“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 were made to the public social welfare hotlines.39 In April 2020, Mahmoud Aligoo, the head of the department of social harms of the State’s Welfare Organization reportedly announced a dramatic increase in the number of cases of domestic violence, as Iran was going through a governmental mandated lockdown to combat the spread of the virus COVID-19. 40 41 Yet, cases of domestic violence are believed to be largely underreported.42 B. The Islamic Republic of Iran should ensure that victims have immediate access to means of redress and protection, including through the establishment of a sufficient number of safe houses for victims. In 2014, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that the number of safe houses was insufficient.43 In the context of its 2014 Universal Periodic Review the Government stated that it established 24 ‘rehabilitation centres’ and 31 ‘health centres’ thoughout the country for women and girls who have been subjected to domestic violence.44 According to official sources, there are 400 ‘social emergency shelters’ countrywide that provide services to domestic violence victims, although these shelters are not necessarily specifically designed for domestic violence survivors.45 46 The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran reiterated that the State lacks sufficient domestic violence shelters and reported that there were only 28, established in 27 out of 31 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 39 Human Rights Activists News Agency, 2020, https://www.en-hrana.org/domestic-violence-increased-during-coronavirusquarantines-and-stay-at-home-orders 40 Human Rights Activists News Agency, 2020, https://www.en-hrana.org/domestic-violence-increased-during-coronavirusquarantines-and-stay-at-home-orders 41 IRNA, 2020, https://bit.ly/38UoMfB 42 Center for Human Rights in Iran, 2018, https://iranhumanrights.org/2018/11/iran-must-pass-legislation-to-protect-womenagainst-violence/ 43 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2014, https://www.refworld.org/docid/5436a31f4.html 44 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, September 2016, para 59, https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N16/304/01/PDF/N1630401.pdf?OpenElement 45 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 46 Report Danish Refugee Council, Ministry of Immigration and Integration Denmark, (p. 28), February 2018, https://www.justice.gov/file/1047171/download 4