41 women, 11 girls killed in Iran in first six months of 2023, report says

41 women and 11 girls were killed in Iran in the first six months of 2022, according to the report released by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

News Center- At least 41 women and 11 girls were killed in Iran and Rojhelat in the first six months of 2023, according to the report released by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The report said the most cases of femicide occurred in Tehran and then Urmia.

“Out of the 52 cases, 20 cases (38.4%) were classified as honor killings. 11 cases (21%) of the femicide victims were girls under the age of 18, with the youngest being 10 years old. The main perpetrators of the femicide were the husbands of the victims, who were responsible for 28 cases (54%). Other perpetrators included partners or fiancés (4 cases), ex-husbands (3 cases), fathers (8 cases), and brothers (6 cases). In some cases, the femicide was committed by a male relative of the victim, such as an uncle or cousin,” the report said.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has violated the human rights of women by interfering in their private sphere and fundamental freedoms, such as veiling. It has neglected its positive duty to protect women and children from domestic violence, which is often justified by notions of “honor" and "sharaf". As a result, women are subjected to the authority of their father, husband, or brother, without adequate legal support. This kind of unregulated power, disguised as the family’s private domain, facilitates crimes against women,” said Faraz Firouzi Mandomi, a human rights lawyer and chief legal officer of Hengaw.