November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

This day commemorates the state-sponsored murder of the "Mirabal Sisters" on November 25, 1960, in the Dominican Republic. The sisters, along with their husbands and allies, fought against the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. At the first Latin American feminist conference in Bogotá in 1981, in honor of the Mirabal Sisters, November 25 was chosen as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Later, in December 1999, the UN General Assembly officially declared it the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Violence against women is a global phenomenon that transcends geographic boundaries. In many countries, feminists and women’s rights organizations work tirelessly year-round to combat various forms of violence against women. These efforts have led to the adoption of laws in some nations that criminalize violence against women and impose legal penalties. While these laws mark a significant achievement in women’s rights and have contributed to reducing violence in some cases, patriarchal cultural roots mean violence against women persists in many societies to varying degrees. Feminists and women’s rights groups continue their struggles to pressure governments to take serious measures against violence toward women.

In Iran, however, the trajectory over the past four decades has been the opposite. The Islamic regime has not only legitimized violence against women but has institutionalized it in family, social, economic, and political spheres. From its earliest days in power, the regime has implemented misogynistic and reactionary laws that undermine even the most basic rights of women. These state-driven policies have exacerbated domestic violence, femicides, self-immolation, and child marriage. Although some of these issues predate the regime, their increase is a direct result of its oppressive policies, making women in Iran daily victims of systemic violence.

Despite this, Iranian women have persistently fought back against these injustices, paying a heavy price for their resistance. Deprived of the right to form independent organizations and facing brutal repression, imprisonment, torture, or even execution for their activism, Iranian women have shown remarkable resilience. Their struggle continues, undeterred by the challenges they face. The revolutionary movement “Woman, Life, Freedom” is a powerful testament to their ongoing fight. This movement marks a pivotal chapter in the relentless battle for liberation from a regime that has built its power on suppressing the Iranian population in general and women in particular. Importantly, many men in Iran have stood shoulder to shoulder with women in this revolutionary movement, challenging not only the mandatory hijab and morality police but also systemic discrimination, inequality, and the entire oppressive religious dictatorship.

While the movement is currently in a state of relative stagnation due to suppression and other factors, women’s resistance and protests remain alive within Iranian society. Thousands of women continue to defy compulsory hijab laws, risking heavy fines and arrest. Acts of bravery, like those of Ahoo Daryaei, a student at Azad University, on November 3, exemplify the enduring fight for freedom and equality.

We, in the broad Solidarity for Freedom and Equality in Iran and the Congress of Iranian Federal Nationalities, believe that violence against women is a social anomaly with disastrous consequences for society as a whole. Therefore, eliminating violence against women must be a central goal for coalitions, parties, organizations, and movements fighting against the misogynistic and inhumane regime ruling Iran.

Let’s move toward a society free of violence, discrimination, and inequality, ensuring justice, freedom, and equality in a post-Islamic Republic Iran.

Congress of Federal Nationalities for Iran
Broad Solidarity for Freedom and Equality in Iran

November 19, 2024