When violence is brought up, minds unconsciously turn towards images of fists and bruises that are inflicted on people’s heads and faces; unaware that violence is not always physical confrontation.

Based on what is understood from the definition of violence from the 1970s, it cannot be said that only these types of behaviors are violent, and violence encompasses much broader dimensions.

It was in the 1970s that the issue of violence against women became a specialized topic and according to the definition of the United Nations General Assembly, this act was defined as follows: “Any act of gender-based violence that results in physical, sexual, emotional or psychological harm to women is considered violence against women.”

Violence against women occurs in the home and family, on the streets, and in other public spaces, as well as in the workplace. One of the types of inequality that women experience on a daily basis is violence in the workplace. Economic problems, inequality in job opportunities, barriers to advancement, and sexual and gender-based violence are all forms of violence against women in the workplace. In addition, passive forms of violence such as verbal abuse, slander, belittling, and undermining are also examples of violence that both men and women experience at all levels of employment.

However, gender inequalities, unequal pay and managerial discrimination, hinder progress in the workplace and emotional violence against women, which leads to non-committal emotional and sexual relationships, is carried out with a significant gap by male colleagues against women, and in this process, a key factor is the role of power.

Work environments vary depending on whether they are government or private and their level of scope and credibility. Generally, the smaller the workplace in terms of structure and organization, the less credibility it has or the less it is monitored from the outside. The level of violence in these environments is more open, severe, and widespread.

I chose women to investigate the dimensions of this issue who were in the media and were social activists; women who are themselves at the forefront of awareness-raising and have suffered more than others from gender-based violence.

Azadeh

“من می خواهم به دانشگاه بروم”

“I want to go to university.”تن فارسی

Text in Farsi

He, who works in one of the government-affiliated news agencies, says: “One of the problems that working women face in media outlets like my workplace, is being “underestimated” and “not taken seriously”, especially in work environments where the number of male colleagues is higher.”

In these environments, the expression of offensive sentences by men has become a culture; in a way that sentences such as “I will have less respect for you if you don’t do this” or “What do you know about these things!” and numerous offensive sentences that a woman may hear multiple times a day and leave a lasting wound on her spirit and mind, causing her to lose self-confidence.

She also understands the gender-biased look beyond these words and complains about harassment in her workplace, adding: “Unfortunately, there are managers who, if they don’t respond to their desires and preferences, will hold you back from continuing your work, no matter how skilled and professional you are in your field.”

He, who has worked for a well-known news agency as an editor for some time, is now forced to work as an assistant typist in the same agency, like a beginner. This is because his senior manager has kept him from continuing his work due to not responding to a sexual request he had.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از دریاچه است.”

“This photo is a beautiful view of the lake.”Parvin Khodaverisi – Photo of the Peace Line

But the narration

Parvin Khodaverdi

An active media and television program producer is somewhat different. He says, “Violence in the workplace in a male-dominated society like Iran starts with the color and type of clothing and sometimes even extends to the way you speak.”

Khadar Vaisi continues: “For example, wearing bright colors at my workplace is highly prohibited and dark colors are ordered. This means pushing women towards depression, stagnation, and lack of motivation at work.”

Khadar Vaisi considers another dimension of violence to be controlling women’s behavior and says: “When a woman cannot be happy at her workplace, cannot laugh or speak confidently and is restricted, it is as if she has committed a sin. This portrays her as weak, insignificant, and the cause of corruption in a male-dominated society, which ultimately leads to the lack of growth, creativity, and self-confidence of women in society.”

He also does not underestimate administrative harassment in the form of speech, behavior, and actions, and continues: “If a woman is harassed at work one day, the administrative and supervisory system of male-dominated Iran considers her as the cause of corruption and in reality, you cannot do anything because systematically, this society portrays you as the culprit.”

This television program producer talks about their work difficulties and continues, “In programming, if the programmer is a woman, they usually attribute her assertiveness to her emotions or weaknesses, and often managers with traditional and underdeveloped thinking are not responsive to women’s demands.”

Khadar Vaisi adds: “In general, there is no reference in the administrative system of the radio and television, especially the Women’s Center, and they are generally unfamiliar with women’s arts and delicacies. And even if there is a problem, women prefer to remain silent so as not to lose their honor or face worse consequences.”

He talks about how this view can be changed in society, bringing up grassroots and civil society groups and saying, “In a male-dominated society where men have a place to rest in a wide and long office, but women are deprived of this, only education from institutions and civil organizations and unions can bring about fundamental change and make women assertive and familiar with their administrative rights and laws.”

On the other hand

Sogol Ghaemi

As an activist in the field of women’s rights, especially in the area of domestic violence, she knows and says that various types of harassment and violence against women are prevalent in our society. She states, “Today, in our society, verbal abuse is widespread. This type of violence increasingly affects the mental well-being and self-confidence of women.”

“متن راست چین”

“Right-aligned text”
Sogol Qaemi – Photo of the Peace Line

He says, “This type of violence, unfortunately, has no evidence or documentation and cannot be brought to any court or justice system for proof. The victim is forced to endure it every day, without being able to report the perpetrator to any authority. This kind of violence can have a destructive impact on the individual’s life and spirit in the long run, and sometimes it can even reach a point where the victim can no longer tolerate it and may react in any way possible.”

The lack of proper laws regarding sexual and verbal harassment in the context of violence against women is taken very seriously by the judiciary and it is stated that: “Unfortunately, in Iran we do not have a reference point for these types of harassment; even unwanted touching and assaults are not considered as violations, and in many cases the victim is forced to ignore the situation in the workplace, as they may risk their professional position or face other issues related to societal attitudes towards the victim and the restrictions that may be imposed on them by their family or society.”

This activist in the field of women’s rights says, “Fortunately, in recent years, with the use of social media networks, the discussion of exposing violence against women has been growing well. However, the criticism I have as an activist in this field is that I wish groups and activists would move together in the same direction for this movement to progress. Unfortunately, this is not the case in our society and each group and association is working on their own, and the level of cooperation and collaboration that could strengthen this movement is very low and weak. Essentially, in Iran, we are weak in group collaborations in most issues, and it seems that serious reconsideration is needed in this regard.”

He also considers the topic of education to be very effective in his discussions and says, “For a country like ours where there is no official institution responsible for education, civil activists must take action and make more efforts in this matter.”

He considers raising awareness about violence to be crucial and adds: “Professionals such as lawyers, psychologists, and counselors who can help victims as therapists play a very important role in this issue, and the next step is for civil movements to demand the enactment of laws that support these individuals.”

I went to a lawyer for legal issues and to see how much legal support a woman who has experienced violence receives in Iran.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است”

This picture is a beautiful landscape of the mountains.
Siamak Ghasemi – Photo of the Peace Line

Siamak Ghasemi

“A base lawyer is someone who has been working for many years in the field of violence against women.”

He refers to a part of Islamic penal laws and labor rights and says, “The 1369 Labor Law does not provide a solution for women’s problems in the workplace. Therefore, we can refer to Article 637 of the Islamic Penal Code, which pertains to disciplinary measures, stating that if a man and a woman who are not married engage in illicit relationships or acts that are against chastity, other than adultery, they will be sentenced to ninety lashes.”

This substance provides some legal support to the harassed female worker. This is while it is expected that for acts that violate chastity, which are carried out with violence and extremism against women, a heavier punishment should be considered and there should be proportionality between the crime and the punishment.

He also refers to the Constitution and Article 28 on freedom and the right to work and adds: “It may be assumed that Article 570 of the Islamic Penal Code provides a good enforcement guarantee for eliminating violence against women, as it will result in the perpetrator’s dismissal from service and a 15-year ban from government jobs, as well as imprisonment for two months to three years; however, practically, this also requires proof of the violent individual, which, given the legal processes and patriarchal issues in our society, does not have a strong enforcement guarantee.”

He also mentions punishments for verbal, financial, and physical violence, as well as indecent behavior. He continues, “In Islamic criminal jurisprudence, punishment is prescribed for any physical contact between a non-mahram man and woman. If these actions are forced, they are considered instances of sexual violence and the religious authority can consider a more severe punishment, as stated in Article 137 of the Fifth Book of Islamic Penal Code: ‘Any man or woman who is not married and engages in an unlawful relationship or acts contrary to chastity, virtue, piety, or is a tenant, will be sentenced to ninety lashes and if the intention is present, only the instigator will be punished.'”

Ghasemi, referring to the fact that in developed countries there are very strict laws in these cases and a very strong enforcement guarantee supports it, adds: “What is important is the consequences of violent violence against women for female workers, which can lead to psychological effects such as decreased self-confidence, job stress, resignation or other reckless actions.”

He says, “In our society, so far, no acceptable action has been taken in the field of women’s defense against violence, especially in the workplace. The international community has come to a better and clearer understanding of violence against women compared to us, but effective measures have not been taken. As you know, only a small percentage of international human rights documents and declarations of commissions and programs have been set up to combat violence against women and eliminate this problem, which is not even enough to have the necessary coercive power.”

He concludes by saying that optimistically, perhaps five percent of all cases of violence against women referred to legal authorities are successful in obtaining a fair verdict.