“این عکس نشان دهنده یک شب زیبا در ساحل است”

This picture shows a beautiful night on the beach.
Saqi Laghai (a name)

Domestic violence is one of the common forms of violence that often occurs against children and women and has psychological roots and a history of experience. Although physical violence is the most visible type, it also includes behavioral and verbal violence. Domestic violence is a global problem, but its statistics vary in different countries and in some countries, there is no accurate data or it is so intertwined with systematic and legal violence that many forms of it are not even considered violence in that society.

The Khorasan newspaper reports that a woman named Azam and her daughters are alive after 21 days of torture by her husband this month. The man of the house had been tormenting her with a knife, forcing water into her mouth until she couldn’t breathe, and cutting her body with the knife. He dragged her on the cement roof until her clothes were torn and her body was wounded. He put her in a metal box and set it on fire. In addition to beating his five and eight-year-old daughters, he tried to suffocate one and broke the jaw and three teeth of another. The man of the house has starved his wife and children for 21 days. This is not the first time he has tortured his wife and children. According to this report, Azam’s brother’s reaction upon hearing what had happened to his sister and nieces was, “Imagine I am dead,” and then he hung up the phone.

The Jomjameh newspaper reports in December 2015 that the former husband of Fatemeh, by stabbing her 12 times in a store and in front of people, injured her so severely that she died in the hospital due to the severity of her injuries. Fatemeh had remarried, but her former addicted husband did not leave her alone and ultimately carried out his threats and killed her.

In April 2012, ISNA reported that Samieh Mehr and her daughter Ra’na were attacked with acid by her husband in Ardibehesht of 1390 (April 2011) while they were sleeping. They suffered severe burns. As a result of the burns, Ra’na lost her vision and Samieh passed away after several years of treatment due to respiratory complications caused by the acid.

The newspaper Shargh reports on the month of Aban in the year 1390 that a father, upon hearing that a suitor has come for his eldest daughter, is released from prison, comes home, takes his three daughters out of the city, and shoots and kills all three of them.

ISNA news agency reported in Mehr month of 1389 (October 2010) that according to the deputy of the fight against criminal crimes of the informed police, 30% of the country’s murders are domestic and the murder of women by their husbands makes up the majority of domestic murders.

Domestic violence in Iran is not often reported or followed up on; even when it is reported, it is often closed by the police or buried in court archives for days, months, or even years. For example, the case of Mahboubeh Mohammadi, a woman from Khorasan who, after several rejections of her divorce request by the court, ended up in an extramarital relationship and in 2006, both she and her partner were stoned to death. Or Azam, who did not have the support of her family, but during the years she was under violence at home, did the law or any civil institution support her? Or Fatemeh’s ex-husband, who also threatened her family, on what basis did he still feel ownership over Fatemeh? Did Fatemeh file a complaint against him because of the threats? Does the police support a woman who reports verbal threats? Why did this woman give in to living with this man

The initial stage of hiding violence is at home. Many women do not even allow their parents to know that they are being abused by their husbands. In cases where it becomes apparent, the family usually invites women to be patient and tolerate the behavior of the violent husband, instead of supporting the abused woman. Unless, as mentioned in the above examples, the violence reaches a point where it is like death or serious injuries. In these cases, we also see that in some instances, the woman’s family, after learning about the violence, either out of fear or irresponsibility, withdraws themselves because “it is a domestic dispute” and according to the law and religion, the guardianship of the woman is transferred from the previous guardian (father or brother) to the next guardian (husband) and the previous guardians have no right to interfere.

Raising awareness and promoting social culture for equal rights in the family is an undeniable necessity, but in our current society, we are several steps behind this stage. This is because the laws and policies in place perpetuate gender inequality in the family and society, leading to an increase in violence against women. In every instance of high levels of violence, the role of the law in supporting and reinforcing violence is clearly seen. Of course, the law is not the only factor in reinforcing this violence, as societal norms also work hand in hand with the law to allow and even encourage violence against women. In addition to the one-sided right to divorce for men according to the law, societal norms stigmatize divorce for women, forcing them to stay in an unhappy marriage and many women suffer and endure due to fear of societal judgment towards themselves or their children. This seemingly selfless solution not only destroys a woman’s life, but also leads to the growth of children in a tense and violent environment, perpetuating

This is a systematic violence that is justified by law and custom against women and is reinforced by the absence of democracy and its sub-institutions, where custom and law strengthen each other against women.

Domestic violence against women is not just limited to physical abuse, acid attacks, and torture, as seen in the examples above. It is rooted in unequal family laws, which unfortunately, many women are forced to sign amidst the joy and excitement of marriage, and according to the legal contract of marriage, with the permission of their previous guardian, they give up their rights to their future husband as their new guardian. This is the first form of violence that is established against women at the very beginning of the formation of the institution of family, and based on this, they even lose the right to leave the house without permission. In addition to giving up the right to divorce, custody of children, choosing a place of residence, and the right to work and education, according to the marriage laws in Iran, a woman also loses ownership of her own body and is obligated to give it to her husband at any time and in any way he desires. Accepting sexual violence and being forced into sexual relations within

This systematic violence has become so entrenched that the efforts of some responsible institutions to change it have not been successful. An example of this is the disappearance of 32 volumes of books containing studies on the national project to investigate domestic violence in 28 provinces of the country, which were conducted between 1997 and 2005 and then completely disappeared. In such an atmosphere, there is no hope for changing family laws and civil laws in favor of women, as we see the parliament making them more anti-women instead of moving towards equality.

Domestic violence against women and children is a global issue, the extent of which varies in each society depending on the awareness of the people and the presence or absence of civil laws in that country. In order to reduce domestic violence in our country, we have no choice but to raise awareness, promote culture, and strive to change anti-women laws.