Report: Islamic Republic Policies Create Environment for Violence Against Women

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that parliamentary proposals, government policies, and "public statements" by government officials and senior clerics affiliated with the Islamic Republic have created a "favorable environment for violence against women." According to the campaign's website, this report, published on March 6, titled "Arbitrary Violence: Acid Attacks in Iran and the Government's Assault on Women's Rights," also describes the mentioned issues as "a fertile ground for acid attack-related assaults in Iran." The campaign called for the halt of the approval of the "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" bill in the Iranian parliament, which, according to the campaign, "allows the Basij forces to violate women's individual and social freedoms and leads to violence against them," ahead of International Women's Day on March 8. Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, stated: "If government officials do not clarify that any citizen who arbitrarily uses violence to enforce women's hijab will be committing an illegal act and will face the harshest legal penalties, we can expect a repetition of these horrific events." He added: "The call for extrajudicial enforcement of virtue places every Iranian woman at risk of violent attacks. This is not only a gross violation of Iranian laws and international laws but also a direct threat to the lives of Iranian women." Iranian parliament representatives continued their approvals regarding the "Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice" bill on Tuesday, February 3, stating that not only will creating obstacles to virtue promotion and vice prevention be considered a "crime," but the judiciary must also dedicate a special branch to support the "promoters of virtue and preventers of vice." This parliamentary approval comes as some human rights organizations and critical media have linked the approval of the "Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice" bill and the statements of certain prominent clerics to a series of acid attacks in Isfahan and assaults on women in Jahrom, including stabbings. Over 240 civil activists in Iran issued a statement in November protesting the acid attacks in Isfahan and the approval of the "Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice" bill, deeming these actions as indicative of increasing violence against women and creating a safe haven for perpetrators of violence. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran also urged the Iranian judiciary to make every effort to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the series of acid attacks against women in Iran, which are reportedly linked to the issue of women's hijab. The acid attacks on a group of women in Isfahan have yet to be resolved nearly five months later, with no news of the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators. Hossein Ashtari, deputy commander of the Iranian police, stated on January 21 that there is currently no news of the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators of these acid attacks. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran also referenced other "government plans" that, according to this campaign, have played a role in "restricting" women's rights in areas such as education, employment, reproductive health, and public participation. The Cultural Commission of the Iranian parliament has approved a plan called the "Comprehensive Population and Family Excellence Plan," which, if finally approved, will prohibit the hiring of single individuals as university faculty members and school teachers for five years. Additionally, if this plan is finally approved, priority for hiring under equal conditions in all public and private sectors will be given first to married men with children and then to married men without children. Previously, the "Justice for Iran" organization had requested the International Labour Organization to protest the violation of women's equal employment rights and urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to remove this plan from the parliament's agenda.