Tehran, YJC. Member of parliament says the statistics that says 1 out of 3 Iranian women experience violence against them is not correct.
Zohre Tabib Zadeh Nouri, member of the Women Parliamentary
Group, in interview with the Islamic Consultative News Agency in response to a
proposed national reference to protect women against violence said "There is no
national reference to pursue a domestic issue. The term ‘national reference’ is
used when something ultra-national is the case.”
The Tehran, representative to the Majlis said "As for the
issue of violence and the specification of its forms and intensity, we do not
consider any non-local organization as valid. So if we try to address the issue
according to the legal procedure, using the title of ‘national reference’ will
go against the country’s regulations.”
To protect women against violence, we need no such thing as
a national reference, Tabib Zadeh asserted, adding "to form support for women
against violence, it would be enough if an organization is given the
responsibility so that inspective organizations would then question that
organization.”
"Since the Majlis cannot impeach anyone other than
ministers, it is necessary that a governmental organization would be made
responsible for women’s affairs.”
She added "If, on the other hand, the Ministry of Justice is
to become the entity to pursue affairs about protective women, the minister
would be responsible, in which case it would not again be necessary to use the
term ‘national reference’.”
Pointing to statistics claiming that one out of three Iranian
women undergo violence, she said "There is no document to prove such claims, so
much so that in our religious culture, violence is defined differently than in
the West.”
"It must be made clear that what indices were used to determine
violence against women in those statistics. In our country, it is a legal
requirement that the wife should follow her husbands opinion for a travel
permission while in the West such a thing is regarded as violence against
women.”