, called for greater reforms in the draft law on protecting women against violence before its approval and expansion of support services for women.

The full text of this report is as follows:

A UN expert, in a report to the Human Rights Council, referencing domestic violence, thousands of marriages of girls between 10 to 14 years old each year, and continued entrenched discrimination in law and practice, states that in Iran, women and girls continue to be treated as second-class citizens.

One of the most concerning issues regarding the rights of women and girls in Iran today is the issue of child marriage.

Javid Rahman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a report to be presented to the 48-member Human Rights Council on March 9, stated:

The government and other country leaders must immediately raise the marriage age and introduce more policies and programs to reduce this practice in the country.

According to Iranian law, girls at age 13 can marry, and even younger girls can legally marry with paternal consent and judicial authorization. In the first half of this year in Iran, based on official government statistics, more than 16,000 girls between 10 to 14 years old married.

Rahman stated: The current legal age for marriage is unacceptable. It is clear that child marriage is harmful to girls’ development and welfare, including from the perspective of education, employment, and a life free from violence. While I note previous efforts to reform the law, pressure must now be applied to raise the marriage age in accordance with Iran’s commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This report also highlighted serious concerns about domestic violence. Some positive measures such as anti-acid throwing laws have been noted, but the Special Rapporteur urgently calls on the Iranian government to take further measures.

Rahman states: Existing protections against violence are insufficient to comprehensively protect women and children. I acknowledge that the draft law on protecting women against violence submitted to parliament provides some positive measures, but as my report describes, its protection is not sufficient, and I call for greater reforms in the bill before its approval and the expansion of support services for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

While noting progress including in education and citizenship rights, his report describes how gender discrimination has penetrated almost all areas of law and practical conduct, and Iranian women are treated as second-class citizens. He has presented recommendations to the government for improvement, including ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Iran is one of the few countries that has not acceded to this convention.

He states: Overt discrimination exists in law and practice in Iran that must change. Iranian women in various aspects of their lives, including marriage, divorce, employment, and culture, are either restricted or require permission from their spouses or male guardians, which deprives them of their independence and inherent human dignity. Such structures are completely unacceptable and must now be reformed.

The Special Rapporteur also called on the government to implement specific measures to end the culture of impunity for serious human rights violations and hold those responsible accountable. Rahman specifically raised the government’s failure to properly investigate the bloody suppression of November 2019 protests by security forces that resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people. He remains concerned about the high rate of death penalty executions, particularly the continuation of executions of child offenders and those executed in connection with protests and freedom of expression such as Navid Afkari and Ruhollah Zam, as well as reports of widespread use of torture to extract forced confessions.

Rahman expressed concern that sanctions have hindered Iran’s response to COVID-19. He repeats the request of the UN Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights that governments at least reduce sanctions in support of fighting COVID-19. However, the rapporteur stated that the government’s non-transparent and insufficient measures against the coronavirus have led to more deaths, including healthcare workers dying while working without adequate protective equipment.

He also reiterated his deep concerns that human rights defenders, journalists, labor rights activists, dual and foreign nationals, and lawyers who were arbitrarily detained continue to be imprisoned despite COVID-19 risks. Targeting of individuals by the government for exercising fundamental freedoms continues, including Yasmin Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi, and Mojgan Keshavarz who were imprisoned for participating in protests and against mandatory hijab laws on International Women’s Day in 2019, and other women human rights defenders such as Nasrin Sotoudeh, Atena Daemi, and Golrokh Iraei.

The Special Rapporteur reiterated his regret at human rights violations against Iran’s religious, ethnic, and gender minorities. Since the finalization of his report, other concerning incidents have occurred against Iran’s minorities, including more than 20 executions of Baloch prisoners sentenced to death, the suspicious death of Dervish Gonabadi prisoner Behnam Mahjoubi, excessive use of force against protesters in Sistan and Baluchestan province, arrest of over 100 Kurdish activists, and raids on Baha’i homes and confiscation of their land.

Source: HRANA