Mohammad Islami, the technical deputy of the Population Health Office and head of the Fertility Department at the Ministry of Health, announced the formation of a committee within the ministry to examine the issue of 'white marriage' and several other related issues. In an interview with ILNA news agency on Tuesday, June 4, he stated that this committee is chaired by the Deputy Minister of Interior for Social Affairs and that 'reports will likely be announced in the near future.' In recent years, some Iranian media have reported an increase in 'white marriage,' also known as 'cohabitation,' which refers to men and women living together without formal marriage. Some young people engage in this arrangement to avoid the ceremonies and legal commitments associated with marriage, living together based on a type of emotional pact, with the term 'white marriage' indicating that no legal documents are exchanged and their marriage and divorce records remain blank. The newspaper Jahane San'at reported on August 16, 2014, an increase in 'cohabitation among single strangers' and described 'white living' as a 'temporary economic necessity for making a living.' According to ILNA's report, Mohammad Islami further stated that 'in white marriages, individuals usually do not have children and lose the timing for having children.' He expressed that 'with the increase in white marriages, expectations for improving the fertility rate in the country will not be realized, and if the number of people in white marriages increases, the negative impact on the overall fertility rate will be greater.' The technical deputy of the Population Health Office concluded by saying, 'We are willing to help because white marriage disrupts individual and community health, but we do not have statistics on white marriages.' Previously, in September 2014, Siavash Shahryar, the director general of social and cultural affairs of Tehran Province, announced the finalization of the 'Sustainable Family Promotion' plan to combat 'white marriage,' stating that this plan was prepared based on population policies issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has repeatedly emphasized his preference for increasing Iran's population.
Iran's Interior Ministry Addresses the Issue of 'White Marriage'
The Iranian Interior Ministry has formed a committee to address the growing issue of 'white marriage,' which involves cohabitation without formal marriage. This trend is seen as a challenge to the country's fertility goals and is being addressed in accordance with population policies set by the Supreme Leader. The ministry aims to mitigate the negative impacts of this phenomenon on individual and societal health.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The Iranian Interior Ministry has established a committee to investigate the rise of 'white marriage,' a form of cohabitation without formal marriage, which is seen as a threat to the country's fertility goals. The committee aims to address the health implications of this trend.
- White marriage refers to cohabitation without legal marriage, often resulting in no children.
- The Supreme Leader has emphasized increasing the population, making this issue a priority for the government.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
In Iran, traditional marriage is highly valued, and the government is concerned about declining birth rates. 'White marriage' has emerged as a response to economic and social pressures among youth.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%