The human rights organization Hengaw, in a report warning about the rise in femicide in Iran, wrote that during the current year (starting from March 21, 2025), 203 cases of femicide were recorded in the country.
The report states: “Due to the anti-women laws of the Iranian regime, as well as patriarchal and so-called honor-based social relations in Iranian society, a significant portion of femicide cases fall into the category of hidden statistics.”
In another report published on November 25, Hengaw wrote that from the beginning of the current Gregorian year until November 25, 2025, at least 176 cases of femicide were recorded in various cities across Iran, with at least 25 cases motivated by so-called honor.
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According to these statistics, Tehran recorded the highest number of femicides with 27 cases, followed by Mazandaran and Kermanshah with 14 cases each, and Razavi Khorasan and West Azerbaijan with 13 cases each.
Additionally, East Azerbaijan recorded 10 cases, Sistan and Baluchestan recorded nine cases, the provinces of Lorestan and Fars each recorded eight cases, and Gilan recorded seven cases, ranking next.
Based on these statistics, at least 11 women were killed for rejecting marriage proposals, nine women for requesting divorce, 10 women were victims of child marriage, and six women were victims of forced marriage, all killed by their husbands.
On November 24, the HRANA news website, affiliated with a human rights news agency focused on Iran, reported on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women that during the one-year period from November 23, 2024, to November 20, 2025, at least 110 women were killed in Iran, and the organization recorded 181 reports comprising 320 documented cases of violations of women’s rights in Iran.
In recent years, cases of femicide in Iran have increased, with a significant portion occurring under the label of “honor killings.”
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Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, said in a report on September 26 regarding the human rights situation in Iran that the absence of a comprehensive law against domestic violence has paved the way for increased violence against women.
