We, the undersigned associations of Iranian women and Human Rights in Europe, consider the election of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) a scandalous event and a direct insult to Iranian women, who have been the main victims of this dictatorial regime for over four decades.

Iranian women are treated as sub-citizens in their own country. From early childhood, they face outrageous misogyny legalized in the constitution and the civil and penal codes. These anti-women laws have entrenched "legal" discrimination in public and private life, including access to political and legal office, employment, inheritance, marriage, divorce, child custody, etc. 

Deprived of their fundamental rights, women and young girls remain without any protection against forced marriage and early pregnancy, polygamy, domestic violence,...

They have to wear the compulsory veil; are not allowed to sing or play sports in public or enter stadiums; they can only travel with the consent of the father or husband,…

We believe that the ruling theocratic regime that has institutionalized gender discrimination and related violence against women in Iranian society, always referring critics to its own ideological conception of human rights, should not be rewarded for this shameful behavior by being allowed to obtain a seat in the high UN body dedicated exclusively to "the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women".

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, recognized in his report published last August (A/75/287), "persistent discrimination against women and girls" in Iran.

Those who believe that Iran's election to the CSW can mitigate its contempt for women are mistaken. No bill of law to substantially promote the situation of Iranian women has been considered by this regime despite numerous resolutions of the UN and other international bodies, such as the European Parliament, voted to this effect over the past four decades. On the contrary, in recent times, we have witnessed the multiplication of rules and official decisions that worsen the condition of women in this country of 83 million inhabitants.

In his latest report (A/HRC/46/50), the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javid Rehman, expresses deep concern "that patriarchal values and misogynistic attitudes permeate many aspects of family life in Iran", and regrets "that the Iranian government has not accepted 14 UN recommendations regarding the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women".

Thus, we solemnly call on all governments, institutions, associations, human rights organizations and the international community as a whole to strongly and unreservedly condemn the shameful election of the Iranian state to the CSW, the act that is likely to cause lasting damage to the reputation of this high body and put its functioning in doubt for a long time to come. 

We call on the UN to closely examine the record of candidate countries on women's rights in the upcoming elections of CSW members.  

 

Association des femmes iraniennes en France (AFIF), Iranian women's society in Sweden, Comité de soutien aux droits de l’homme en Iran (France),  Associazione delle Donne Democratiche Iraniane in Italia (ADDI), Youth for a free Iran (Sweden), Die Frauenvereinigung für einen freien demokratischen Iran in Osterreich, Association Humanitaire pour les droits de l’homme et la démocratie en Iran (Luxembourg), Iranska Kvinnoföreningen i Göteborg (Sweden), Associazione Medici e Farmacisti Democratici Iraniani in Italia, Associazione italiana per i diritti umani in Iran, Iranska Kultur Föreningen i Södra Sverige, Association des Jeunes (Luxembourg), Association des Franco-Iraniens du Rhone pour la Démocratie et laïcité, Association des Femmes pour la liberté en Iran (France), Föreningar för ett Fritt Iran, Förbundet för Förändring i Iran, Association des Jeunes d’Iran libre (France), Akademikers förening i Södra Sverige, Association des Réfugiés Politiques pour les Droits de l’Homme (France)