Judiciary Sends Bill to Ban Violence Against Women to Qom for Consultation

The Deputy for Women and Family Affairs in the Iranian Presidency stated that the "Bill to Ban Violence Against Women" has been sent by the Judiciary to Qom for "consultation." This bill has been sent to Qom, according to the deputy of Hassan Rouhani, while a member of parliament mentioned that "all the authorities" who were supposed to provide their opinions have done so, and only the opinion of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the Judiciary, remains before the bill is sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Masoumeh Ebtekar expressed hope that the bill would "return with good results [from Qom]." The "Bill to Ban Violence Against Women" was drafted during the tenure of Shahindokht Molaverdi, the current assistant for citizen affairs under Hassan Rouhani, when she was in charge of women's affairs. After more than four years, this bill is still under review in the Judiciary, and Ms. Ebtekar has just announced its submission to the "centers" for consultation in Qom. The Deputy for Women and Family Affairs did not mention the names of these centers, only stating that "the Judiciary has sent this bill for consultation to Qom, and I hope it returns." It seems that after years of review, this bill has been sent to several clerics and religious centers in Qom to obtain their final opinions, after which the position of the head of the Judiciary regarding it will be announced. Ms. Ebtekar also mentioned in September of this year that "this bill is going through its stages in the Judiciary, as this issue has faced opinions that we have expressed readiness for, and we hope this matter will be resolved as soon as possible." At that time, she did not refer to the "opinions" that this bill had faced, but it seems that the bill has encountered opposition that has prolonged its review process. Previously, Tayebeh Siavashi, a member of the Women’s Faction in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated that this bill is only awaiting the opinion of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the Judiciary. Siavashi also reported the removal of 41 articles from this bill, citing their "overlap" with Islamic Penal Code and criminal procedure. This bill has been sent to Qom, according to Masoumeh Ebtekar, while Siavashi mentioned that "all the authorities" who were supposed to provide their opinions have done so, and only Sadegh Larijani's opinion remains before the bill is sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Zabihollah Khodaiyan, the legal deputy of the Judiciary, stated last September that the bill to combat violence against women was "drafted solely from a gender perspective." According to Mr. Khodaiyan, 70 out of 100 articles of the bill to combat violence against women have "criminal descriptions" and "even provides imprisonment for the smallest tensions between spouses." On the other hand, Zahra Aytollahi, the head of the Cultural and Social Council of Women, wrote in a note in Kayhan newspaper in response to efforts to send this bill to the Assembly: "The best type of support for women, as Islam has guided, is to entrust the support of women to the men of the family." In her view, if the bill to ensure women's security against violence is passed, "a woman, who is a symbol of delicacy, love, and tranquility, will become a capricious, fault-finding, and spoiled being who can interpret any action of a man as violence against herself," and "God knows which son, even at 40 or 50 years old, will dare to marry, even if he is Rostam Dastan." This is while, according to reports from responsible organizations, the rate of spousal and child abuse has increased in recent years in Iran. Reza Jafari, the head of Iran's social emergency services, reported in March 2018 that in the first six months of that year, 14,599 cases of spousal abuse were reported to this center. According to the statistics of the Legal Medicine Organization in Iran for 2017, the highest recorded cases of spousal abuse in 2016 were in Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Isfahan provinces, with 17,083, 7,385, and 6,483 cases, respectively. According to these statistics, these provinces also had the highest rates of violence against women by spouses in 2015. Statistics released in January 2017 by officials of Tehran's Legal Medicine Organization show that in that year, spousal abuse was the main reason for citizens in Tehran to visit legal medicine, after accidents and street fights, with an average of 52 cases of spousal abuse reported daily to Tehran's legal medicine. This data comes at a time when, despite extensive government efforts, the Iranian public still does not view consulting centers and the use of professional help positively.