The victims' fault

Iranian justice officials were seemingly unimpressed by the alleged incident, claiming that the victims had simply behaved inappropriately. Jinous Sharif-Razi, an attorney from Teheran, thinks this opinion is absurd.

"It is very sad and unfortunate that the officials are blaming the victims. Everyone who commits a crime is guilty and has to be punished." Sharif-Razi added that the officials' statement could trigger concerns and distrust in the country's justice system.

Some weeks later, a second report about a young woman turned up. She claimed she was sexually abused by 15 unidentified men while on a trip with her boyfriend.

The woman actually filed a report against her attackers but withdrew it again shortly after because in accordance with Iran's laws, the woman would have to explain why she was secretly meeting up with her boyfriend and what relationship they were having. According to Iranian law it is considered inappropriate and immoral for a woman to meet up with a man she is not married to.

Different values

"Our society is experiencing a moral crisis. The moral values the system wants to plant on society do not meet the needs of the people," says family psychologist Reza Kazemsadeh. He thinks the problem is rooted in the discrepancy between the values parents teach their children and the ones being applied in society

After the Islamic revolution in Iran 32 years ago, the consumption of alcohol was prohibited as well as western music and fashion. Moreover, it was forbidden for women and men to meet in public. However, for many families a western lifestyle is not a problem at all as long as they do not get caught by the religious police, also known as the morality police. In both mass rape cases, the victims were well-educated women and wanted to live their lives freely and independently.

As a result, the state-run Iranian media started reporting more on cases of violation and abuse of young women in an attempt to disparage a "Western" lifestyle. Young people should be warned and cautioned not to attend secret immoral parties or take trips with the opposite sex.

Torture and rape as 'political instruments'

Iranian society is dominated by men and is shaped by a lot of violence, says human rights activist Nour Iman Ghahrai. Even female prisoners with a differing political opinion were sexually abused in the past according to the Iranian opposition. After an outpouring of public criticism, two court officials who served as guards in a prison in southern Teheran lost their jobs and the prison's director was arrested.

"Torture and rape belong to the political instruments of Iran and they are used to control and suppress the people," says Ghahrai.

The state tends to react with strict controls and public media campaigns. The notorious moral police organize large campaigns in the bigger cities to ensure people are safe. "Nobody talks about either the ideology or the fight against immorality but it is all about the safety of the population," criticizes Kazemsadeh. "This is exactly how critics, open-minded journalists and intellectuals are silenced."

The female victims stand to gain nothing from these public political shows. They will have to live with their shame and wounds, both physical and psychological. Their attackers, however, remain unpunished most of the time and can live a free life with neither moral nor legal consequences.

Author: Shabnam Nourian (aw)
Editor: Rob Mudge