The occurrence of violence against women in society is a sign of one message, and that is nothing but the growth of violence at the societal level. Therefore, it does not matter who the victim of violence is; whether it is a woman, child, worker, teacher, student, or someone who is protesting for their livelihood. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence as the intentional use of physical force, power, threat, or action against oneself and others or against a group and community that is likely to result in injury, harm, death, psychological damage, and hinder personal and interpersonal development. With this definition, we can consider ourselves among the nations that have experienced and witnessed this definition in various ways.

In modern scientific approaches, especially in the field of humanities, for years, integrative and interdisciplinary theories have taken precedence over traditional theories. For example, it is rare to find a psychologist who believes in the superiority of environment or genetics in human growth and development; of course, this is just the beginning and nowadays, the biological and genetic contexts and micro-components are being discussed and researched more efficiently in explaining human behavior. It is not an escape from repetition to say that if someone experiences violence in any age or situation in a society, then that society has provided a platform for expressing violence.

In societies where violence is ignored and tolerated, it is the victims of violence who are always blamed and accused of creating a suitable environment for violence. This is exactly the kind of thinking that prevails in our country: Cover yourself so they won’t look at you! It is precisely in this historical moment that the astonishing theory of the chicken and the egg finds its expression for a structure that lacks growth, inclusivity, and flexibility; meaning that there is still no comprehensive and open-minded approach in our country to examine and contemplate any issue, especially violence and ultimately violence against women; because either the woman is to blame or society. Society, which is Islamic and under the banner of government and religious laws, and does not go beyond the boundaries of the country’s laws; therefore, the woman is to blame. She is the one who does not observe her hijab, she is the one who should be obedient, she is the one who should keep the family together, she is the second sex and

Violence against women exists in all societies, even in the West, in various forms and the statistics of official organizations indicate an increase in this phenomenon. The definition and examples of violence against women may differ in developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries due to cultural and legal differences, but the nature and behavior of violence against women and the vulnerability of society are largely similar in all societies.

The violence that women are exposed to can be examined from the perspective of various scientific fields and perspectives such as medicine, social sciences, psychology, law, etc. The traditional view does not consider crimes such as rape and threatening women as common and it is believed that many women, but not all of them, provoke violent behavior; meaning that when it comes to sexual assault victims, it is said that they have tempted the perpetrator and caused the man to lose control of his sexual desires. Apparently, a woman’s behavior in public places or “leading on” a man and encouraging him to expect a sexual relationship is the cause of such violence (Abouth and Wallace, 1380).

The liberal-mental perspective considers violence against women as a social problem, but it is not given much importance. There are two scenarios: either the male attacker is sick and disturbed, or the female victim is suffering from the pain of violence. Therefore, when it comes to sexual assault, the male perpetrator is considered mentally ill or incompetent, or they say that the female victim is suffering from self-harm. Similarly, when it comes to men who beat their wives, it is said that they were beaten at home during childhood, or they beat their wives while drunk, or their wives want to be beaten.

There is no unified feminist perspective on violence, but all feminist approaches examine violence against women in a broader context, which is the position of women compared to men. In the 1970s, feminists tried to introduce sexual assault and spousal abuse as serious signs of violence against women, but this approach has recently been protested and feminists have said that anything that causes fear and intimidation for women must be examined within the framework of control that men have over women’s behavior.

The United Nations defines violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, or that may lead to such harm, including threats or coercion to perform such acts, or deprivation of liberty and choice, occurring in public or private life.

In Iran, the issue of violence against women had long been silenced and not discussed, but due to factors such as the work of experts and specialists in related fields, the holding of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 on the topic of violence against women, the establishment of human rights and non-governmental organizations, and the increase in domestic violence and its reflection in the media, it can be considered that since 1997, the first scientific research and discussions on violence against women have been taken into consideration. Government institutions have attempted to create facilities for women at risk of violence, students have dedicated their theses to this topic, and various individuals in scientific fields and even law enforcement have conducted research and investigations.

Despite all the efforts made, violence against women remains the most widespread violation of human rights worldwide, affecting the lives of approximately one-third of women. This is especially evident in the workplace, where the issue of violence is even more complex than other forms of violence, such as domestic violence. Perhaps the reason for this complexity is its entanglement with economic issues, which can have secondary effects on the issue of violence. In places where women are present for the sake of independence, personal and social identity, and income, there can be a gap between independence and dependence, productive employment and sexual employment, staying and enduring or leaving and… The issue of violence in the workplace is so important that it can be referred to as a “crisis of civilization” (Jatforus, 2018).

The issue that is no longer just about proving the superiority of the male gender, but rather a tragic tragedy, is the presence of women in a spectrum where on one side is achieving social status and self-actualization, and on the other side is the need for work and income. The most heartbreaking part is where a woman has not given in to prostitution and has put her foot on the path of work and earning income with determination, but is forced to pay various physical, sexual, and psychological costs to maintain and preserve it.

As violence against women remains hidden and does not leak out into the outside world in the closed environment of the family, it is more likely to remain hidden in the workplace; because the woman is no longer confined to the home; now she is forced by time and circumstances or by her own will and desire. If she is forced to keep her job and occupation at any cost, she will remain silent; and if she has chosen it out of her own heart’s desire, she will remain silent because she sees no way out and does not want to break under the burden. Can a woman who is the head of the household give up her livelihood? The most optimistic situation is to have a job and income, and she must preserve it in any way possible; but on the other hand, can a woman who has experience working outside the home easily return to the corner of her home? Her income, independence, relationships, social capital, and self-esteem will be at risk. This is how the various

With these characteristics, two fundamental flaws in the structure of the country are evident, which prevent the issue of violence against women from being properly addressed, both in general and specifically in the workplace. The first is the lack of reliable statistics on the extent, types, and consequences of violence in the workplace, and the second is the shortcomings in legal and criminal laws, in a way that criminalization is not explicitly stated in the law and indirect laws do not address what actually happens. In 2018, the government drafted a bill to prevent violence against women, but the judiciary did not express its opinion on it for a long time, and according to the deputy of women’s affairs of the president, the bill was sent to Qom for religious scholars to give their opinion on it.

Some statistics say that in Iran, sixty-six percent of women have experienced domestic violence at least once. Another study has shown that thirty percent of married women have experienced at least one instance of severe physical violence resulting in serious injuries. In another study in 2015, it was reported that the prevalence of domestic violence among pregnant women was forty-eight percent, physical violence was seventeen percent, psychological violence was forty-one percent, and sexual violence was twenty-one percent. A study on workplace violence has reported that seventy-two percent of nurses have experienced violence during their employment. However, a member of the Tehran City Council stated in December 2020 to the ISNA news agency that there is no accurate data on the actual rate of violence against women in Iran and the number of women who have the courage to report violence is not significant.

In the West, specialized studies on violence, preventive measures, and legislation have started around 1970 and various forms of violence against women have been examined and studied. However, it seems that all researchers agree that studying violence is one of the most difficult types of research. Problems and obstacles such as lack of a precise definition of violence, fear and shame in responding to those who have experienced violence, limited statistics from government and semi-governmental centers, and diversity and multiplicity of perspectives on this issue have made it difficult to fully understand the nature, causes, and dimensions of violence.

The mentioned reasons for research purposes have also led to widespread social crises in Iran, such as lack of sufficient resources for public awareness through media about the issue of violence, inefficiency of laws, government strictness towards non-governmental organizations, and the lack of priority for female victims of violence, among many other factors. These have prevented the issue of reducing violence against women in Iran from receiving enough attention and providing a platform for the development of supportive laws. The tragic events of acid attacks in Isfahan, the murder of Romina by her father, and others are topics that have been reflected on social media, but only God knows the wounds that have been inflicted on the hearts of our women and the silent chains that have been placed on their mouths.

Unfortunately, women in Iran are not provided with the necessary resources and support from the government and society to protect them from violence. In many cases, they are forced to endure various forms of domestic and workplace violence due to lack of legal protection. At the same time, many women and men in Iran have not received sufficient education on how to deal with violence, and many forms of domestic, workplace, sexual, and psychological violence are not recognized in Iranian culture.

Therefore, it can be said that one of the causes of violence is in education and learning, starting in the family and then in school, peer groups, and media; in a way that the individual intends to force the other person to comply with their demands by seeing, observing, and using violence; therefore, violence creates violence and finds more complex dimensions and forms in a reciprocal relationship (Burt, 1379). A wide range of visible and hidden actions in the workplace have become normalized in a social, educational, and cultural process, and according to the definition of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, violence and various forms of physical and psychological harassment and abuse are used as a means of expressing power and control by employers, supervisors, colleagues, and other individuals.

Physical harassment in the workplace is not limited to just discomfort and partial harassment, and in some cases can even lead to physical violence and murder. One of the most common forms of inappropriate behavior and speech is often seen from employers towards their employees, especially in private work environments or small workshops where workers have a desperate need for employment to support their livelihood and may not have government support or adequate financial resources. These behaviors, both verbal and physical, can result in severe harassment and harm to female workers and employees.

Sexual harassment in the workplace can be defined as the use of job authority or power to impose sexual demands. This can take on forms of violence, such as when a female employee is told to either consent to sexual advances or be fired. Most forms of sexual harassment are more subtle; for example, this type of violence includes the understanding that accepting sexual requests will bring other rewards, or if these requests are not met, there will be a form of punishment, such as being denied a promotion.

Limiting job opportunities, wage inequality, and sexual harassment and abuse towards women are among the examples of violence against them in the workplace, which has led to numerous movements around the world to combat this phenomenon.

In the Labor Law approved on November 29, 1990 in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which consists of twelve chapters, there is no mention of violence against female workers. Although in Chapter Four of this law, titled “Technical and Health Protection at Work”, there is a reference to the obligation of employers to consider measures and actions for the protection of workers’ technical and health and their work environment, there is no mention of violence in the workplace, its definition, types, and ways to prevent it. In articles 75 to 78 of the Labor Law, which specifically addresses the conditions of female workers, there is also no mention of any form of protection against violence against them in the workplace.

Therefore, as always, we must put our hands on our backs and, relying on personal and social capacities, take the initiative to identify, explain, and correct this situation. To reduce this problem, women must participate in women’s organizations at various social levels; in this way, they can find ways to cope by expressing their experiences and issues and learn from others, and by activating other women, they can achieve ways to protest against multiple exploitation and gender discrimination. Working women, with the help and support of women’s movement activists, can play a decisive role in cultural empowerment to create a safe environment for women’s work; as long as they do not leave the scene and can protest against ongoing violence. These protests can ultimately lead to a point where the legislator understands their decisive role and, by defining serious crimes, forces employers to provide sexual and mental security for their female workers in the workplace.