You see a page from the old site of Iran International that is no longer updated. Visit iranintl.com to view the new site.

UN Rapporteur Says Iranian Women Treated As Second Class Citizens

Iranian women are treated as second class citizens, a United Nations report has found. In the report to the UN Human Rights Council published for International Women's Day (March 8), UN experts cite "domestic violence, thousands of marriages of girls aged between 10 and 14 each year and continuing entrenched discrimination in law and practice."

In his report, which is to be presented to the 47-member Human Rights Council on Tuesday March 9, Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has highlighted child marriage while acknowledging "some progress, such as in education and citizenship rights."

“Blatant discrimination exists in Iranian law and practice that must change," Rehman said. "In several areas of their lives, including in marriage, divorce, employment, and culture, Iranian women are either restricted or need permission from their husbands or paternal guardians, depriving them of their autonomy and human dignity. These constructs are completely unacceptable and must be reformed now."

Iran accuses western countries and international human rights bodies of inconsistency. In an article headlined ‘International Women's Day, Western Double Standards’ published on March 8, the official government news agency IRNA said that while women's rights are violated across the globe western countries pick out some countries as a means to meddle their internal affairs.

The article cites studies on violence against women in the United States, Germany, France, and Britain but none about Iran. State-run television on Monday reported increased violence against women in neighboring Turkey, which it blamed on the spread of "unconventional cultures propagated by television programs and the social media." 

The Islamic Republic does not recognize March 8 but celebrates the birthday of the Prophet's daughter as Women's Day. "Those who named [March 8] as International Women's Day do not want Fatimah, they want female workers who work equal to men," the conservative Alef news website wrote Tuesday. "They don't want women as lovely creatures who nurture children … They like to change women into men."

This year a tweet from Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice-President in Women's Affairs, mentioning both calendar occasions has caught a lot of attention from Iranian media and social media users.

"As an Iranian Muslim, I'm proud to honor the birthday of [Fatima al-] Zahra [the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon her] as women's day but we are also citizens of the world and considering that I congratulate March 8 to all world citizens," Ebtekar tweeted on Monday. The comments section of her tweet, as well as reports in Persian media such as the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that have reported it, have been blocked but the Twitterati have quoted her tweet with supportive or angry words of their own that often amount to personal attacks.

In recent years more Iranians have been celebrating International Women's Day, even if it is not an official calendar occasion, with congratulatory text messages to women. This year many Iranian websites published texts that readers could copy in their text messages and on social media platforms. "Congratulations to all freedom-loving and cultured women and mothers in Iran and the world under whose feet paradise lies," read one text, referring to a Hadith from Prophet Mohammad, among several poetic ones published by the moderate conservative Fararu website.

Also marking the occasion in a speech at Tehran City Council Monday, Councilor Zahra Nejad-Bahram, cited Iran's international ranking of 148 in the 2020 Global Gender Gap Index (Saudi Arabia ranks 146 in the same index). Nejad-Bahram said Iranian women had a share of only 16 percent in the Iranian economy, and that only ten mayors out of 1300 were women.

A British-Iranian journalist, political analyst and former correspondent of The National and journalist at Iran International
Iran in Brief
City officials in Iran's capital Tehran are planning to put locks on large waste containers in the streets to prevent garbage pickers from accessing waste.More
The Biden Administration has confirmed to the US Congress that sanction imposed by its predecessor on Iran have drastically reduced Iran's trade with the world.More
The UK government said on Sept 20 that Britain would "not rest" until all its dual nationals being held in Iran were returned home.More
President Ebrahim Raisi’s vice president in women’s affairs has refused to support an age limit in child marriage, a controversial issue in Iran.More
In first news about detained Iranian dissident rap singer Toomaj, Iran International has learned that was arrested by the intelligence ministry.More