There are currently no female ministers serving in the Government’s cabinet. No provincial
governors are women. The Government recently appointed three women as “county governor” out
of 430 such positions across the country.37 The Government also appointed women to 13 out of
1,058 district governors, mostly in small provinces across the country. Women currently occupy
only 5.8 percent (16 out of 290) of parliamentary seats in the new parliament, which was elected
in February 2020.38 Despite these positive if gradual steps, the aforementioned structural and
institutionalized obstacles still result in widespread gender-based discrimination in practice,
limiting the access of women to political life.39
Structural discriminations deeply entrenched in the Iranian legal system often translate into
widespread and daily discrimination against women, in many aspects of their lives.40 There are a
number of mechanisms where Iranian citizens can report violations of their rights in Iran, including
before the Article 90 Commission of the parliament,41 or Oversight Bodies for the exercise of
Citizenship Rights in the country's provincial courts.42 However, given the discriminatory nature
of much of the Iranian legal framework, there is little opportunity for one’s complaint to be
adequately addressed and properly adjudicated in compliance with due process and international
human rights standards. Moreover, there is no independent National Human Rights Institution to
receive complaints from children, including girls, in Iran. With regards to illegal acts of violence
against women under Iranian law, there is no readily available information that might suggest that
complaints are adequately addressed, investigated and adjudicated.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
37
Executive rankings at the provincial level: 1) Governor, 2) County Governor, 3) District Governor, 4) Village President.
See more: All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva (KMMK-G) Association for
the Human Rights Of The Azerbaijani People In Iran (AHRAZ), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), OutRight
International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, Submission to the Human Rights Committee, 129th
session, 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf
39
Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MRG_CFR_Iran_EN_Sept191.pdf
40
See also Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MRG_CFR_Iran_EN_Sept191.pdf
41
The Article 90 Commission was established to receive the citizens' complaints against government institutions and has the
responsibility to review them and transmit cases for judicial procedure accordingly.
42
These committees have the responsibility to oversee the strict implementation of the "Law on Respect for Legitimate Freedoms
and Civil Rights”
38
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