while a far majority of them are girls.10 11 Other reasons identified were the lack of schools in
rural areas as well as long distances between villages, reportedly forcing girls to drop out, 12
notably due to economic constraints and families being more willing to send boys travelling long
distances to reach their schools.13 The lack of female teachers has also been identified as a factor
discouraging families to send their girls to school.14 15 Additionally, reports have showed that in
poor areas, families rely often on children as laborers,16 a phenomenon that reportedly affects
more girls than boys.17
Governmental statistics from 2016 reported that the literacy rate of women living in rural areas
(72.8%) is below than the literacy rate of women living in urban areas (88.0%), and much lower
than the rate of literacy of men both in urban (93.5%) and rural areas (83.9%).18 Iranian
authorities have reported that only 40% to 50% of girls living in border provinces complete their
high school education. 19 20 These figures may indicate that both gender and economic factors
can hinder access to and/or stay in school, resulting in the high drop-out rate of girls in rural
areas. Girls from ethnic minorities and living in rural areas have been reportedly further
disadvantaged. For instance, the Sistan-Baluchestan province, inhabited predominantly by the
Baluchi ethnic group, has a significant part of its population living in rural areas21 and reportedly
60% of girls dropout by the fifth grade.22
In its General Comment no.13, the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights stipulates
that “a State must protect the accessibility of education by ensuring that third parties, including
parents and employers, do not stop girls from going to school.” 23 Yet, reports have shown that
child marriage and family decisions were amongst the main reasons behind the high school
dropout rate of girls.24 Additionally, although the Iranian legal framework does not explicitly
prevent married girls from attending school,25 a court ruling may still give the right to a husband
10
Iran Open Data https://iranopendata.org/en/dataset/age-distribution-of-spouses-at-the-time-of-marriage-in-1397
Report of the U.N. Secretary General, August 2019, https://undocs.org/en/A/74/273
12
Radio Farda, ‘Half the girls living In border areas drop out of school,’ 9 September 2017. https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iranschool-drop-out-among-girls/28726094.html
13
Beyond the Veil: Discrimination against women in Iran, https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1203136/download
14
Ibid.
15
Radio Farda, https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-school-drop-out-among-girls/28726094.html
16
Ibid.
17
Farda News Agency, https://bit.ly/334rdHt
18
Statistical Centre of Iran, Nataayej-e-tafsili-ye- sarshomaari-e-omoumi-e-nofous va maskan 1395 [Detailed report of the results
of national population and housing censuses of the year 1395], May/June 2018, https://bit.ly/2MsGQm8
19
Radio Farda https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-school-drop-out-among-girls/28726094.html
20
Ibid.
21
Iran Wire, https://iranwire.com/en/features/5523
22
Beyond the Veil: Discrimination against women in Iran, https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1203136/download
23
General Comment No. 13, Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, Right to Education
https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4538838c22.pdf
24
Radio Farda, https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-school-drop-out-among-girls/28726094.html
25
Report of the U.N. Secretary General, August 2019, https://undocs.org/en/A/74/273
11
2