FEATURES OF ENSURING AND GUARANTEEING WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Abstract

The aim of the article is to examine the main problems of ensuring women’s rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In particular, the peculiarities of the legal status of Iranian women in the sphere of economy, education and in the reproductive sphere are considered. The legislative guarantee of women’s political rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran is analyzed. It has been proved that the main factor of changes in the gender issue is the normative and legal framework, because it officially establishes in all spheres of society the relevant norms of behavior aimed at respecting the rights of women and men. It was established that the main law in the country, despite the strong influence of the Koran, remains the Constitution (1979), which not only prescribes in detail the basic rights of women, but also defines the degree of government responsibility for ensuring women’s rights in all spheres of public life. However, in other legal documents, women’s rights in Iran are generally considered limited. It was revealed that Iran is still one of the UN member states that has not signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, 1979). Although Iran’s parliament passed a bill to join the convention in May 2003, the bill was rejected after being sent to the Guardian Council, which is responsible for approving new legislation in the country. The above-mentioned Council cites vague religious contradictions, being under pressure from conservatives in government. The country’s national legislation was found to contain many barriers for women to access basic rights in areas such as employment, marriage and citizenship. Although the situation of women’s rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has improved recently, women continue to experience marginalization, violence and repression. According to the civil code of the country, where the rights of women in marriage and in the family are enshrined, the dominance of the man in the family is recorded. At the same time, the lack of legal instruments for the protection of women’s rights has created an atmosphere of impunity for acts of violence against women committed by men. It has been found that women from national minorities are in an extremely difficult situation in Iran, who often face intersectional discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, language or religion.