In its annual 2016-2017 report issued on February 22, 2017, Amnesty International pointed to the rampant violence against women In Iran and wrote, “The authorities renewed their crackdown on women human rights defenders and increasingly any collective initiative relating to feminism and women’s rights to criminal activity…
“Women remained subject to pervasive discrimination in law and practice, including in access to divorce, employment, equal inheritance and political office and in the area of criminal law…
“In September, (the mullahs’) Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued national family policies promoting early marriage, repeated childbearing, fewer divorces and greater compliance to ‘traditional’ roles of women as housewives and men as breadwinners…
“The policies raised concern that women victims of domestic violence may face further marginalization and increased pressure to ‘reconcile’ with abusers and remain in abusive marital relationships.
“Women and girls remained inadequately protected against sexual and other gender-based violence, including early and forced marriage.
“The authorities failed to adopt laws criminalizing these and other abuses, including marital rape and domestic violence, although the Vice-President on Women and Family Affairs pushed a draft bill that had been pending since 2012.
“Compulsory ‘veiling’ (hijab) laws, which violated women’s rights to equality, privacy, and freedoms of expression, belief and religion, continued to empower police and paramilitary forces to target women for harassment, violence, and imprisonment.”
Amnesty International also reported on cruel punishments, “In April, the Public Prosecutor of Golpayegan, Esfahan Province, announced that a man and woman convicted of ‘having an illegitimate relationship’ had been sentenced to 100 lashes each.
“In May, the Public Prosecutor of Qazvin Province announced that the authorities had arrested 35 young women and men ‘dancing and mingling at a graduation party…’ and convicted them within 24 hours of engaging in acts ‘incompatible with chastity which disturbed the public opinion’. The authorities carried out the 99-lash floggings to which they were sentenced at a special court hearing the same day.”
