On September 16th 2022, a young Kurdish women named Mahsa Amini was detained over an inadequate hijab. Arrested and beaten by the Iranian morality police, she later died in custody. The female journalists who broke the story were arrested and continue to remain in jail. The last six months in Iran have been marked by political and social turmoil with endless protests, mass deaths and rolling internet blackouts. The women of Iran refuse to back down.
Who are Irans morality police?
Irans morality police patrol the streets and enforce Irans strict dress code including mandatory head scarfs for women. Women are forced to cover their hair and bodies and cannot dance in public or travel without approval from their parents or a spouse. Women are routinely arrested and fined for not following the strict rules of the morality police.
The current state of Iran and the Women, Life, Freedom Movement
Since Mahsa Amini's death over 10,000 men and women have been arrested and hundreds of people, including children, have been killed. The full scope of what is happening in Iran is unknown due to the lack of transparency by the Iranian government. We do know that women and girls involved in the protests are being sexually and physically abused. We know that protestors, including men and children as young as ten, are being detained and killed. We know that security forces are stripping protestors from their homes and they have not been heard from since. Western countries have imposed sanctions upon the Iranian government but this has yet to stop these egregious acts of human rights violations.
What can we do to support the movement?
Women, specifically Generation Z, are leading the protests on the ground and directly supporting them is tough. There are no agencies on the ground to donate to as the Iranian government makes sure they don't exist. Iranians also don't want direct military involvement from outside allies. They want us to share and amplify their voices. So, how can we help them?
- Keep the dialogue going. Share with your network by sending this blog post or this article.
- Follow and share social media accounts that are amplifying Iranian voices. A few examples: @iraniandiasporacollective,
@centerforhumanrights, @from___iran and @globaliranian. Tweet. Instagram. TikTok. Talk about it with your friends and family. - Write to your representatives and demand they take action to stand up for women's rights in Iran.
- Shop with FEISTY and choose to donate to the Iranian Children's Rights Society at check out. This organization is advocating for gender equality for women and girls within the Iran.
Talk soon,
Hannah
Sources:
Kianpour, S. (2023). The Women of Iran Are Not Backing Down. Foreign Affairs Magazine. Link.
Zarate, J.C., Archin, L. & Devereaux, K. (2023). The Iranians Women's Movement: Sanctions, Human Rights, And The Targeting Of Iran's Morality Police. Link.
