Warning from Parliament Representative Regarding 'Child Marriage' and 'Divorced 15-Year-Old Girls'

The head of the Women's Fraction of the Iranian Parliament has pointed to the phenomena of 'child marriage' and 'divorced 15-year-old girls', announcing the faction's efforts to raise the minimum marriage age for girls from 13 to 15 years. According to statistics, about 40,000 girls under 15 marry each year in Iran, and more than 1,000 girls under 15 get divorced. Parvaneh Salahshouri stated on Saturday, July 15, in an interview with ILNA news agency, that she has requested the Research Center of the Parliament to investigate the 'phenomenon of child marriage' to determine where this issue is most prevalent in the country and its causes. The head of the Women's Fraction attributed poverty and the religious beliefs of some families as reasons for child marriages under 15 in Iran. According to Iran's Civil Registration statistics, in the first nine months of last year, 29,710 girls under 15 got married and 871 girls under 15 got divorced. In 2015, 37,717 girls under 15 married and 1,249 girls under 15 divorced. The latest amendments to Iran's Civil Code set the minimum marriage age at 13 for girls and 15 for boys, but it allows for marriages below these ages with 'the consent of a guardian' and 'the determination of a competent court'. Last year, some female parliament members spoke about efforts to change laws regarding girls under 15, and Nasir Makarem Shirazi, a Shia cleric, declared marriages of girls 'before mental maturity and decision-making ability' as invalid. However, Minou Aslani, head of the Basij, stated that banning marriage for girls under 13 contradicts 'religious teachings' and is at odds with 'human nature', asserting that reaching 'religious maturity' is sufficient for marriage. Additionally, on Saturday, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs announced that the global recidivism rate is 5%, while in Iran it has reached 20%. Shahindokht Molaverdi emphasized that the return of female prisoners to prison increases in winter, necessitating the establishment of centers to house these women to prevent their return to prison. She also mentioned the establishment of a support center for abused women by the 'Sunrise Without Signs' association, adding that 'despite the center having no sign or logo... local residents gathered in front of the center on its opening day, and it took a long time to convince them about the establishment of such a center in their neighborhood.' Previously, prison officials had reported that some former prisoners commit crimes to return to prison due to the need for shelter in winter. In 2015, Asghar Jahangir, head of the Prison Organization, reported a recidivism rate of 47%. The Vice President for Women and Family Affairs had also stated in March 2017 that 'there are almost no centers for holding delinquent or abused women in the country.' Habibollah Masoudi Farid, Deputy for Social Affairs of the Welfare Organization, stated in September 2016 that 24 centers 'specializing in the care of women' across the country provide services to these women. He mentioned that some women voluntarily enter the Welfare Organization's centers, while others are sent there by judicial order. In this context, there has been a 50% increase in adoption rates in Iran over the past three years, and the Women's Fraction of the Parliament is working to reform laws related to the marriage age for girls. Child marriage in Iran remains a topic of inquiry for members of the Cultural Commission of the Parliament from Qom clerics. The head of the Women's Basij stated that the judiciary should deal with gender equality advocates. In Iran, '17% of girls under 18 marry'.