Hardly considered a bastion of liberal values, the Iranian executive branch has nevertheless drafted a piece of legislation to prevent several forms of violence against women.
The bill, called the Protection, Dignity and Security of Women Against Violence, actually pre-dates the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, and has been the result of resolved women activists and officials.
It defines violence as “any behavior inflicted on women due to sexuality, vulnerable position or type of relationship, and inflicts harm to their body, psyche, personality and dignity, or restricts or deprives them of legal rights and freedoms”.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president for women and family affairs, has championed the bill since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration, and as well bringing violence against women into draft law, it provides for the creation of more psychological support in the medical sector for women who have been victims of violence.
“Through an inter-sectoral process, we developed national indicators for gender equity, which laid the ground for the first result based Plan for Women and Family Advancement in 31 provinces,” said Ebtekar in October, according to Tehran Times.
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State broadcasters will also be directed to create programs that promote the support of women and the prevention of violence against them as part of family values.
Furthermore, the department of education will be responsible for creating courses for parents, students, and teachers to help better identify vulnerable students.
Ebtekar said the proposed legislation was based on the work of “hundreds of hours of work by tens of legal experts, judges, executives and officials,” and dedicated it to the “worthy and patient Iranian women.”
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Now that the executive has approved the bill, it will be sent to parliament before finally arriving at a judicial and religious entity called the Guardian Council.
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Wonderful. Now we need to ensure our own bullying laws are enforced.