significant risk of bodily harm or threat to her life and safety.31 When perpetrators are convicted,
sentences tend to be payments of diyah (financial compensation)32, unless the offence is found to
have disrupted public order and the safety of society, in which case prison may be imposed.33
Additionally, the absence of laws providing for the issuance of restraining orders puts victims
under the risk of abusers’ retaliation. In October 2018, a woman was reportedly murdered by her
brother at the hospital, where she was hospitalized after he stabbed her.34 Reports have shown
that police and judges often consider domestic violence as internal family matters.35 Police
intervention has been reportedly discouraged and parties are urged to settle out-of-court.3637 State
institutions and Iranian authorities have been reportedly unwilling to investigate, punish
perpetrators, or provide social services to victims of sexual assault or rape.38
Structural discrimination is deeply entrenched in the Iranian legal system, ultimately translating
in practice in widespread discriminations against women in all aspects of their lives.39 There are
various mechanisms where Iranian citizens can report violations of their rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran, including the Article 90 Commission of the parliament,40 or Oversight Bodies
for the exercise of Citizenship Rights in the country's provincial courts.41 However and as
aforementioned, gender discrimination is inherent to the Iranian legal framework. Consequently,
there is little opportunity for one’s complaint in that matter to be adequately addressed and
properly adjudicated in compliance with international standards. There is no independent
National Human Rights Institution to receive complaints from children, including girls, in the
Islamic Republic of Iran. Although there is an office associated with the President’s office called
Deputy on Women’s and Family Affairs, which is tasked with handling issues surrounding
violence against women, there is no readily available information that might indicate whether the
office’s work has had an impact in practice. 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.
31
Amnesty International, 2015, https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1311112015ENGLISH.pdf
Amnesty International, 2015, https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1311112015ENGLISH.pdf
33
Article 614, Islamic Penal Code (2013), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-ofthe-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/
34
Center for Human Rights in Iran, 2018, https://iranhumanrights.org/2018/11/iran-must-pass-legislation-to-protect-womenagainst-violence/ ; https://bit.ly/2NUrA4z
35
2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Iran, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2019country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/iran/
36
UN General Assembly, ‘Situation of human rights in Iran’ (para 32), 31 August 2015,
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2F70%2F352&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop
37
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Country Information report, Iran, 2020,
https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/country-information-report-iran.pdf
38
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, 2020, https://iranhrdc.org/access-to-justice-for-victims-of-sexual-violence-in-iran/
39
See more: Minority Rights, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MRG_CFR_Iran_EN_Sept191.pdf
40
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.
41
These committees have the responsibility to oversee the strict implementation of the "Law on Respect for Legitimate Freedoms
and Civil Rights”
32
4