14) IRAN'S "FAMILY PROTECTION BILL" WILL HARM FAMILIES

(The following article is from the October 16-31, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Charles Brickdale

Throughout much of Iranian society there are growing demands for greater legal equality for women in every part of life: marriage, divorce, the custody of children, employment and social life. The regime's response is the Family Protection Bill which is an attempt to stop any further improvements in the position of women and to keep them in a firmly subservient status.

     The Bill faces determined opposition from women's rights activists, human rights campaigners and a number of political parties. Nonetheless, it has passed through most of the necessary stages of the Parliamentary process and is close to receiving final approval.

     The Bill attacks women on three key fronts, polygamy, temporary marriages and divorce.

     Husbands will no longer have to seek the permission of the first wife before marrying a second wife (he may, of course, marry up to four wives). All he will have to do is demonstrate to a court that he has the resources to support more than one wife and that he will treat all his wives with fairness. The lawyer Shirin Ebadi says of this provision, "upholding justice among wives is a paper exercise which will lead nowhere. As far as financial resources are concerned, a wealthy man can submit his accounts and marry two, three or four women. This bill panders to rich men's lust."

     Temporary marriages will be made easier in that they will no longer have to be registered. Among several major concerns raised by this proposal is the fact that it leaves in limbo the status of children born to temporarily married parents.

     Divorce will be made more difficult - but only for women. As the law stands, men can divorce a wife without stating a reason, whereas a woman must seek the permission of a court and demonstrate that she has acceptable grounds for divorce. The new law will make more complicated the procedures that wives have to go through.

     Why has the regime chosen to bring in such a Bill at this time? There are two main reasons. Firstly, it is a response to the growth of the women's movement and the increasing pressure for radical changes in the lives and legal status of women. Reversing advances made by women has always been an objective of the most reactionary elements of the regime; now they seek not merely to preserve the status quo but to worsen the situation. Secondly, the huge wealth accumulated by some people over the last few decades will enable them to take advantage of the enhanced legal laxity on polygamy.

     A government that wants to promote healthy family life must promote equality before the law and equality of respect and status between men and women and make the safeguarding of children its first priority. The Family Protection Bill does none of these things. It further subordinates women to the whims of unscrupulous men and makes it even more difficult for many wives to achieve any improvement in their conditions. This is not the road to a society of free and fulfilled individuals, families and communities.

     (This article is from CODIR, which is involved in issues of peace and human rights in Iran. Here is a weblink to the article: http://www.codir.net/women/index.html#27.)