Women’s rights activists say a government bill to protect women against violence, which has been seven years in preparation, ignores domestic violence and so called ‘honor’ killings while threatening dissidents with persecution by the Intelligence Ministry. 

According to Article 15 of the bill, which the cabinet approved on Thursday and sent to parliament for approval, the Ministry of Interior should “identify individuals and groups acting to diminish women’s role in family and society and destroy the modesty and virtues of Muslim Iranian women.” The Interior Ministry is required “in cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence [to] prevent these individuals and group from acting.”

“This is shameful,” Shiva Nazarahari − feminist, human rights activist and a founding member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters − tweeted on Thursday.

Zahra Tizro, senior lecturer at University of East London, in an interview with Iranian Women’s Association published on Thursday, said the article could lead to more restrictions on women’s rights activists. She suggested that a more realistic approach was needed to prevent the issue from becoming a political and security matter.

Tizro argued that law should reflect the views of wider society, not only the religious establishment, but that the legislation showed strong influences of what she characterized as “the Islamic view” of women’s role in family that ignored marital rape and ‘honor killings.’

Bidarzani (Female Awareness), a website dedicated to women’s issues and women’s rights, called the bill “completely useless” in ignoring important issues including psychological violence while stressing “traditional concepts like family and marriage.” In an article on Thursday, Emtedad News pointed out that the bill made no reference to assault, “sexual harassment” and “female circumcision” (genital mutilation) – which, Emtedad said, revealed how those who prepared the bill viewed violence against women.

The preamble to the bill claims it aims to “provide security to women and protect their dignity,” “strengthen the foundations of family and protect it,” and “protect harmed women or women who are threatened by violence.” It has prepared by the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary over the past seven years.  According to Emtedad News, the judiciary made extensive changes to the original government draft, which was submitted to the judiciary over three years ago.