Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.3 para 74 (a)
Full recommendation:
To prioritise the elimination of violence against women as a public policy issue and to prevent,
investigate and punish all acts of violence against women, whether perpetrated by private or
State actors, it is recommended that the Government:
Provide effective protection to women who have experienced violence by ensuring that they are
able to approach the police, to secure alternative housing and to access medical care;
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
The issue of protection of women against violence is a long-standing demand in Iran that has
legal, cultural and social gaps.
During its last Universal Periodic Review (November 2019), the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran stated that the Act on Protection, Dignity and Security of Women against
Violence, a bill that has been circulating in government for a number of years, will be “aimed at
criminalising new forms of assault, harassment and violations of the rights of women and
adopting preventive and support measures to stop violence against women.”2 In January 2020,
the UN Secretary General expressed concerns about the slow progress of the bill, which has been
under review since 20103 and as of February 2021, is under the review of the Iranian
Parliament.4 The draft bill will then need to be vetted by the Guardian Council.
The Secretary General also noted that “critical articles were reportedly removed from the initial
proposal of the Executive, including provisions protecting women from various forms of
violence and criminalizing domestic violence.”5 6 As of early February 2021, the available draft
of the law7 suggests that the text may be insufficient to protect women in Iran from
discrimination and violence. Although the draft law may bring positive developments, it will
1
CCPR.3.1.S.1; CCPR.7.1.S.1; ESCR.12.1.S.2; CCPR.3.1.P.3; CCPR.7.1.P.1; ESCR.12.1.P.1; CCPR.3.1.O.4; ESCR.12.1.O.1
Universal Periodic Review, Iran, 2019, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/43/12
3
Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights, Centre for Supporters of Human Rights and Minority Rights Group International
September 2019, https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1203136/download
4
New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/world/middleeast/iran-sexual-violence-metoo-women.html
5
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020,
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_SecretaryGeneral_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4320.pdf
6
See Radio Farda https://en.radiofarda.com/a/new-watered-down-draft-law-on-violence-against-women-iniran/30173089.html ;
and ISNA www.isna.ir/news/98071612729/ (in Farsi).
7
https://shenasname.ir/laws/7023
2
1