Let's unite to end discrimination and inequality against women in our country

On the occasion of March 8, International Women's Day

Let's unite to end discrimination and inequality against women in our country

International Women's Day is the day of celebration all over the world in different ways in different countries. Depending on the conditions of each country this day is celebrated by participating in festivities or taking part in the meetings to commemorate it. The goal is common though: Highlighting Issues related to women in the society.

This day was recorded in the history with the protest of garment women workers for higher wages, reducing working hours and improving working conditions in 1857 in New York. In 1910, at the suggestion of Clara Zetkin and her and other women's pursuit, March 8 was established as the International Women's Day and in 1911 the first Women's Day ceremony was held in Germany.

In different countries of the world, the presence of women in important centers of macro decision-making in various fields, including in politics and economics, has increased. In our country though, not only we have not made any progress in this field but compared to previous years we have witnessed regression. However, the women of our country continue to resist by actively participating in the political, social and cultural life of the society and fighting against reactionary laws and oppression created by the patriarchal society.

The undeniable presence of thousands of women along with their male counterparts in medical centers who lived through the grueling battle with the consequences of the Corona virus to the point of sacrificing their lives is a testament to the importance of this presence in society and the key role that women play in dealing with Phenomena that attack the health of the people of the country.

In the past year, we have witnessed the continuation of two shameful phenomena in society, in both of which women have been victims: One is honor killings and the other is the forcing young girls into premature marriages.

Somayeh Fathi, Fatemeh Barhi, Romina Ashrafi, Reyhaneh Ameri and many others became the victims of honor killings, the cause of which must be sought not only in the beliefs and traditions deeply rooted in the ignorance of a patriarchal society, but also in reactionary laws which puts the women in the most vulnerable position against such crimes.

In the first six months of this year alone, 163,100 children under the age of 14 and 80,000 young girls under the age of 19 were forced into premature marriage because of poverty and ignorance on the part of their parents and families and on the other hand, the shameless and lustful men who call themselves husbands. Those men in fact are slave buyers and by doing so they committee a major crime.

Over the past year, many women activists have been summoned to court and sentenced to prison for participating in popular protests and for various reasons, including resisting the compulsory hijab. Arrests of women activists did not decrease last year and many women are now in difficult conditions in the regime's prisons including long-term solitary confinement, physical and mental torture to confess to false accusations, and lengthy interrogation at all hours of the day and night for those brave women whose sole crime is to work in civil and social welfare institutions and to seek equal pay. The government has imposed very difficult conditions on these brave souls.

March 8 is an opportunity for us to relay the voice of women in our country to the world and to call on human rights organizations and women's rights activists to put pressure on the government to release these brave women as soon as possible.

The Women's Group of the Left Party of Iran (People's Fadaian) congratulates all freedom seeking and equal right believers, both men and women, on the occasion of International Women's Day. We call for the support and cooperation of all progressive and justice-seeking forces to improve the situation of Iranian women. We highly value the efforts of women's rights activists in Iran and work with them to achieve women's rights.

Women's Group - Left Party of Iran (People's Fadaian)

March 6, 2017