In the Face of Oppression - Iranian Women Have Demanded Their Rights
By
Tara Sepehri Far
10
September 2020
Across the
past three weeks, dozens of Iranian women of various backgrounds have taken to
social media, in their own #MeToo moment, to report their experiences of sexual
harassment and assault. The police have announced they have taken action
against at least one suspect. Many women hope this will be just the beginning
of a broader movement against sexual violence.
Iran’s #MeToo Moment
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Iran's #MeToo
moment began in early August, when a group of women journalists recorded a
video in which they shared their experiences of being harassed by newsroom
colleagues or influential people they had interviewed. Then, other women,
mostly with anonymised accounts on Twitter, started sharing their experiences
of sexual harassment and rape, including by men in positions of power. In one
case, a former journalist, Sara Omatali, tweeted that a well-known artist had
sexually assaulted her in the summer of 2006.
This was
not the first time that allegations of sexual harassment were raised on social
media, but this time there was more momentum with more women willing to share
their stories. In a few cases, multiple women named or used the initials of
specific alleged attackers, with hundreds more calling for their prosecution.
There are
many reasons to be pessimistic about how far calls for accountability could go
under current legal restrictions and civil society repression in Iran. But the
past few weeks have also been the source of inspiration, refocusing the
conversation in public space on one of the most fundamental elements of women's
rights - protection against gender-based violence. Reading the social media
posts makes many feel that society, and particularly the social media-savvy
crowd, is more ready to listen to the narrative of those who have experienced
abuse and to press for accountability and change.
Iranian women wearing protective masks to protect themselves from the
coronavirus walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on February 20, 2020 [File:
WANA/Nazanin Tabatabaee via Reuters]
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On August
25, General Hossein Rahimi, the Tehran police chief, announced that the police
had arrested a man with the initials KE who was accused of rape by multiple
women on social media, and invited others to file their complaints with the
police, promising to respect their privacy. One woman who had accompanied her
friend to file a complaint against the suspect with the police wrote on her
Instagram that she felt the police had treated them with respect and did not
infringe on their private life.
Attempts to
hold sexual harassment offenders accountable through the judiciary have proven
to be difficult in various legal systems, but in some countries, including
Iran, women can face criminal charges for reporting rape. Iran's legal system
criminalises consensual sexual relationships outside of marriage, which are
punishable by flogging, so a victim risks being prosecuted if the authorities
do not believe her. This is especially the case if there is a pre-existing
relationship or the authorities construe any form of behaviour leading up to
the assault as providing consent.
Moreover,
the criminal law explicitly excludes marital rape, and has a limited and
problematic definition of rape that includes sexual intercourse outside of
marriage between a man and a woman, including adultery or fornication, instead
of a broader gender-neutral definition to include other forms of penetration
without consent or in coercive circumstances.
In
addition, in practice, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges in Iran expect
high evidentiary standards to prove coercion, such as bodily harm or attempts
to flee. To make matters worse, the mandatory punishment for rape, called
"forced zina" under Iranian law, is the death penalty. These legal
restrictions, combined with patriarchal social norms, make seeking justice a
heavy burden on victims, to the point that many would prefer to not file
complaints.
The
inadequate legal protections have undoubtedly contributed to a culture of
impunity for harassers. But the recent events have shown that more women are
willing to defy traditional, political and ideological norms to speak out
against sexual assault, naming their attackers and demanding accountability.
The alleged attackers identified on social media range from teachers and
university professors, to artists, a manager in the start-up industry, and even
a sociologist who works on women's rights issues.
It is
particularly encouraging to see that, in a society that still criminalises
consensual sexual relationships with no marriage and those who choose to engage
in them, society is finding its way to push for fundamental human rights. But
this change did not happen overnight.
Social
media has undoubtedly been a great amplifier and connector, allowing Iranian
women to read one another's stories as well as the experiences of women in
other countries. But where Iranian women are standing today is also the result
of years of work on the ground by Iranian women's rights defenders and ordinary
women who have fought to be recognised in society.
August
marked the 14th anniversary of Iranian women's rights activists launching the
One Million Signature campaign to challenge discriminatory laws. Many of the
activists from the campaign experienced persecution. Some left the country
during various periods of crackdown on civil society, while continuing
repression has made it difficult for women's rights activists to push for
reforms.
Yet women
have continued to demand change, launching new campaigns against child
marriage, harassment in public places, violence against women, and the
compulsory wearing of hijab. For instance, after an amendment to Iran's
citizenship law in 2019, women who are married to foreign men are now being
able to pass their nationality to their children.
In Iran's
#MeToo moment, the Iranian authorities have taken an important step by
arresting one suspect, but they are facing a much more serious test both in how
they are going to handle the judicial process and how they will deal with
other, much more powerful, alleged sexual predators. The authorities must
ultimately amend the law with a definition of rape that is gender-neutral,
includes marital rape and other forms of penetration, as well as other forms of
sexual assault, and is not punishable by death.
Women
speaking out online show that they are not waiting around for the authorities
to give them their rights. In the face of oppression, Iranian women have
demanded their rights and continued to push for change in many different and
innovative ways.
-----
Tara
Sepehri Far is the Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Original
Headline: Iran is having its #MeToo moment
Source: The Al-Jazeera
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-human-rights/in-face-oppression-iranian-women/d/122826
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