October 30, 2017

Recent data has shown that 27 percent of women aged between 19 and 49 who live in Tehran have been the victims of some form of domestic violence during the past year.

 Farid Boratizadeh, director of the office for the Developmental of Prevention and Treatment of Addiction of the State Welfare Organization of Iran, recently said that 9 percent of those women have suffered emotional abuse, 7.9 percent verbal abuse, and 5.4 percent physical abuse.

Boratizadeh pointed out that the majority of women who had been brutalized at home did not know where to seek help. “They remain in abusive environments where violence becomes part of their daily lives,” he said, adding, “Women in Tehran are generally more aware of their legal rights. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the number is much higher in other provinces.”  

The absence of clear and robust laws against domestic abuse and the unwillingness of the judicial authorities to enforce existing laws allow violence against women to continue with impunity. Despite the best efforts of human rights groups to improve conditions in the country, current discriminatory practices are likely to prevent a decrease in domestic abuse cases against women in Iran.