Last Updated on June 10, 2020, 2:12 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Iran has passed a law on Sunday, which makes any emotional or physical abuse or abandonment of a child, a crime.
This new law is the first legal protection for juveniles and children in Iran.
The new law materialized primarily in response to the nationwide outrage over the murder of a teenage girl by her father last month because she had run off with a boyfriend.
Her father had beheaded 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi with a farming sickle.
Several Iranian media outlets, including the nation’s official news agency IRNA, are referring to the new legislation as the “Romina’s law” and have also said if it would have been passed a few weeks ago, Romina would still be alive.
A lawyer and child rights activist, Reza Shafahkhah, said that Romina died, but thousands of children are now at the brink of life and death every day. This case has clearly shown the lack of laws for the protection of the children.
Under the Islamic penal code of Iran, Reza Ashrafi, Romina’s father, would face a jail sentence of maximum ten years because fathers are considered to be the guardians and, unlike mothers, fathers are exempt from capital punishment for the murder of their children.
The so-called honour killing had sparked debate all over Iran regarding the lack of legal protection for women and children in the country, and the public questioned why the legislation had remained stagnant in the Parliament for the past 11 years.
A separate bill has been in limbo for eight years, which would criminalize the emotional, sexual and physical abuse of women.
As a result of Romina’s murder, the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani’s government has asked the Parliament to expedite passing both bills.
It still remained unclear whether the conservative-dominated body, elected in February, would also act on the legislation which would protect women.
According to government statistics, around two-thirds of Iranian women have experienced domestic violence of some kind at the hands of a male relative.
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Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
