Official statistics in Iran indicate that an average of over 74,000 women annually visit forensic medical centers for examinations related to spousal abuse. In other words, one in every 300 married women in Iran seeks assistance from forensic services to report domestic violence. However, not all cases are reported. Estimates suggest that the actual instances of domestic violence against women in Iran are approximately 100 times higher than this figure.
The latest statistics from the World Bank’s gender data section reveal that nearly one-third of women in Iran experience violence from their intimate partners. This rate is the third highest in the region after Afghanistan and Turkey.
Estimates from UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality, show that 133 women are victims of femicide every day worldwide, or at least five women per hour.
In Iran, official bodies do not publish accurate statistics on femicide. However, Iranian newspapers occasionally report based on available news. For example, in the summer, the newspaper Shargh analyzed news reports from the crime sections of newspapers and websites, revealing that between June 2021 and June 2023, at least 165 femicides occurred in Iran. In two-thirds of these cases, the perpetrators were husbands, and in one-fifth, they were fathers or brothers.
Sexual abuse and violence
According to estimates by UN Women, one in three women worldwide experiences sexual violence, most often inflicted by their spouse or intimate partner. In international datasets, there are no specific statistics for Iran on this indicator. Sparse studies on sexual assault and harassment in Iran emphasize that such cases are rarely reported. However, Iran’s profile on the UN Women website cites a 2018 study where 18% of women aged 15 to 49 reported experiencing sexual violence at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey.
Forced marriage and childbearing
UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality, considers forced marriage and childbearing as forms of violence against women.
The Iranian Statistical Center has stopped publishing birth statistics by maternal age since March 2023. However, available data indicate that between 2016 and 2022, an average of 1,438 births per year in Iran were recorded where the mother was under the age of 15.
According to Iran’s Civil Code, marriage of girls under the age of 13 is permitted only with approval and discretion of a court. However, an analysis of the latest raw data from the regime’s Civil Registration Organization in 2020 reveals that 767 marriages involving girls under 13 years old were officially registered across Iran that year.
Using the international standard of 18 years as the benchmark for child marriage, more than one-fifth of registered marriages in Iran qualify as “child marriages,” according to the latest statistics. This means that out of approximately 557,000 registered marriages in 2020, in 118,000 cases, the bride was under the age of 18.
