Systemic Violence Against Girls in Iran: Laws, Poverty, and Institutional Failure

The convergence of World Children's Day (November 20) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (November 25) starkly highlights the crisis facing vulnerable Iranian girls, who are subjected to systematic violence rooted in both discriminatory legal structures and widespread institutional failures.

Child abuse is described in the sources as a growing phenomenon and a top social harm in Iran. This systemic violence disproportionately affects girls, as 55 percent of child abuse reports concern girls.

1. Legal Mechanisms: The Doctrine of "Anti-Woman" Laws

The pervasive violence is institutionalized by laws that prioritize the rights of alleged abusers over the safety of the child, stemming from the regime's core ideology described as "anti-woman"

• Prioritizing the Father's Right: Iranian laws regarding custody and judicial supervision emphasize the "right of the father" rather than the security of the child. This legal framework provides the structural basis for repeated violence.

• Discrimination in Custody: The regime’s discriminatory custody regulations expose minor girls to extreme risk. The anti-woman laws are described as enabling horrific crimes, such as the murder of Ava Yargholi, who was killed by her addicted father after those laws granted him custody, despite her mother being financially and ethically suitable. Similarly, in the case of Niyan, the law allowed her father—who had a history of threatening and beating his wife—to retain custody, which allegedly paved the way for the fatal abuse of the six-year-old girl by her stepmother's brother.

• Centrality of Discrimination: The anti-woman laws are central to the regime's beliefs and regulations, exposing minor girls to both direct violence and legal discrimination.

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