There is a serious lack of comprehensive and readily available official data on the prevalence of
domestic violence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.25 26 The Census Bureau, a governmental agency
responsible for data collection, does not permit international organizations to study the issue in the
country.27 The last extensive and published study on domestic violence carried out in the Islamic
Republic of Iran dates back to 2004.28 29 30 The assessment, developed throughout 32 volumes,
was made available only to scholars and researchers at the Centre for Research in Tehran 31 until
2014 when all volumes had reportedly disappeared from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry
of Health.32 The study showed that about 66 per cent of women sampled responded that they had
been subjected to domestic violence in the first year of their marriage.33 34 Despite the lack of
comprehensive official data, cases of domestic violence are regularly reported and are considered
widespread in the Islamic Republic of Iran.35 36 In January 2021 the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran reported that “hotline and 358 social
emergency units had been established across the country to respond to social issues” including
domestic violence and that “8 per cent of calls to the hotline and 10 per cent of in-person social
emergency unit visits concern violence against women”.37 In July 2019, the head of the Medical
Examiner’s Office of Tehran Province reportedly announced that more than 16,420 cases of
domestic violence had been reported to the office, an increase since 2018.38 In February 2019,
Habibollah Massoudi Farbod, deputy of social affairs of the State’s Welfare Organization
reportedly announced that during 2018 about 10 thousand calls relating to violence against women
25
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
26
Amnesty International, ‘You shall procreate’ (p. 31), March 2015,
https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1311112015ENGLISH.pdf
27
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
28
The study was undertaken by the Women’s Centre for Presidential Advisory, the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Higher
Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran and published in 2004. The study was conducted based on questionnaires and only
main cities were visited. Moradian, A., Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society, The Chicago
School of Professional Society, August 2009 https://iranian.com/2009/09/10/domestic-violence-against-single-and-marriedwomen-in-iranian-society/
29
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
30
See ISNA https://www.isna.ir/news/8307-07024/اﻋﻼم-اﺳﺘﺎن-28-در-زﻧﺎن-ﻋﻠﯿﮫ-ﺧﺎﻧﮕﻲ-ﺧﺸﻮﻧﺖ-ﺑﺮرﺳﻲ-ﻣﻠﻲ-طﺮح-ﻧﺘﺎﯾﺞA
31
Moradian, A., Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society, The Chicago School of Professional
Society, August 2009 https://iranian.com/2009/09/10/domestic-violence-against-single-and-married-women-in-iranian-society/
32
Young Journalists Club, https://www.yjc.ir/fa/amp/news/5055566 ; 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
33
Moradian, A., Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society, The Chicago School of Professional
Society, August 2009 https://iranian.com/2009/09/10/domestic-violence-against-single-and-married-women-in-iranian-society/
34
ISNA https://bit.ly/2OBLIsM
35
Amnesty International, ‘Iran 2019’, https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran/report-iran/
36
Human Rights Activists in Iran En-HRANA, 2019 report, https://www.en-hrana.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/HranaAnnual-Report-2019.pdf
37
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2021,
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2Fhrc%2F46%2F50&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop
38
Human Rights Activists News Agency, 2019, https://www.en-hrana.org/increase-in-domestic-violence-in-tehran-more-than16-thousand-cases-were-filed
3