Changes in Iran, women are telling what they have to face
Maryam tells in a trembling voice how her husband attacked her in front of everyone.
People did not react, as if it was normal for a husband to beat his wife. There is no law here, nor is there any safe house and even the police cannot do much. Some families also cover such incidents as personal matter.
It is a rare thing to hear a story similar to his in Iran’s country Iran. But since the start of a new podcast, many women are coming forward and telling their story. She is narrating the domestic violence that happened to her.
Mariam (name changed) tells these women to tell their stories, social
Inspiring to break the scope and challenge the traditions.
Maryam tells these women that the townsfolk don’t. Shahzadi is a name for the mythical Parsi queen who averted her death with her art of telling stories. She was the main character of the serial Alif Laila (based on The Arabian Nights).
But the stories of these women are very different from the ancient stories. These are the stories of a society which has been teaching its women to remain silent.
Maryam (34 years), who studied child psychology, met her husband in university only while studying.
Maryam went against her family and married the man she loved. Initially, her husband’s image was that of a liberal person who talked about the rights of the workers.
But just a few days after the wedding, Mary realizes that there is something that is not right.
In her podcast, Maryam recounts how she could not ask her parents for help because of her dignity and refusal to give up.
During his marriage, he had to undergo physical and mental harassment and the situation worsened when he was convinced that whatever is happening is happening due to his fault.
Mary, like the rest of the Iranian girls, grew up listening to the proverb that a bride goes to her husband’s house in a wedding couple and leaves her house in a white shroud.
social pressure
Maryam says that she was not able to break her marriage due to social traditions.
The people of Iran attach great importance to privacy and usually family matters remain indoors.
For this reason, domestic violence has spread like an epidemic and women are asked to remain devoted to their husbands, remain silent and be patient.
Maryam reaches the hospital bed after repeated beating. After this, she decided to leave her husband.
Maryam was unconscious in the hospital. She was unable to find Hildul due to injuries. In a state of half-unconsciousness, she was asking herself, ‘Why am I here and what has happened to me?’
After several weeks when he was discharged from the hospital, he filed for divorce. His family supported him in this step. Girls in Iran usually do not get support from their families in such a situation.
Maryam now podcasts on domestic violence. In every episode, they are accompanied by women victims of domestic violence who share their experiences.
These women, victims of men’s violence, have started speaking now.
New law?
Apart from telling personal stories of women, this podcast also talks about violence, especially the lack of institutional protection for women facing domestic violence.
In Iran, this study was done only once, 16 years ago. In this research, it was found that at least two-thirds of Iranian women have faced harassment at least once.
London-based human rights organization Amnesty International, in its report published on Iran in 2013, said that the country’s women ‘face discrimination in the eyes of the law’. They also face discrimination in marriage and divorce, rights over family property, rights over children, nationality and international travel.
In Iran, in a recent case of so-called honor killing, a father killed his young daughter. There were demonstrations across the country after this murder.
President Hassan Rouhani, understanding the situation, announced an immediate review of the proposed women’s safety law. The draft of this law was prepared ten years ago.
This bill will have to be passed by the country’s conservative parliament before it becomes law. If this law becomes law, it will be the biggest change in women’s rights in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
A woman’s daily domestic violence incident at the hands of her husband
Under this law, physical violence against women will be a crime and for the first time a provision has been made to punish a woman for harassing a woman on a public place or social media.
Five years after the end of her marriage, Maryam says that she has never been so happy before.
Apart from podcasts, she also counsels violence affected women.
She hopes that by giving people a chance to speak, she will hurt the culture of remaining silent on violence. Maryam says that silence strengthens exploiters.
