Why women in Iran are protesting 
Protests erupted across Iran in September this year, with thousands of women taking the streets to contest the oppressive laws against them, including the mandatory wearing of the hijab.

Women burned their headscarves and chanted anti-government slogans, demanding an end to the regime’s violent suppression of women’s rights and freedoms.

What really sparked these latest streams of protests?

Below, we take a take a closer look at the turmoil facing women in Iran, and how the protests began.

What sparked these latest protests?
On September 13, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was travelling to Iran’s capital, Tehran to visit her family when she was stopped by the morality police.

Members of this authority enforce conservative Islamic behaviours and dress, such as the mandatory wearing of the hijabs for all women while they are in public. Amini was not wearing her hijab properly, according to journalist Masih Alinejad. Some of her hair was exposed through the headscarf.

The police accused her of violating the country’s law and arrested her, taking her to a re-education camp. Three days later, she died in hospital. Her family believe she was killed by authorities. According to official media from the West, her death was caused by a skull fracture from heavy blows sustained to the head.

After her death on September 16, protests began erupting throughout Tehran and cities elsewhere. Women threw off their hijabs and burned them in bonfires. They cut their hair in public displays of solidarity for Amini. For weeks, increasing numbers of casualties have been reported as protesters are met with violence from the government’s riot police.

What makes these protests different from previous protests?
Amini’s death has set off the most significant protests seen in the country since the 2009 Green Uprising demonstrations – which saw citizens campaigning for the removal of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office.

During these protests, 26-year old Neda Agha-Soltan was shot and killed by police – her violent death catapulting her as a symbol of the anti-government movement.

The latest protests however centre on women’s bodily rights – the central slogan being Women, Life, Freedom.

The slogan went viral on social media, with millions across the world repeating it to show support for the women of Iran.

These protests differ from previous protests because women are at the forefront, taking centre stage and demanding change.

Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime has also tried to clamp down on citizens’ internet access to supress the exposure of what’s occurring. Evidently, his attempts have failed, as footage of protests and violence continue to be streamed online for the world to see. 

Gender Equality in Iran 
Historically, countries in the Middle East have not fared well when it comes to the equal rights of women and girls. Often, these countries have legislations based on Islamic law (Sharia law) which give women fewer rights and freedoms than men.

Sadly, there’s a reason why Iran has consistently scored low in global gender quality indexes.

Since taking office in 2021, President Ebrahim Raisi has called for a return to the strict wearing of the hijab for all women.

Child Marriage in Iran
In Iran, the legal age of marriage for girls is 13. Fathers can apply for special permission for their daughters to be married at a younger age.

According to official government figures, 31,379 girls aged 10 -14 were married between March 2020 and March 2021 – a 10.5 percent increase from the previous year.

Last year, Javaid Rehman, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran said the current legal marriage age was “simply unacceptable.”

“It is clear that child marriage is harmful for the development and well-being of girls, including in terms of education, employment and to live free of violence,” he said.

“While I note previous attempts to amend the law, pressure must now be brought to raise the marriage age, in line with Iran’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

Reproductive rights in Iran
In November 2021, parliament adopted the bill “Youthful population and protection of the family”, effectively banning state-funded facilities from providing free birth control.

The bill prevents a large range of sexual and reproductive rights: pharmacies are allowed to sell contraception only with a prescription, vasectomies and tubectomies are banned except when pregnancy will endanger a woman’s life, and prenatal screening tests are limited.

Girls’ education in Iran
Children in Iran must attend school for a minimum of just five years – one of the shortest compulsory education requirements in the world.

Schools are segregated by gender, where girls are taught only arts and humanities. Girls are also often pulled out of school to be married off, since in the patriarchal society, gender roles are violently enforced.

Domestic violence in Iran
In the country of 84 million, no laws against domestic violence exist, despite 66 per cent of women experiencing intimate partner violence.

Each year, between 400-500 women are killed in Iran in “honour killings”, where women and girls are killed by their close relatives (father, husband, or brother), for bringing “shame” to their families. According to a 2020 study, at least 8000 such killings were reported in Iran between 2010 and 2014.

Dr. Rezvan Moghadam, founder of Stop Honour Killings, said the number of honour killing victims is often greater than what is actually reported; “in some cases women were driven to suicide or the cause of the death was not reported as murder but as illness.”

How to keep up with the issue 
Several women in Iran and abroad are reporting on the reality of life under the Republic’s regime and sharing it across social media.

Below are a few you should follow:

Masih Alinejad
Driven into exile thirteen years ago, Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad, has since worked from an FBI safehouse in New York to bring news to the world about Iran’s women and their fight for equal rights.

https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1571134616974790656

Nazanin Boniadi
As the official ambassador for UK Amnesty International, Boniadi has been posting frequent updates about the situation in Iran.

https://twitter.com/NazaninBoniadi/status/1573416387045130240

Maryam Rajavi
As the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, an organisation advocating for the overthrow of the Iranian government, Rajavi has been appealing to governments around the world for support.

https://twitter.com/Maryam_Rajavi/status/1577360469114896409

Organisations to follow: 

NCRI Women’s Committee
This organisation works with Iranian women outside the country to sustain permanent contact with women inside Iran, fighting for women’s rights and freedoms.

https://women.ncr-iran.org/womens-committee-of-iran-ncri/

Twitter: @womenncri
https://twitter.com/womenncri?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Center for Human Rights in Iran
This independent organisation is continuing its work to protect and promote human rights in Iran. 
https://iranhumanrights.org/what_we_do/

Twitter: @ICHRI
https://twitter.com/ICHRI

Where can you get more information: 

Iran Protests Watch 
For Live and in-depth coverage of the protests in Iran

On Twitter: @IProtests
https://twitter.com/IProtests