Sexual violence : Sexual violence against women in Iran compred with International Human Rights

Abstract

Rape, forced marriage, forced pregnancy; sexual slavery, forced prostitution and forced sterilization are taken as sexual crimes by the world community. Besides that the specific customs and traditions, as well as superstitious beliefs and violent prejudices that recognize no respect for women as human beings lead to offences and violence that cannot be brought under abovementioned categories. Mental and verbal violence, assaults are the punishments that sometimes resemble torture and sometimes this lead to the murder of women. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the time and location of practicing violence against women is an important factor. The sense of time is the conditions of the victims’ domicile in their country. Depending on war or peace conditions, violence against women may differ. Scrutinizing evidences more closely it seems that the world community has paid more attention to war conditions. Hence, judicial process and international documents often focus on violence against women in the wartime. . The Republic Islamic of Iran has only signed two convents, International covenant on civil and political rights 1966 and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966, and has not joined other international covenants on civil rights especially those addressing women’s rights. Because of strict limitations on research in Iran and the fact that the issue is highly sensitive in Iran it is impossible to investigate violence against women during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. Even state agencies have kept their silence and because of moral restraints and special beliefs I have not yet observed any study on the issue and to the best of my knowledge no legal action has been filed openly since then. Also, I have not yet observed any case in this area and so far I have researched, it has also not been discussed any case publicly.