A Member of Parliament: Opposition to the Bill Prohibiting Violence Against Women is Due to Political Thoughts

One day after Zahra Ayatollahi, head of the Women's Cultural and Social Council, published a note in Kayhan newspaper against the bill prohibiting violence against women, Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the parliamentary faction, stated in an interview with ISNA that her remarks stem from political thoughts. In her guest note in Kayhan, Zahra Ayatollahi described the bill as 'a model text derived from UN documents and Western laws' and wrote: 'This bill has been prepared in compliance with paragraph 2 of goal 5 of the 2030 document.' The UNESCO educational document for 2030 emphasizes issues such as ensuring equal and inclusive education, environmental protection, gender equality, equal social opportunities for women and men, human rights, eliminating discrimination against minorities, and promoting a culture of peace and non-violence. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized the '2030 document' in late June, stating: 'The way for Westerners to model our country must be closed.' Less than a month ago, an official from Iran's Welfare Organization announced that based on research conducted in Tehran, which he claimed has the best conditions for women compared to other parts of the country, one in three women is exposed to violence. Earlier, in December 2014, the spokesperson for the Legal and Judicial Commission of Parliament, Mohammad Ali Esfanani, stated that the rate of death caused by violence among women aged 15 to 44 in Iran is 'equal to the rate of death caused by cancer.' Nevertheless, on Tuesday, Kayhan newspaper published a guest note by Zahra Ayatollahi, stating that experience has shown that the best type of support for women, as guided by Islam, is to entrust support for women to the men of the family. According to Ayatollahi, 'Fathers, husbands, brothers, grandfathers, fathers-in-law, and male relatives who have the power to support and defend women should take responsibility for supporting women.' While the head of the Women's Cultural and Social Council speaks of entrusting women's responsibilities to male relatives, statistics published in 2014 indicated that more than 37 women were murdered in honor killings by their male relatives. Additionally, according to the latest statistics published regarding incest in Resalat newspaper in 2006, the head of the Social Harm Association reported the formation of 5,200 judicial cases in Iran concerning incestuous relationships; 4,000 cases of brother-sister rape and 1,200 cases of father-daughter rape. Nonetheless, Zahra Ayatollahi considered the drafting of the bill prohibiting violence against women as a threat to families, writing that 'This bill frightens men that any behavior or action of theirs may be considered a form of violence against women, ultimately harming the peace and spirit of intimacy and unity in the family, turning the home into a battleground for women to escape their responsibilities and removing men from their primary role of managing the family.' Ayatollahi's harsh words did not go unanswered on social media, as women's rights activists called for her removal from the Women's Policy Council using the hashtag #RemoveZahraAyatollahi. In this context, the head of the Women's Faction of the Islamic Consultative Assembly defended the bill prohibiting violence against women on Tuesday, stating that opposition to this bill is due to political perspectives. Parvaneh Salahshouri, in an interview with ISNA, quoted Ayatollah Gerami, who stated that the law is responsible for addressing the situation of women who are under pressure and beaten at home. According to Salahshouri, many women at home need legal support, and the law can help ensure their safety. She added: 'It cannot be said that because the husband is a relative of the woman, he can do whatever he wants; we must have a definition of what it means to be human for women.' The attack on the bill prohibiting violence against women comes at a time when this bill has been under review in the judiciary for three years, and Masoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president for women's affairs under Hassan Rouhani, has promised that it will soon be sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. This bill was drafted during the time when Shahindokht Molaverdi, the current assistant for citizen affairs under Hassan Rouhani, held the position of vice president for women's affairs. Although women's issues experts believe that the replacement of Shahindokht Molaverdi with Masoumeh Ebtekar has weakened women's position in the twelfth government, it seems that the activities of female representatives in Parliament have also increased significantly.