But the recent events have shown that more women are willing to defy traditional, political and ideological norms to speak out against sexual assault, naming their attackers and demanding accountability. The inadequate legal protections have undoubtedly contributed to a culture of impunity for harassers. These legal restrictions, combined with patriarchal social norms, make seeking justice a heavy burden on victims, to the point that many would prefer to not file complaints. To make matters worse, the mandatory punishment for rape, called "forced zina" under Iranian law, is the death penalty. In addition, in practice, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges in Iran expect high evidentiary standards to prove coercion, such as bodily harm or attempts to flee. Moreover, the criminal law explicitly excludes marital rape, and has a limited and problematic definition of rape that includes sexual intercourse outside of marriage between a man and a woman, including adultery or fornication, instead of a broader gender-neutral definition to include other forms of penetration without consent or in coercive circumstances. ![]() This is especially the case if there is a pre-existing relationship or the authorities construe any form of behaviour leading up to the assault as providing consent. Iran's legal system criminalises consensual sexual relationships outside of marriage, which are punishable by flogging, so a victim risks being prosecuted if the authorities do not believe her. One woman who had accompanied her friend to file a complaint against the suspect with the police wrote on her Instagram that she felt the police had treated them with respect and did not infringe on their private life.Īttempts to hold sexual harassment offenders accountable through the judiciary have proven to be difficult in various legal systems, but in some countries, including Iran, women can face criminal charges for reporting rape. ![]() On August 25, General Hossein Rahimi, the Tehran police chief, announced that the police had arrested a man with the initials KE who was accused of rape by multiple women on social media, and invited others to file their complaints with the police, promising to respect their privacy. Reading the social media posts makes many feel that society, and particularly the social media-savvy crowd, is more ready to listen to the narrative of those who have experienced abuse and to press for accountability and change. But the past few weeks have also been the source of inspiration, refocusing the conversation in public space on one of the most fundamental elements of women's rights - protection against gender-based violence. There are many reasons to be pessimistic about how far calls for accountability could go under current legal restrictions and civil society repression in Iran. In a few cases, multiple women named or used the initials of specific alleged attackers, with hundreds more calling for their prosecution. This was not the first time that allegations of sexual harassment were raised on social media, but this time there was more momentum with more women willing to share their stories. In one case, a former journalist, Sara Omatali, tweeted that a well-known artist had sexually assaulted her in the summer of 2006. ![]() Then, other women, mostly with anonymised accounts on Twitter, started sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and rape, including by men in positions of power. Iran's #MeToo moment began in early August, when a group of women journalists recorded a video in which they shared their experiences of being harassed by newsroom colleagues or influential people they had interviewed. Many women hope this will be just the beginning of a broader movement against sexual violence. ![]() The police have announced they have taken action against at least one suspect. © 2020 WANA/Nazanin Tabatabaee via ReutersĪcross the past three weeks, dozens of Iranian women of various backgrounds have taken to social media, in their own #MeToo moment, to report their experiences of sexual harassment and assault. Iranian women wearing masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on February 20, 2020.
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