History
The civil laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding women have been crafted based on regressive interpretations of Sharia and the ideological, patriarchal views of most policymakers. These laws treat women as second-class citizens, placing their autonomy in the hands of male family members. The prevailing mindset defines women primarily within the family context—as the honor of men—with their primary roles being wives and mothers. As a result, this has contributed to the widespread occurrence of various forms of violence against women (VAW).
The women’s movement in Iran, since gradually resuming its activities after the initial suppression following the Islamic Revolution, has been focused on demanding changes to discriminatory laws and advocating for new legislation to prevent violence and support victims. Additionally, activists organized various initiatives to raise awareness about different forms of violence and provide assistance to affected women—efforts that continue to this day.
In July 2011, for the first time, a bill aimed at protecting women from violence was introduced by the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs during Ahmadinejad’s administration. Many viewed the drafting of this bill, titled “Ensuring Women’s Security,” as a symbolic gesture due to the severe repression of civil society and the regression of women’s rights under Ahmadinejad’s hardline government.
The bill consisted of 81 articles and was submitted to the Cabinet in the final months of Ahmadinejad’s term. However, it remained stalled without approval from the government’s legislative committee.
The initial framework of the bill was reviewed during the first session of the legislative committee under Rouhani’s administration. The Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs initiated the revision and amendment process by forming three research teams. In June 2017, the revised bill, now comprising 92 articles, was sent to the Judicial System. However, it faced immediate and strong opposition from the head and other officials of the Judiciary, who claimed that defining various forms of violence, harassment, and psychological abuse—and establishing imprisonment and penalties for offenders—was “not in the best interest of families.”
After more than 800 days, and with the removal of at least 40 articles related to the definition and categorization of violence and the penalties for perpetrators, the Judicial System finally returned the bill, renamed “Protection, Dignity, and Security of Women Against Violence,” to the government in September 2019. The bill underwent further modifications before being approved by the Cabinet on January 3, 2021, and was subsequently submitted to the Parliament.
In February 2023, the Women’s and Family Committee of Parliament introduced a final draft titled “Prevention of Harm to Women and Enhancement of Their Security Against Misconduct,” following its merger with a similar proposal drafted by members of Parliament. Parliament approved the bill’s general provisions in April 2023, and a year later, in April 2024, began reviewing the bill’s details, which are still ongoing.
Amid the rising incidence of femicides—especially following the murder of IRNA journalist Mansoureh Ghadiri Javid by her husband—there have been ongoing discussions with the parliament by the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs to expedite the ratification of a related bill. In response, Parliament has promised to prioritize the bill for approval before the end of the Iranian year (20 March).
However, as of the second week of March 2025, recent reports indicate that the bill is still under review by the Women and Family Committee of Parliament’s Social Affairs Commission, where efforts are being made to address its shortcomings.
Criticisms
The bill, which was initially intended to legally define various forms of violence—particularly domestic violence—criminalize them, and prevent their recurrence by prescribing penalties for perpetrators, has, after thirteen years of numerous amendments across five administrations, two different heads of the Judicial System, and four parliamentary terms, been reduced to a version that even falls short of the usual legislative standards of the Islamic Republic. It is a bill without a preamble, filled with vague, undefined legal terms, and lacking transparency. Rather than aiming to reduce violence against women as independent and autonomous individuals, it downplays domestic violence in favor of family cohesion, reducing it to mere “misconduct.” Not only does it reinforce and solidify existing laws that facilitate violence, but in the few instances where it criminalizes certain forms of “misconduct,” it provides leniency for perpetrators if they are family members of the woman, allowing for mitigated sentences or even pardon.
- Instead of using the term “violence,” the bill employs “misconduct,” but it does not clarify what “misconduct” entails. According to the bill, women are entitled to preventive, protective, and punitive measures under this law if they suffer harm due to another person’s misconduct affecting their body, mind, dignity, rights, or legal freedoms. However, the bill defines misconduct as “any criminal act or omission under this law or related laws that result in the aforementioned harms.”
- The bill prioritizes the protection of the sanctity of the family, strengthening family ties, and upholding the role of motherhood as the central focus of all its preventive and protective measures. Its approach has shifted from criminalizing violence to reinforcing the family structure. This is even though women and girls endure the highest levels of violence within family relationships and inside the home.
- One of the primary factors contributing to violence against women in Iran is discriminatory laws that place women in a subordinate position. These laws officially recognize men as the heads of families and grant them unilateral divorce rights, as well as sole custody of children after the age of seven, making it extremely difficult for women to escape violent relationships. Without addressing these fundamental laws that enable and facilitate violence, reducing violence is impossible. However, the bill completely ignores these foundational and systemic legal issues, leaving a significant gap in its ability to address violence against women effectively.
- Various statements have claimed that the bill aims to promote cultural awareness and prevent violence by educating institutions. Yet, it does not include any gender-equality-based education programs to counter patriarchal culture and gender stereotypes. On the contrary, specific provisions actively reinforce and reproduce patriarchal beliefs that enable violence. For example, the Ministry of Education must emphasize the “religious and moral upbringing of students and their socialization in accordance with gender differences.” Another article obligates the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare to “provide vocational training courses for financially disadvantaged men to prevent or reduce misconduct against women.” Both provisions explicitly reinforce traditional gender roles, emphasizing male breadwinning. This reinforcement of patriarchal norms is not only regressive but also perpetuates the very culture that enables violence against women.
- The bill does not recognize women as full citizens with inherent human rights who should be protected under the law in any setting where they face violence or life-threatening danger. This bill prohibits social workers and law enforcement officers from entering private residences or workplaces without the legal occupant’s permission or a judicial order. Additionally, they are only obligated to intervene within the limits of their legal duties and jurisdiction, and even then, only “where possible,” with the involvement and cooperation of the woman’s family. The bill also states that in cases of imminent and severe danger to a woman, social workers and law enforcement officers must act strictly within their legal duties and jurisdiction.
- The bill falls short in addressing the full spectrum of violence against women. It neglects to provide meaningful solutions for domestic, economic, and psychological violence, and it fails to prescribe penalties for perpetrators of these forms of violence. Currently, in cases of femicide or so-called “honor killings,” the perpetrator is often not sentenced to retribution (qisas). Under this bill, if the perpetrator is not subjected to qisas under existing laws, they will face 10 to 15 years in prison if the murder was premeditated and 5 to 10 years if it was unintentional.
- The bill only criminalizes a very limited number of violent acts, and even then, if the perpetrator is the woman’s father, mother, or husband, alternative punishments (other than imprisonment and fines) are considered. This narrow scope of criminalization is alarming as it means that many forms of violence against women are not adequately addressed. Additionally, if the perpetrator is a family member or relative, specific penalties may be subject to waiver, further limiting the bill’s effectiveness in protecting women from violence. The bill exhibits a paternalistic and controlling view of women, treating them as the property of male family members who must uphold patriarchal values within traditional families. The few forms of violence that are explicitly criminalized pertain to cases where a woman is encouraged or coerced into running away from home, undergoing an abortion, using psychoactive drugs, or engaging in a relationship with a man who promises marriage.
- The bill also reaffirms the legitimacy of child marriage. It states that anyone, including a guardian, custodian, or legal representative, who forces a woman into marriage—whether to settle disputes, such as in blood-money arrangements (blood feuds), or compels her to file for divorce without her consent—will face imprisonment or fines. However, a clause exempts such cases from Article 1401 of the Civil Code, which allows the marriage of girls under 13 and boys under 15 with their male guardian’s consent and judicial approval.
Recommendations
To Politicians and Decision-Makers in the Islamic Republic of Iran:
- We strongly urge the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs in Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration to immediately halt the approval process for the current bill in Parliament. Instead, we call upon her to champion the creation and enactment of a comprehensive, effective law that unequivocally protects women from violence.
- It is imperative that the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs prioritizes urgent reforms in existing laws that enable violence against women and actively introduces a range of legislative initiatives to combat this pressing issue.
- We request the Welfare Organization of Iran to partner with the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs to establish and manage shelters for women who have experienced violence. These shelters must be governed by knowledgeable, dedicated women’s organizations that truly understand and address the needs of survivors.
- We demand the Ministry of Interior to end its restrictions and obstructions against women’s civil society groups. Rather than hindering their efforts, the Ministry should facilitate the official and public registration of organizations dedicated to empowering women affected by violence and raising awareness to combat this epidemic.
- Finally, we call on the members of the Parliament, especially the female members of the Legal and Judicial and Women Commission, to recognize the profound impact of their legislation on women’s lives. Supporting discriminatory laws only perpetuates suffering and violence. We implore you to take decisive action to reform these laws and restore the dignity and rights of women in our society.
To the United Nations and UN Representatives in Iran:
- We call on the United Nations to pressure the Islamic Republic of Iran and the remaining five countries to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
- We ask the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran to take a firm stance on the rising femicide rates in Iran due to legal frameworks that facilitate violence, and to urge Iranian authorities to reform these laws and adopt comprehensive protective legislation for women.
- We request the World Health Organization (WHO) office in Iran to document the physical and psychological impact of legally sanctioned violence against women and to pressure Iranian authorities to pass laws that protect women from violence.
- We call on UNICEF’s office in Iran to document the negative consequences of child marriage in increasing domestic violence and to urge Iranian decision-makers to raise the legal age of marriage.
- We urge the International Labour Organization (ILO) office in Iran to encourage Iranian authorities to implement policies that reduce economic violence against women, address workplace harassment, and allocate funding to enhance women’s participation and economic empowerment.