Sexual Abuse of Women in Ambulances; Perpetrators Continue to Work

Some reports from Iran indicate that several emergency ambulance technicians in various cities have sexually assaulted women while transporting them to medical facilities. The newspaper Shargh interviewed a 'middle-aged and grieving father' recounting the sexual abuse of his young daughter in an ambulance, stating: 'This girl suffered from low blood pressure in September 2022 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital after her family contacted Emergency 115 in Karaj.' According to the report and the victim's father's account, the ambulance technician did not allow a companion in the transport cabin and, after administering an anesthetic injection in the vehicle, touched the body of this 33-year-old woman and engaged in oral sex with her. It has been reported that all these events occurred while the ambulance driver delayed reaching the hospital for the sake of his colleague, although the driver himself had no role in the assault. The father of the sexual abuse victim told Shargh that officials of the Islamic Republic asked him not to publicize the matter, but ultimately, despite the sexual assault being established, the court sentenced the abusive technician to 99 lashes and the ambulance driver to 30 lashes. Shargh noted that this girl lost her life a year after the sexual assault due to psychological trauma. Neda Shams, a lawyer, confirmed this news in an interview with a domestic media outlet, stating that the perpetrators have returned to their previous jobs. Shargh had previously reported on a sexual assault case in an ambulance in one of the northern cities of Iran, identifying the victim as a 20-year-old woman. In detailing the incident based on the victim's husband's statements, it was noted that while transporting his wife in the ambulance, he saw through the car window that the emergency technician was touching his wife's body. Initially, he thought this action might be necessary due to his wife's medical condition, but it later became clear that the technician's actions constituted assault. According to Shargh, the accused in this case was also sentenced to 60 lashes after legal proceedings in October 2023, and the appellate court confirmed this ruling. Nevertheless, the convicted individual continues to work as an emergency technician.