In 1993, the world conference on human rights declared deep concerns on various forms of discrimination and violence, to which women continue to be exposed all over the world and declared the full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex as priority objectives of the international community. Last year the Vienna+20 conference addressed the states as well as other stakeholders to ensure that women human rights defenders, women journalists and other women engaged in the public sphere are able to work freely, without fear of violence or repression. States were called to guarantee the protection of women journalists who are frequently subject to violence and retaliation for defending rights or transgressing gender norms, and to end impunity for attacks against them. On 15th June Iranian women were barred from entering the Azadi Stadium (meaning Freedom Stadium) to watch the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World match between Brazil and Iran’s national teams. In contrast to Brazilian women who were able to sit next to men and watch the match. On 20th June the Iranian Journalist Fatemeh Jamal Pour was arrested and put six hours in detention for demanding to enter the stadium to prepare a report. After this occasion, she wrote at the same day on her facebook site: “When I unexpectedly received the first slap, then the second slap and then the 3rd slap and while I was beaten and pulled by 10 agents and plain-cloths men and women to a van, I closed my eyes and thought it was a dream or a nightmare, but it was a real and happened today in front of the doors of the Azadi Stadium, where a volleyball game was going on between Italy and Iran.” Mr President in some countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran inequality between women and men is systematically implemented and dominates every aspect of life. The second article of the comprehensive population plan and the family ascendancy which was generally adopted in the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, foresees the priority of employment in both public and private sectors for married men with children, the second priority goes to married men without children. Married women with children are in third priority and employing an unmarried person in case that the married ones are not registering is acceptable. The Population Growth Strategy will further create a wider gap between men and women in employment and keep women out of the labor force to stay home and bear children as well as increase further women’s low workforce participation rate. Hence the Islamic Republic of Iran has gained the rank 130 from 136 countries in the global gender gap index. Südwind urges all countries to fulfill their obligations and all countries that have not yet ratified CEDAW to do so.
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