Violence Against Women; Prevention is More Important than Solutions

Shahindokht Molaverdi, Deputy of Hassan Rouhani for Women and Family Affairs, described violence against women as an undeniable issue and announced the renewed pursuit of the bill for the security of women against violence. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, at a conference titled 'Women, Security, and Sustainable Development,' she referred to the bill that was drafted in previous administrations but was halted due to objections from the Parliamentary Legislation Commission and was removed from the agenda towards the end of the tenth government. The Deputy President stated that in the case of women victims of violence, the focus should be more on prevention rather than solutions. She acknowledged the significant impact of preventive measures in reducing violence and noted that they also incur lower costs for society. However, Ms. Molaverdi did not mention specific ways to prevent violence against women. She also mentioned that an agreement with the judiciary was made to include ten articles in the problematic section of the bill, which includes the criminalization of instances of violence against women, especially domestic violence. She continued, 'In terms of deterrent, protective, and supportive measures, it has been determined through reviews that multiple actions are being taken by the responsible agencies, but there is a lack of necessary coordination among them.' Ms. Molaverdi added, 'For this purpose, a proposal has been made to establish a Coordination Council for the Prevention and Combat of Violence Against Women and to create a national authority for the protection of women against violence within the Ministry of Justice, which has remained at the proposal stage so far.' The Deputy President for Women and Family Affairs also reported last year about the disappearance of 32 volumes of results from a national project investigating forms of domestic violence against women, stating that no copies were found in the Ministry of Interior or the Women and Family Affairs Department. According to Ms. Molaverdi, during the reformist government, a committee titled 'National Committee for the Elimination of Violence Against Women' was formed, and extensive research was conducted in 28 provinces, with the results compiled into 32 volumes. The Deputy President of Iran reminded that with the end of the eighth government, these studies and reports were set aside, and the ninth and tenth governments did not utilize them. According to assessments by the United Nations, one in three women will experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. Mohammad Ali Esfahani, spokesperson for the Legal and Judicial Commission of the Parliament, stated that in Iran, the mortality rate among women due to violence is equal to that of cancer. He added that less than 35% of domestic violence cases are reported to the police.